Myosin light chain phosphorylation controls insulin secretion at a proximal step in the secretory cascade. Iida, Yuji, Takao Senda, Yoshihisa Matsukawa,koji Onoda, Jun-Ichi Miyazaki, Hiromi Sakaguchi, Yuji Nimura, Hiroyoshi Hidaka, and Ichiro Niki. Department of Pharmacology, First Department of Surgery and Department of Anatomy, Nagoya University School of Medicine, Nagoya, Department of Thoracic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Mie University, Tsu and Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
APStracts 4:0137E, 1997.
The aim of this study was to investigate how insulin secretion is controlled by phosphorylation of the myosin light chain (MLC). Ca2+ -evoked insulin release from pancreatic islets permeabilized with streptolysin-O was inhibited by different monoclonal antibodies against myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) to extents parallel to their inhibition of purified MLCK. Anti-MLCK antibody also inhibited insulin release caused by the stable GTP analogue, GTP[gamma]S, even at a substimulatory concentration (0.1[mu]M) of Ca2+. Free Ca2+ increased MLC peptide phosphorylation by [beta]-cell extracts in vitro. In contrast to the phosphorylation by purified MLCK or by CaM kinase II, the activity partially remained with [beta]-cell under non-stimulatory Ca2+ (0.1[mu]M) conditions. The MLCK inhibitor, ML-9, inhibited the activity in the [beta]-cell with both substimulatory or stimulatory Ca2+, whereas KN-62, an inhibitor of CaM kinase II, only exerted an influence in the latter case. ML-9 decreased intracellular granule movement in MIN6 cells under basal and acetylcholine -stimulated conditions. We propose that MLC phosphorylation may modulate translocation of secretory granules, resulting in enhanced insulin secretion.

Received 31 December 1996; accepted in final form 20 June 1997.
APS Manuscript Number E633-6.
Article publication pending Am. J. Physiol. (Endocrinol. Metab.).
ISSN 1080-4757 Copyright 1997 The American Physiological Society.
Published in APStracts on 10 July 1997