Alteration in the L-type current density is one aspect of the electrical remodeling observed in patients suffering from cardiac arrhythmias. Changes in channel function could result from variations in the protein biogenesis, stability, post-translational modification, and/or trafficking in any of the regulatory subunits forming cardiac L-type Ca 2؉ channel complexes. Ca V ␣2␦1 is potentially the most heavily N-glycosylated subunit in the cardiac L-type Ca V 1.2 channel complex. Here, we show that enzymatic removal of N-glycans produced a 50-kDa shift in the mobility of cardiac and recombinant Ca V ␣2␦1 proteins. This change was also observed upon simultaneous mutation of the 16 Asn sites. Nonetheless, the mutation of only 6/16 sites was sufficient to significantly 1) reduce the steady-state cell surface fluorescence of Ca V ␣2␦1 as characterized by two-color flow cytometry assays and confocal imaging; 2) decrease protein stability estimated from cycloheximide chase assays; and 3) prevent the Ca V ␣2␦1-mediated increase in the peak current density and voltage-dependent gating of Ca V 1.2. Reversing the N348Q and N812Q mutations in the non-operational sextuplet Asn mutant protein partially restored Ca V ␣2␦1 function. Single mutation N663Q and double mutations N348Q/N468Q, N348Q/N812Q, and N468Q/N812Q decreased protein stability/synthesis and nearly abolished steady-state cell surface density of Ca V ␣2␦1 as well as the Ca V ␣2␦1-induced up-regulation of L-type currents. These results demonstrate that Asn-663 and to a lesser extent Asn-348, Asn-468, and Asn-812 contribute to protein stability/synthesis of Ca V ␣2␦1, and furthermore that N-glycosylation of Ca V ␣2␦1 is essential to produce functional L-type Ca 2؉ channels.The regulation of Ca 2ϩ influx in cardiac cells is critical to the generation of the force necessary for the myocardium to meet the physiological needs of the body (1). In resting cells, intracellular free ionized Ca 2ϩ is maintained at a low concentration (high nanomolar range) by the concerted action of mechanisms that prevent Ca 2ϩ entry, promote its extrusion (mostly via the Na ϩ /Ca 2ϩ exchanger), and ensure its storage in the sarcoplasmic reticulum (2). Ca 2ϩ entry is mediated mainly by the cardiac L-type Ca 2ϩ channel, which is central to the initiation of excitation-contraction coupling via Ca 2ϩ -induced Ca 2ϩ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum. Regulation of the L-type Ca 2ϩ current has profound physiological significance. Indeed, alterations in density or the activation/inactivation gating of L-type Ca 2ϩ channels have been implicated in a variety of cardiovascular diseases (3, 4), including cardiac arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation (5-8), heart failure (9, 10), and ischemic heart disease (10). The molecular mechanisms underlying changes in the activity of the L-type Ca 2ϩ channel remain under study for most pathologies.The L-type Ca V 1.2 channel belongs to the molecular family of high voltage-activated Ca V channels. High voltage-activated Ca V 1.2 channels are hetero-oligo...
Inherited or de novo mutations in cation-selective channels may lead to sudden cardiac death. Alteration in the plasma membrane trafficking of these multi-spanning transmembrane proteins, with or without change in channel gating, is often postulated to contribute significantly in this process. It has thus become critical to develop a method to quantify the change of the relative cell surface expression of cardiac ion channels on a large scale. Herein, a detailed protocol is provided to determine the relative total and cell surface expression of cardiac L-type calcium channels CaV1.2 and membrane-associated subunits in tsA-201 cells using two-color fluorescent cytometry assays. Compared with other microscopy-based or immunoblotting-based qualitative methods, flow cytometry experiments are fast, reproducible, and large-volume assays that deliver quantifiable end-points on large samples of live cells (ranging from 10 to 10 cells) with similar cellular characteristics in a single flow. Constructs were designed to constitutively express mCherry at the intracellular C-terminus (thus allowing a rapid assessment of the total protein expression) and express an extracellular-facing hemagglutinin (HA) epitope to estimate the cell surface expression of membrane proteins using an anti-HA fluorescence conjugated antibody. To avoid false negative, experiments were also conducted in permeabilized cells to confirm the accessibility and proper expression of the HA epitope. The detailed procedure provides: (1) design of tagged DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) constructs, (2) lipid-mediated transfection of constructs in tsA-201 cells, (3) culture, harvest, and staining of non-permeabilized and permeabilized cells, and (4) acquisition and analysis of fluorescent signals. Additionally, the basic principles of flow cytometry are explained and the experimental design, including the choice of fluorophores, titration of the HA antibody and control experiments, is thoroughly discussed. This specific approach offers objective relative quantification of the total and cell surface expression of ion channels that can be extended to study ion pumps and plasma membrane transporters.
Voltage-gated L-type Ca1.2 channels in cardiomyocytes exist as heteromeric complexes with the pore-forming Caα1, Caβ, and Caα2δ1 subunits. The full complement of subunits is required to reconstitute the native-like properties of L-type Ca currents, but the molecular determinants responsible for the formation of the heteromeric complex are still being studied. Enzymatic treatment with phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C, a phospholipase C specific for the cleavage of glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored proteins, disrupted plasma membrane localization of the cardiac Caα2δ1 prompting us to investigate deletions of its hydrophobic transmembrane domain. Patch-clamp experiments indicated that the C-terminally cleaved Caα2δ1 proteins up-regulate Ca1.2 channels. In contrast, deleting the residues before the single hydrophobic segment (Caα2δ1 Δ1059-1063) impaired current up-regulation. Caα2δ1 mutants G1060I and G1061I nearly eliminated the cell-surface fluorescence of Caα2δ1, indicated by two-color flow cytometry assays and confocal imaging, and prevented Caα2δ1-mediated increase in peak current density and modulation of the voltage-dependent gating of Ca1.2. These impacts were specific to substitutions with isoleucine residues because functional modulation was partially preserved in Caα2δ1 G1060A and G1061A proteins. Moreover, C-terminal fragments exhibited significantly altered mobility in denatured immunoblots of Caα2δ1 G1060I and Caα2δ1 G1061I, suggesting that these mutant proteins were impaired in proteolytic processing. Finally, Caα2δ1 Δ1059-1063, but not Caα2δ1 G1060A, failed to co-immunoprecipitate with Ca1.2. Altogether, our data support a model in which small neutral hydrophobic residues facilitate the post-translational cleavage of the Caα2δ1 subunit at the predicted membrane interface and further suggest that preventing GPI anchoring of Caα2δ1 averts its cell-surface expression, its interaction with Caα1, and modulation of Ca1.2 currents.
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