Photochemical mapping of the active site of myosin

The active sites of myosin from skeletal, smooth and scallop muscle have been partly characterized by use of a series of photoreactive analogues of ATP. Specific labelling was attained by trapping these analogues in their diphosphate forms at the active sites by either cross-linking two reactive thiols (skeletal myosin) or by formation of stable vanadate-metal ion transition state-like complexes (smooth muscle and scallop myosin). By use of this approach combined with appropriate chemistry, several key residues in all three myosins have been identified which bind at or near the adenine ring, the ribose ring and to the gamma-phosphate of ATP. This information should aid in the solution of the crystal structure of the heads of myosin and in defining a detailed structure of the ATP binding site.