Regulation of permeabilized endothelial cell retraction by myosin phosphorylation

Permeabilized endothelial cell monolayers retracted on exposure to ATP and Ca2+. ADP, inosine triphosphate (ITP), GTP, adenosine 5'-(gamma-thio)triphosphate (ATP-gamma S), and 5'-adenylylimidodiphosphate failed to support retraction. However, ATP gamma S, a substrate for myosin light-chain kinase (MLCK) but not myosin adenosinetriphosphatase (ATPase), combined with ITP, a substrate for myosin ATPase but not MLCK, supported retraction. Two MLCK pseudosubstrate peptides, M5 and SM-1, inhibited endothelial cell retraction equally and more effectively than myosin kinase-inhibitory peptide with a sequence based on the phosphorylated site of myosin light chain. M5 was shown to inhibit thiophosphorylation of endothelial cell myosin light chains. Endothelial cells incubated with exogenous unregulated kinase in the presence of ethylene glycol-bis(beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N',N'-tetra-acetic acid retracted on addition of ATP. This retraction was accompanied by thiophosphorylation of the 19 kDa myosin light chains in the presence of ATP gamma 35S. The N-ethylmaleimide-modified subfragment 1 of myosin heads, a specific inhibitor of actin-myosin interaction, prevented retraction. These data add support to the proposal of a central role for MLCK activation of myosin in endothelial retraction.