Interaction of bepridil with the cardiac troponin C/troponin I complex

We have investigated the binding of bepridil to calcium-saturated cardiac troponin C in a cardiac troponin C/troponin I complex. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and (15)N,(2)Hcardiac troponin C permitted the mapping of bepridil-induced amide proton chemical shifts. A single bepridil-binding site in the regulatory domain was found with an affinity constant of approximately 140 microM(-1). In the presence of cardiac troponin I, bepridil binding to the C domain of cardiac troponin C was not detected. The pattern of bepridil-induced chemical shifts is consistent with stabilization of more open regulatory domain conformational states. A similar pattern of chemical shift perturbations was observed for interaction of the troponin I cardiac-specific amino-terminus with the cardiac troponin C regulatory domain. These results suggest that both bepridil and the cardiac-specific amino-terminus may mediate an increase in calcium affinity by interacting with and stabilizing open regulatory domain conformations. Chemical shift mapping suggests a possible role for inactive calcium-binding site I in the modulation of calcium affinity.