Cardiac troponin and tropomyosin bind to F-actin cooperatively, as revealed by fluorescence microscopy.

In cardiac muscle, binding of troponin (Tn) and tropomyosin (Tpm) to filamentous (F)-actin forms thin filaments capable of Ca2+ -dependent regulation of contraction. Tpm binds to F-actin in a head-to-tail fashion, while Tn stabilizes these linkages. Valuable structural and functional information has come from biochemical, X-ray, and electron microscopy data. However, the use of fluorescence microscopy to study thin filament assembly remains relatively underdeveloped. Here, triple fluorescent labeling of Tn, Tpm, and F-actin allowed us to track thin filament assembly by fluorescence microscopy. It is shown here that Tn and Tpm molecules self-organize on actin filaments and give rise to decorated and undecorated regions. Binding curves based on colocalization of Tn and Tpm on F-actin exhibit cooperative binding with a dissociation constant Kd of ~ 0.5 µm that is independent of the Ca2+ concentration. Binding isotherms based on the intensity profile of fluorescently labeled Tn and Tpm on F-actin show that binding of Tn is less cooperative relative to Tpm. Computational modeling of Tn-Tpm binding to F-actin suggests two equilibrium steps involving the binding of an initial Tn-Tpm unit (nucleation) and subsequent recruitment of adjacent Tn-Tpm units (elongation) that stabilize the assembly. The results presented here highlight the utility of employing fluorescence microscopy to study supramolecular protein assemblies.