Calsequestrin is by far the most abundant Ca(2+)-binding protein in the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) of skeletal and cardiac muscle. It allows the Ca2+ required for contraction to be stored at total concentrations of up to 20mM, while the free Ca2+ concentration remains at approximately 1mM. This storage capacity confers upon muscle the ability to contract frequently with minimal run-down in tension. Calsequestrin is highly acidic, containing up to 50 Ca(2+)-binding sites, which are formed simply by clustering of two or more acidic residues. The Kd for Ca2+ binding is between 1 and 100 microM, depending on the isoform, species and the presence of other cations. Calsequestrin monomers have a molecular mass of approximately 40 kDa and contain approximately 400 residues. The monomer contains three domains each with a compact alpha-helical/beta-sheet thioredoxin fold which is stable in the presence of Ca2+. The protein polymerises when Ca2+ concentrations approach 1mM. The polymer is anchored at one end to ryanodine receptor (RyR) Ca2+ release channels either via the intrinsic membrane proteins triadin and junctin or by binding directly to the RyR. It is becoming clear that calsequestrin has several functions in the lumen of the SR in addition to its well-recognised role as a Ca2+ buffer. Firstly, it is a luminal regulator of RyR activity. When triadin and junctin are present, calsequestrin maximally inhibits the Ca2+ release channel when the free Ca2+ concentration in the SR lumen is 1mM. The inhibition is relieved when the Ca2+ concentration alters, either because of small changes in the conformation of calsequestrin or its dissociation from the junctional face membrane. These changes in calsequestrin's association with the RyR amplify the direct effects of luminal Ca2+ concentration on RyR activity. In addition, calsequestrin activates purified RyRs lacking triadin and junctin. Further roles for calsequestrin are indicated by the kinase activity of the protein, its thioredoxin-like structure and its influence over store operated Ca2+ entry. Clearly, calsequestrin plays a major role in calcium homeostasis that extends well beyond its ability to buffer Ca2+ ions.

Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is a debilitating multisystemic disorder caused by a CTG repeat expansion in the DMPK gene. Aberrant splicing of several genes has been reported to contribute to some symptoms of DM1, but the cause of muscle weakness in DM1 and elevated Ca2+ concentrations in cultured DM muscle cells is unknown. Here, we investigated the alternative splicing of mRNAs of two major proteins of the sarcoplasmic reticulum, the ryanodine receptor 1 (RyR1) and sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA) 1 or 2. The fetal variants, ASI(-) of RyR1 which lacks residue 3481-3485, and SERCA1b which differs at the C-terminal were significantly increased in skeletal muscles from DM1 patients and the transgenic mouse model of DM1 (HSA(LR)). In addition, a novel variant of SERCA2 was significantly decreased in DM1 patients. The total amount of mRNA for RyR1, SERCA1 and SERCA2 in DM1 and the expression levels of their proteins in HSA(LR) mice were not significantly different. However, heterologous expression of ASI(-) in cultured cells showed decreased affinity for [3H]ryanodine but similar Ca2+ dependency, and decreased channel activity in single-channel recording when compared with wild-type (WT) RyR1. In support of this, RyR1-knockout myotubes expressing ASI(-) exhibited a decreased incidence of Ca2+ oscillations during caffeine exposure compared with that observed for myotubes expressing WT-RyR1. We suggest that aberrant splicing of RyR1 and SERCA1 mRNAs might contribute to impaired Ca2+ homeostasis in DM1 muscle.

The gating of ryanodine receptor calcium release channels (RyRs) depends on myoplasmic Ca2+ and Mg2+ concentrations. RyRs from skeletal and cardiac muscle are activated by microm Ca2+ and inhibited by mm Ca2+ and Mg2+. 45Ca2+ release from skeletal SR vesicles suggests two mechanisms for Mg2+-inhibition (Meissner, Darling & Eveleth, 1986, Biochemistry 25:236-244). The present study investigates the nature of these mechanisms using measurements of single-channel activity from cardiac- and skeletal RyRs incorporated into planar lipid bilayers. Our measurements of Mg2+- and Ca2+-dependent gating kinetics confirm that there are two mechanisms for Mg2+ inhibition (Type I and II inhibition) in skeletal and cardiac RyRs. The mechanisms operate concurrently, are independent and are associated with different parts of the channel protein. Mg2+ reduces Po by competing with Ca2+ for the activation site (Type-I) or binding to more than one, and probably two low affinity inhibition sites which do not discriminate between Ca2+ and Mg2+ (Type-II). The relative contributions of the two inhibition mechanisms to the total Mg2+ effect depend on cytoplasmic [Ca2+] in such a way that Mg2+ inhibition has the properties of Types-I and II inhibition at low and high [Ca2+] respectively. Both mechanisms are equally important when [Ca2+] = 10 microm in cardiac RyRs or 1 microm in skeletal RyRs. We show that Type-I inhibition is not the sole mechanism responsible for Mg2+ inhibition, as is often assumed, and we discuss the physiological implications of this finding.

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We provide novel evidence that the sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium binding protein, calsequestrin, inhibits native ryanodine receptor calcium release channel activity. Calsequestrin dissociation from junctional face membrane was achieved by increasing luminal (trans) ionic strength from 250 to 500 mM with CsCl or by exposing the luminal side of ryanodine receptors to high [Ca(2+)] (13 mM) and dissociation was confirmed with sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Western blotting. Calsequestrin dissociation caused a 10-fold increase in the duration of ryanodine receptor channel opening in lipid bilayers. Adding calsequestrin back to the luminal side of the channel after dissociation reversed this increased activity. In addition, an anticalsequestrin antibody added to the luminal solution reduced ryanodine receptor activity before, but not after, calsequestrin dissociation. A population of ryanodine receptors (approximately 35%) may have initially lacked calsequestrin, because their activity was high and was unaffected by increasing ionic strength or by anticalsequestrin antibody: their activity fell when purified calsequestrin was added and they then responded to antibody. In contrast to native ryanodine receptors, purified channels, depleted of triadin and calsequestrin, were not inhibited by calsequestrin. We suggest that calsequestrin reduces ryanodine receptor activity by binding to a coprotein, possibly to the luminal domain of triadin.

The ubiquitous glutathione transferases (GSTs) catalyze glutathione conjugation to many compounds and have other diverse functions that continue to be discovered. We noticed sequence similarities between Omega class GSTs and a nuclear chloride channel, NCC27 (CLIC1), and show here that NCC27 belongs to the GST structural family. The structural homology prompted us to investigate whether the human Omega class glutathione transferase GSTO1-1 forms or modulates ion channels. We find that GSTO1-1 modulates ryanodine receptors (RyR), which are calcium channels in the endoplasmic reticulum of various cells. Cardiac RyR2 activity was inhibited by GSTO1-1, whereas skeletal muscle RyR1 activity was potentiated. An enzymatically active conformation of GSTO1-1 was required for inhibition of RyR2, and mutation of the active site cysteine (Cys-32 3 Ala) abolished the inhibitory activity. We propose a novel role for GSTO1-1 in protecting cells containing RyR2 from apoptosis induced by Ca 2؉ mobilization from intracellular stores.Glutathione transferases (GSTs) 1 are a family of ubiquitous intracellular enzymes that catalyze the conjugation of glutathione to many exogenous and endogenous compounds (1). GSTs are known to have other functions including the binding of bilirubin and carcinogens (2), the isomerization of maleylacetoacetate (3), and the regulation of stress kinases (4), with presumably further roles yet to be discovered. New members of the GST structural family with novel catalytic activities and functions have recently been discovered (5-7). For example, the Omega class glutathione transferase GSTO1-1 has a typical glutathione transferase fold but little enzymatic activity with many conventional substrates (7). Unlike other mammalian glutathione transferases that have active site tyrosine or serine residues (8), GSTO1-1 has a novel active site cysteine that participates in weak thiol transferase reactions. Although the intracellular function of the Omega class GSTs is unknown, a member of the Omega class is over-expressed in a radiationresistant mouse lymphoma cell line (9).We used BLAST searches (10) to identify additional members of the glutathione transferase structural family and were impressed by sequence similarities between GSTO1-1 and the chloride intracellular channel (CLIC) family of proteins, which are thought to form chloride channels in intracellular membranes or to be chloride channel modulators (11, 12). We therefore compared the structure of the CLIC proteins and GSTO1-1 in more detail and found that NCC27 (CLIC1) belongs to the GST structural family. Because of the structural similarity, we also examined the ability of GSTO1-1 to form or modulate ion channels. We find that GSTO1-1 modulates ryanodine receptors (RyRs), which are the calcium release channels in skeletal and cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). There is evidence that GSTO1-1 is present in skeletal and cardiac muscle (7) and is thus colocalized with RyRs. RyRs are also located in intracellular membranes of a variety of cells (13) and...

SUMMARYThe plasmalemmal area of striated muscle fibres is greater than the apparent surface area (A = circumference x length) because of variable folds and the invaginations of the caveolae and T-tubules. Freeze-fracture replicas of the surface membrane of sartorius and semitendinosus muscles from Rana pipien have been used to determine the numbers and distribution of folds and caveolae at different sarcomere lengths.(1) The plasmalemma folds are variable in size and shape, but are always oriented perpendicular to the long axis of the fibre. The folds vary with stretch, being more prominent at short sarcomere lengths.The caveolae are elliptical invaginations of the plasmalemma which open to the outside by a narrow 'neck' of approximately 20 nm. The caveolar lumen has an average long dimension of 81-6 + 11*7 nm and an average short dimension of 66'9 + 7-9 nm. The caveolar 'necks' only can be seen in freeze-fracture replicas and these are distributed in two circumferential bands on either side of the Z-line, and in longitudinal bands separated by distances of 1-5 /tm. In the sartorius muscle, at a sarcomere length of 2-8 ,pm, there is an average number of thirty-seven caveolae per square micrometer of fibre surface.(2) During passive stretch the opening of folds provides membrane for the necessary increase in surface area up to a sarcomere length of about 3-0 ,m. This length is defined as the critical sarcomere length (Se). The number of caveolae remains constant at all sarcomere lengths

The cysteine-rich secretory proteins (Crisp) are predominantly found in the mammalian male reproductive tract as well as in the venom of reptiles. Crisps are two domain proteins with a structurally similar yet evolutionary diverse N-terminal domain and a characteristic cysteine-rich C-terminal domain, which we refer to as the Crisp domain. We presented the NMR solution structure of the Crisp domain of mouse Tpx-1, and we showed that it contains two subdomains, one of which has a similar fold to the ion channel regulators BgK and ShK. Furthermore, we have demonstrated for the first time that the ion channel regulatory activity of Crisp proteins is attributed to the Crisp domain. Specifically, the Tpx-1 Crisp domain inhibited cardiac ryanodine receptor (RyR) 2 with an IC 50 between 0.5 and 1.0 M and activated the skeletal RyR1 with an AC 50 between 1 and 10 M when added to the cytoplasmic domain of the receptor. This activity was nonvoltage-dependent and weakly voltage-dependent, respectively. Furthermore, the Tpx-1 Crisp domain activated both RyR forms at negative bilayer potentials and showed no effect at positive bilayer potentials when added to the luminal domain of the receptor. These data show that the Tpx-1 Crisp domain on its own can regulate ion channel activity and provide compelling evidence for a role for Tpx-1 in the regulation of Ca 2؉ fluxes observed during sperm capacitation.Tpx-1 (testis specific protein-1) was originally identified in the mouse (1) and later found in the male reproductive tract of the human, guinea pig, rat, and horse (2-5). Tpx-1 is a member of the cysteine-rich secretory proteins (Crisp) 2 that are in turn a subgroup of the CAP protein superfamily (abbreviated from Crisp, Antigen 5, and Pr-1 (6)). The CAP proteins each contain a structurally related and unique domain, the CAP domain (7)(8)(9), that at present has no clearly defined biological function, although their spatial and temporal expression suggests a function related to the regulation of the innate immune system (10, 11) and male reproductive function. The Crisp proteins have a characteristic C-terminal sequence containing 10 absolutely conserved cysteines. The Crisp domain is unique and is only observed in association with the CAP domain. Previously, there has been no biological activity attributed specifically to this domain.In mammals, there are at least four Crisp proteins, Crisp-1, Tpx-1 (or Crisp-2), Crisp-3, and Crisp-4. Crisp-1 proteins are expressed predominantly in the epididymides where they coat the surface of sperm during epididymal maturation (12) and have been implicated in sperm oocyte binding and the regulation of capacitation (13-17). Tpx-1 is expressed only in the testis and localized to specific regions in the spermatozoa, notably the acrosome of the head, the outer dense fibers, and longitudinal columns of the fibrous sheath in the sperm tail and the connecting piece of the neck (3, 18). Transfection experiments have also suggested that Tpx-1 is involved in adhesion between germ cells and Sertoli...