Electron microscopic visualization of the N terminus of the myosin heavy chain using a site-directed antibody

We determined the spatial location of the N terminus of the heavy chain of rabbit skeletal muscle myosin by electron microscopy, using a site-directed antibody raised against its N-terminal eight residues as an electron microscopic probe. By examining rotary-shadowed images of the heavy meromyosin-antibody complex, we measured distances between the head-rod junction and the attachment site of the antibody bound on the head. The average distance was estimated to be about 12 nm. The result indicates that the N terminus of the heavy chain is located at the middle region of the head.