Telokin, which is a candidate for one of the factors stabilizing depho
sphorylated myosin filaments in smooth muscle cells, was subjected to
a chemical crosslinking study to determine its binding location on the
myosin molecule. Telokin labeled with 5-iodoacetamidofluorescein (Fl-
telokin) retained the nature of unlabeled telokin: it bound to dephosp
horylated gizzard myosin with a stoichiometry of 1 mol/mol myosin and
induced filament assembly. The carboxyl groups of Fl-telokin were acti
vated with 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethyl-amino-propyl)carbodiimide and N-hydro
xysuccinimide and then crosslinked to myosin. The production of three
fluorescent peptides was observed on an SDS-gel, accompanying a decrea
se in the amount of regulatory light chain (LC20). The molecular weigh
ts of these products were estimated to be >200, 62, and 41 kDa. When u
nlabeled telokin was crosslinked to myosin of which LC20 was exchanged
with doacetyl)amino]ethyl]amino]-naphthalene-1-sulfonic acid-labeled
LC20, the 62- and 41-kDa bands were also fluorescent. These results su
ggest that the >200, 62, and 41-kDa species are telokin crosslinked wi
th a heavy chain, with 2 LC20, and with 1 LC20, respectively. Myosin c
rosslinked with unlabeled telokin showed an extra structure with a sma
ll projection at the head-rod junction on electron microscopy and this
structure was proved to be telokin by decorating it with anti-telokin
antibodies. In addition, dephosphorylated myosin crosslinked with Fl-
telokin was incapable of folding into the 10S conformation at 0.2 M Na
Cl in the presence of MgATP, and assembled into filaments at 0.15 M Na
Cl in the presence of MgATP. Thus, telokin may bind to LC20 and a heav
y chain region at the head-rod junction and suppress folding into the
10S conformation, leading to the assembly of myosin into filaments.