Tea catechin, epigallocatechin-3-gallate suppresses myosin II regulatory light chain phosphorylation

Issue title: The Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Food Factors (ICoFF 03)

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Umeda, Daisuke | Tachibana, Hirofumi | Yamada, Koji

Affiliations: Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, 6-10-1 Hakozaki, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8581, Japan. Tel./Fax: +81 92 642 3008; E-mail: [email protected]

Note: [] Corresponding author

Abstract: Phosphorylation of myosin II regulatory light chain (MRLC) is critical event for many cellular processes including muscle contraction, mytosis, migration, and exocytosis. Epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate (EGCG) is a major polyphenolic compound of green tea and has various physiological functions. We found that EGCG disrupted stress fibers and suppressed the MRLC phosphorylation in HeLa cells. To elucidate the mechanism for the suppressive effect on the phosphorylation, we examined the effect of various inhibitors for kinases that modulate MRLC phosphorylation. None of the inhibitors mimic the activity of EGCG. These results suggest that EGCG is a compound that can suppress MRLC phosphorylation.

Keywords: epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate, myosin light chain, stress fiber

Journal: BioFactors, vol. 21, no. 1-4, pp. 387-389, 2004