Transglutaminase-induced Polymerization of a Mixture of Diffrent Fish Myosins

Abstract

This study was undertaken to investigate the effect of varying myosin ratios on covalent cross-linking of a mixture of two different myosins or actomyosins by transglutaminase from carp muscle. The progress of cross-linking of myosin heavy chains (MHC) of carp, rainbow trout, and atka mackerel was significantly different; carp MHC formed mainly dimer at a rate of 8 μM•h^-1•unit^-1, but rainbow trout and atka mackerel MHC formed dimer and large polymers (n_??_3) at approximately the same rate of 55 μM•h^-l•unit^-1. The cross-linking rate of MHC in mixed myosins of carp and rainbow trout increased with increasing ratio of rainbow trout to carp. On the other hand, in the case of a mixture of rainbow trout and atka mackerel, the MHC in mixed actomyosins at any ratio were cross-linked to form large polymers at the same rate, suggesting the formation of co-polymers with each other.