Stimulation of actomyosin Mg2+-ATPase activity by a brain microtubule-associated protein fraction. High-molecular-weight actin-binding protein is the stimulating factor.

Actomyosin Mg2+-ATPase activity was stimulated by a brain microtubule-associated protein (MAP) fraction. The stimulating activity of the MAP fraction was abolished by boiling and trypsin treatment, suggesting the presence of a protein factor. The factor stimulated actomyosin Mg2+-ATPase activity stoichiometrically by about four times in the optimum conditions (50--75 mM KCl, pH 6.6). The stimulating factor was coprecipitable with actomyosin and was found to be a pair of high-molecular-weight polypeptides (mol wts, 240,000 and 235,000). The polypeptides were not associated with microtubules or myosin, but with fibrous actin. In column chromatographies used for purifying the stimulating factor, the amount of polypeptides coincided with the stimulating activity. Increases in both specific activity and the amount of the paired polypeptides were nearly parallel in the process of the purification. A purified fraction (65% pure with respect to the paired polypeptides) showed a 56-fold increase of the specific stimulating activity as compared with the initial brain supernatant. The two peptides were similar but not identical with filamin and spectrin in terms of electrophoretic mobility. Hence, the pair of polypeptides was identified as an actin-binding protein newly found in brain.