A model for human cardiac troponin C and for modulation of its Ca 2+ affinity by drugs

Calcium sensitizers are drugs which increase force development in striated muscle by sensitizing myofilaments to Ca 2+ . This can happen by increasing Ca 2+ affinity of the regulatory domain of Ca 2+ binding protein troponin C. High resolution crystal structures of two calcium binding proteins, calmodulin (Babu et al.: J. Mol. Biol. 203:191–204, 1988) and skeletal troponin C (Satyshur et al.: J. Biol. Chem. 263:1628–1647, 1988; Herzber et al.: J. Mol. Biol. 203:761–779, 1988), have recently been published. This makes it possible to model in detail the calcium‐sensitizing action of drugs on troponin C. In this study a model of human cardiac troponin C in three‐calcium state has been constructed. When calcium is bound to calcium site II of cardiac troponin C an open conformation of the protein results, which has a hydrophobic pocket surrounded by a few polar side chains. Complexation of three drugs, trifluoperazine, bepridil, and pimobendan, to the hydrophobic pocket is studied using energy minimization techniques. Two different binding modes are found, which differ in the location of a strong electrostatic interaction. In analogy with the crystal structure of skeletal troponin C it is hypothezed that in cardiac troponin C an interaction occurs between Gln‐50 and Asp‐88, which has a long‐range effect on calcium binding. The binding modes of drugs, where a strong interaction with Asp‐88 exists, can effectively prevent the interaction between Asp‐88 and Gln‐50 in the protein, and are proposed to be responsible for the calcium‐sensitizing properties of the studied drugs.