The N-Terminal Sequence of Paratropomyosin Binding Fragments from β-Connectin

In order to clarify the position where paratropomyosin binds to connectin in the A-I junction region of a sarcomere, chicken β-connectin was digested by Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease under denaturing conditions and the digested peptides were electrophoretically separated. Five peptides, 150-kDa, 100-kDa, 70-kDa, and 43-kDa fragments, were simultaneously detected by biotinylated paratropomyosin and an anti-connectin monoclonal antibody. The N-terminal sequence of the 43-kDa fragment was found to be YQFRVYAVNK, similar to the sequence of 7556-7565 amino acids in the I51 fibronectin type 3 domain that was located at the A-I junction region of human cardiac titin/connectin. Therefore, we propose that paratropomyosin binds to the 43-kDa fragment from β-connectin at the A-I junction region in both living muscle and in muscle immediately postmortem, and the N-terminus of the 43-kDa fragment is localized in the I51 domain.