Comparison of the NAD Kinase and Myosin Light Chain Kinase Activator Properties of Vertebrate, Higher Plant, and Algal Calmodulins

In the preceding paper (Lukas, Iverson, Schleicher, Watterson 1984 Plant Physiol 75: 788-795), we reported that the amino acid sequence of spinach calmodulin has at least 13 amino acid sequence differences from vertebrate calmodulin. In the present study, we investigated the effect of these amino acid sequence substitutions on the enzyme activator properties of vertebrate and plant calmodulins. Calmodulins from spinach and the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii activate chicken gizzard myosin light chain kinase in a manner similar but not identical to chicken calmodulin. In contrast, these calmodulins have very different NAD kinase activator properties. The concentration required for half-maximal activation of pea seedling NAD kinase by spinach calmodulin (3-4 nanomolar) is lower than the corresponding concentrations of chicken (20 nanomolar) and Chlamydomonas (40 nanomolar) calmodulins. However, the maximum level of activation obtained with Chlamydomonas calmodulin is 4- to 6-fold higher than spinach or chicken calmodulin. These data indicate that the limited structural heterogeneity among calmodulins have differential effects on their biochemical activities.