The Regulatory Domain of Troponin C: To Be Flexible or Not To Be Flexible

The calcium-induced structural changes in the skeletal muscle regulatory protein troponin C (NTnC) involve a transition from a ‘closed’to an ‘open’structure with the concomitant exposure of a large hydrophobic interaction site for target proteins. Structural studies have served to define this conformational change and elucidate the mechanism of the linkage between calcium binding and the induced structural changes. There are now several structures of NTnC available from both NMR and X-ray crystallography. Comparison of the calcium bound structures reveals differences in the level of opening. We have considered the concept of a flexible open state of NTnC as a possible explanation for this apparent discrepancy. We also present simulations of the closed-to-open transition which are in agreement with the flexibility concept and with experimental energetics data.