Interaction of smooth muscle caldesmon with calmodulin, troponin C, S-100 protein and 67 kDa calcimedin was analyzed. Native gel electrophoresis and crosslinking revealed the complex formation between caldesmon and three EF-hand Ca-binding proteins, whereas calcimedin did not interact with caldesmon. In the presence of Ca2+, calcimedin binds to actin-tropomyosin without affecting the interaction of caldesmon with this complex. Although calcimedin reversed the inhibitory action of caldesmon on the actomyosin ATPase activity at a lower concentration than three other Ca-binding proteins, this effect only slightly depends on Ca2+ and was observed at the concentration of calcimedin comparable to that of actin. It is concluded that calcimedin itself cannot be responsible for Ca-dependent regulation of caldesmon functioning, but actin bundling induced by calcimedin (or by other actin binding proteins) decreases the inhibitory action of caldesmon on the actomyosin ATPase activity.
