Deterioration of connectin/titin and nebulin filaments by an excess of protease inhibitors

We studied the effect of protease inhibitors at a high concentration on connectin and nebulin filaments in myofibrils. Calpastatin domain I at 0.1 mM bound to connectin and nebulin filaments, and deteriorated their physico-chemical properties; the calcium-binding ability of connectin and nebulin filaments was suppressed, the susceptibility of both filaments to trypsin was markedly decreased, and the resting tension of mechanically skinned fibers was increased by 2.5 times that of the control at a sarcomere length of 3.6 μm. This indicates that the connectin filaments were made more rigid. The same phenomenon was observed from the treatment of skinned fibers with 1 mM leupeptin whose resting tension was increased to 2 times the control value. Microscopically, both protease inhibitors induced dense aggregation and disappearance of the regular striation of myofibrils due to their non-specific binding to many myofibrillar proteins. The use of excess calpastatin domain I and leupeptin should therefore be avoided in physiological and biochemical studies on connectin and nebulin filaments, as well as on myofibrils.