Isolation and characterization of two molecular variants of myosin heavy chain from rabbit ventricle. Change in their content during normal growth and after treatment with thyroid hormone.

We have prepared monoclonal antibodies specific for cardiac myosin heavy chain. These antibodies were used for the separation and characterization of the molecular variants of myosin heavy chain present in the rabbit heart. Two molecular forms of myosin heavy chain, HC alpha and HC beta, were isolated from the euthyroid rabbit heart by affinity chromatography. Their reactivity with our antibodies indicated that the primary structures of HC alpha and HC beta differ in at least four and share at least two antigenic determinants. Differences in the primary structure of HC alpha and HC beta were confirmed by analysis of the peptides produced by limited chymotryptic digestion of the two heavy chains. Thirteen peptide differences were consistently found. The HC alpha and HC beta variants are shown by immunologic analysis and in chymotryptic peptide profiles to be identical with the predominant forms of myosin heavy chain synthesized in the hearts of hyperthyroid and adult euthyroid rabbits, respectively. During development and maturation of the euthyroid rabbit heart, HC alpha comprises approximately 50% of the ventricular myosin between birth and 4 weeks of age; it diminishes to 20-30% by 8 weeks and to 10-20% by 12 weeks of age. Cardiac myosin from a 1-year-old rabbit is composed almost entirely of HC beta. Cardiac myosin from embryonic animals at 20 days gestation contained 20% HC alpha. These results show that HC alpha occurs normally in the euthyroid rabbit heart and that the relative proportions of HC alpha and HC beta depend on both the developmental stage and the thyroid state of the animal.