Location of paramyosin in relation to the subfilaments within the thick filaments of scallop striated muscle

Abstract

Myosin co-assembles with paramyosin in the thick filaments of invertebrate muscles. The molar ratio of the two proteins varies greatly but where sufficient paramyosin is present it forms the filament core with myosin arranged on its surface. In the fastest acting striated muscles, paramyosin is present in small amounts, and neither its location nor the nature of its interactions with myosin has previously been established. Antibodies to paramyosin have now been used in an attempt to locate the protein in thick filaments that have been isolated from the striated adductor muscle of the scallop and then frayed apart into their constituent subfilaments. Using a gold-conjugated secondary antibody, the location of paramyosin in relation to the subfilaments has been determined by electron microscopy of negatively stained samples. The labelling indicates that paramyosin extends throughout the length of the scallop filaments and appears to be associated with each subfilament, raising the possibility that in these filaments paramyosin may not be confined to a central core domain.