Abstract

Previously, we have shown that okadaic acid (OA), isolated from black sponge (Halichondria okadai) causes contraction even in the absence of Ca++ in the saponin-permealized taenia isolated from guinea pig cecum. In the present study, mechanism of action of OA was examined using native actomyosin extracted from chicken gizzard smooth muscle. In the absence of Ca++, OA (0.1-1 microM) induced superprecipitation and increased the Mg++-adenosine triphosphatase activity. The OA-induced superprecipitation was enhanced by Ca++ at a concentration (greater than 0.1 microM) which did not activate the calmodulin-dependent myosin light chain (MLC) kinase. The effect of OA was not affected by the calmodulin inhibitor, trifluoperazine, at a concentration (100 microM) needed to inhibit the Ca++-induced response, but was inhibited markedly by the nonselective kinase inhibitors, amiloride (1 mM) and K-252a (5 microM). The OA-induced superprecipitation in the absence of Ca++ was accompanied by phosphorylation of the 20 K dalton MLC, which also was enhanced by low concentration of Ca++ (greater than 0.1 microM). OA did not change the phosphatase activity which dephosphorylates the phosphorylated MLC. An activator of Ca++- and phospholipid-dependent protein kinase, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (1 microM), did not modulate superprecipitation or phosphorylation of MLC in the presence and absence of OA. Furthermore, inhibitors of Ca++ and phospholipid-dependent protein kinase, 1-(5-isoquinoline-sulfonyl)-2-methylpiperazine dihydrochloride (400 microM) and polymyxin B (100 micrograms/ml), affected neither superprecipitation nor phosphorylation of MLC induced by OA. With a reconstituted system containing purified myosin and MLC kinase, OA induced only slight phosphorylation of MLC.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)