Ion selectivity is a defining feature of a given ion channel and is considered immutable. Here we show that ion selectivity of the lysosomal ion channel TPC2, which is hotly debated (Calcraft et al., 2009; Guo et al., 2017; Jha et al., 2014; Ruas et al., 2015; Wang et al., 2012), depends on the activating ligand. A high-throughput screen identified two structurally distinct TPC2 agonists. One of these evoked robust Ca2+-signals and non-selective cation currents, the other weaker Ca2+-signals and Na+-selective currents. These properties were mirrored by the Ca2+-mobilizing messenger, NAADP and the phosphoinositide, PI(3,5)P2, respectively. Agonist action was differentially inhibited by mutation of a single TPC2 residue and coupled to opposing changes in lysosomal pH and exocytosis. Our findings resolve conflicting reports on the permeability and gating properties of TPC2 and they establish a new paradigm whereby a single ion channel mediates distinct, functionally-relevant ionic signatures on demand.

Background: Biochemical characterization of voltage-dependent anion channel 2 (VDAC2) is limited due to an inability to obtain functional protein. Results:The crystal structure of VDAC2 suggests a dimer interface that is confirmed by double electron-electron resonance and cross-linking. Conclusion: zfVDAC2 has a fractional dimeric population. Significance: VDAC isoforms are structurally similar, but this study has identified a number of hot spots that require further exploration.

Homozygous zebrafish of the mutant relaxed (red ts25 ) are paralyzed and die within days after hatching. A significant reduction of intramembrane charge movements and the lack of depolarizationinduced but not caffeine-induced Ca 2؉ transients suggested a defect in the skeletal muscle dihydropyridine receptor (DHPR). Sequencing of DHPR cDNAs indicated that the ␣1S subunit is normal, whereas the ␤1a subunit harbors a single point mutation resulting in a premature stop. Quantitative RT-PCR revealed that the mutated gene is transcribed, but Western blot analysis and immunocytochemistry demonstrated the complete loss of the ␤1a protein in mutant muscle. Thus, the immotile zebrafish relaxed is a ␤1a-null mutant. Interestingly, immunocytochemistry showed correct triad targeting of the ␣1S subunit in the absence of ␤1a. Freeze-fracture analysis of the DHPR clusters in relaxed myotubes revealed an Ϸ2-fold reduction in cluster size with a normal density of DHPR particles within the clusters. Most importantly, DHPR particles in the junctional membranes of the immotile zebrafish mutant relaxed entirely lacked the normal arrangement in arrays of tetrads. Thus, our data indicate that the lack of the ␤1a subunit does not prevent triad targeting of the DHPR ␣1S subunit but precludes the skeletal muscle-specific arrangement of DHPR particles opposite the ryanodine receptor (RyR1). This defect properly explains the complete deficiency of skeletal muscle excitationcontraction coupling in ␤1-null model organisms.calcium channels ͉ excitation-contraction coupling ͉ tetrads ͉ zebrafish E xcitation-contraction (EC) coupling is understood as the signal transduction process connecting membrane depolarization to the contraction of muscle cells. This process is initiated by the concerted action of two Ca 2ϩ channels, the plasmalemmal voltage-gated dihydropyridine receptor (DHPR) and the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) ryanodine receptor (RyR). In junctions of the SR with the plasma membrane (peripheral couplings) or with the transverse tubules (triads), membrane depolarization is sensed by the DHPR, which then triggers RyR opening and Ca 2ϩ release from the SR. In skeletal muscle cells, this signaltransduction is independent of Ca 2ϩ influx through the DHPR (1) but depends on protein-protein interaction between the DHPR and the RyR1 (2, 3). This physical coupling requires the coordinated arrangement of DHPRs and RyR1s in the junctions. In skeletal muscle triads and peripheral couplings, groups of four DHPRs (tetrads) are arranged in orthogonal arrays matching the opposing RyR1 arrays (4). Formation of DHPR tetrads requires the presence of RyR1.The skeletal muscle DHPR complex is composed of the voltage-sensing and pore-forming ␣ 1S subunit and the auxiliary subunits ␤ 1a , ␣ 2 ␦-1, and ␥ (5). Targeted deletions of the ␣ 2 ␦-1 and ␥ subunits do not critically interfere with EC coupling function (6, 7). In contrast, ␣ 1S and ␤ 1a subunit null-mutant mice display a lack of EC coupling and, thus, lethal muscle paralysis (8, 9). Although failure o...

Summary Endothelium in embryonic hematopoietic tissues generates hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells; however, it is unknown how its unique potential is specified. We show that transcription factor Scl/Tal1 is essential for both establishing the hematopoietic transcriptional program in hemogenic endothelium and preventing its misspecification to a cardiomyogenic fate. Scl−/− embryos activated a cardiac transcriptional program in yolk sac endothelium, leading to the emergence of CD31+Pdgfrα+ cardiogenic precursors that generated spontaneously beating cardiomyocytes. Ectopic cardiogenesis was also observed in Scl−/− hearts, where the disorganized endocardium precociously differentiated into cardiomyocytes. Induction of mosaic deletion of Scl in Sclfl/fl Rosa26Cre-ERT2 embryos revealed a cell-intrinsic, temporal requirement for Scl to prevent cardiomyogenesis from endothelium. Scl−/− endothelium also upregulated the expression of Wnt antagonists, which promoted rapid cardiomyocyte differentiation of ectopic cardiogenic cells. These results reveal unexpected plasticity in embryonic endothelium such that loss of a single master regulator can induce ectopic cardiomyogenesis from endothelial cells.

Regulatory myeloid immune cells, such as myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), populate inflamed or cancer tissue and block immune cell effector functions. Lack of mechanistic insight 54 into MDSC suppressive activity and a marker for their identification hampered attempts to 55 overcome T cell-inhibition and unleash anti-cancer immunity. Here we report that human MDSCs 56 were characterized by strongly reduced metabolism and conferred this compromised metabolic 57 state to CD8 + T cells thereby paralyzing their effector functions. We identified accumulation of the dicarbonyl-radical methylglyoxal, generated by semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase (SSAO), to cause the metabolic phenotype of MDSCs and MDSC-mediated paralysis of CD8 + T cells. In a murine cancer model, neutralization of dicarbonyl-activity overcame MDSC-mediated T cell-suppression and together with checkpoint inhibition improved efficacy of cancer immune therapy. Our results identify the dicarbonyl methylglyoxal as marker metabolite for MDSCs that mediates T cell paralysis and can serve as target to improve cancer immune therapy. Results 92 Dormant metabolic phenotype in MDSCs 93Suppressive myeloid cells arise during chronic inflammation in tissues 17 , and tissue stromal cells 94 induce transition of monocytes into monocytic MDSCs 16 . We exploited this capacity of stromal cells to convert human peripheral blood monocytes into MDSCs, which are phenotypically similar 96 to CD14 + HLA-DR -/low suppressive myeloid cells directly isolated from cancer patients 16 , to characterize the mechanism of MDSC-mediated T cell suppression. Transcriptome analysis showed less than 200 differentially expressed genes between MDSCs and monocytes, which did not include surface molecules suitable for phenotypic discrimination or known immune suppressive mediators to explain their suppressive activity (supplementary table I-IV, Extended Data Fig. 1). Consistently, blockade of known immune suppressive mediators did not prevent MDSC-mediated T cell suppression (Extended Data Fig. 2). Surprisingly, we found downregulation of genes encoding glycolysis-related enzymes in MDSCs (Fig. 1a, and Extended Data Table V).Indeed, MDSCs showed reduced glucose uptake and Glut1 surface expression (Fig. 1b), the main transporter mediating glucose uptake in immune cells. As predicted from gene expression analysis, hexokinase activity was lower in MDSCs (Fig. 1c). To validate these results, we isolated CD14 + HLA-DR -/lo cells from tumor tissue of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma by enzymatic digestion followed by density centrifugation and flow cytometric cell sorting. We confirmed reduced glucose uptake and hexokinase activity in CD14 + HLA-DR -/low cells isolated from tumor tissue of cancer patients (Fig. 1d,e, and Extended Data Table VI), which are considered to represent MDSCs. Strikingly, MDSCs failed to utilize glucose for glycolysis and also showed reduced cellular bioenergetics, i.e. lower mitochondrial membrane potential quantified by the potentiometric mitochondrial ...

The paralyzed zebrafish strain relaxed carries a null mutation for the skeletal muscle dihydropyridine receptor (DHPR) ␤ 1a subunit. Lack of ␤ 1a results in (i) reduced membrane expression of the pore forming DHPR ␣ 1S subunit, (ii) elimination of ␣ 1S charge movement, and (iii) impediment of arrangement of the DHPRs in groups of four (tetrads) opposing the ryanodine receptor (RyR1), a structural prerequisite for skeletal muscletype excitation-contraction (EC) coupling. In this study we used relaxed larvae and isolated myotubes as expression systems to discriminate specific functions of ␤ 1a from rather general functions of ␤ isoforms. Zebrafish and mammalian ␤ 1a subunits quantitatively restored ␣ 1S triad targeting and charge movement as well as intracellular Ca 2؉ release, allowed arrangement of DHPRs in tetrads, and most strikingly recovered a fully motile phenotype in relaxed larvae. Interestingly, the cardiac/neuronal ␤ 2a as the phylogenetically closest, and the ancestral housefly ␤ M as the most distant isoform to ␤ 1a also completely recovered ␣ 1S triad expression and charge movement. However, both revealed drastically impaired intracellular Ca 2؉ transients and very limited tetrad formation compared with ␤ 1a . Consequently, larval motility was either only partially restored (␤ 2a -injected larvae) or not restored at all (␤ M ). Thus, our results indicate that triad expression and facilitation of 1,4-dihydropyridine receptor (DHPR) charge movement are common features of all tested ␤ subunits, whereas the efficient arrangement of DHPRs in tetrads and thus intact DHPR-RyR1 coupling is only promoted by the ␤ 1a isoform. Consequently, we postulate a model that presents ␤ 1a as an allosteric modifier of ␣ 1S conformation enabling skeletal muscle-type EC coupling. Excitation-contraction (EC)3 coupling in skeletal muscle is critically dependent on the close interaction of two distinct Ca 2ϩ channels. Membrane depolarizations of the myotube are sensed by the voltage-dependent 1,4-dihydropyridine receptor (DHPR) in the sarcolemma, leading to a rearrangement of charged amino acids (charge movement) in the transmembrane segments S4 of the pore-forming DHPR ␣ 1S subunit (1, 2). This conformational change induces via protein-protein interaction (3, 4) the opening of the sarcoplasmic type-1 ryanodine receptor (RyR1) without need of Ca 2ϩ influx through the DHPR (5). The release of Ca 2ϩ from the sarcoplasmic reticulum via RyR1 consequently induces muscle contraction. The protein-protein interaction mechanism between DHPR and RyR1 requires correct ultrastructural targeting of both channels. In Ca 2ϩ release units (triads and peripheral couplings) of the skeletal muscle, groups of four DHPRs (tetrads) are coupled to every other RyR1 and hence are geometrically arranged following the RyR-specific orthogonal arrays (6).The skeletal muscle DHPR is a heteromultimeric protein complex, composed of the voltage-sensing and pore-forming ␣ 1S subunit and auxiliary subunits ␤ 1a , ␣ 2 ␦-1, and ␥ 1 (7). While gene knock-out of t...

Tightly regulated Ca2+ homeostasis is a prerequisite for proper cardiac function. To dissect the regulatory network of cardiac Ca2+ handling, we performed a chemical suppressor screen on zebrafish tremblor embryos, which suffer from Ca2+ extrusion defects. Efsevin was identified based on its potent activity to restore coordinated contractions in tremblor. We show that efsevin binds to VDAC2, potentiates mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake and accelerates the transfer of Ca2+ from intracellular stores into mitochondria. In cardiomyocytes, efsevin restricts the temporal and spatial boundaries of Ca2+ sparks and thereby inhibits Ca2+ overload-induced erratic Ca2+ waves and irregular contractions. We further show that overexpression of VDAC2 recapitulates the suppressive effect of efsevin on tremblor embryos whereas VDAC2 deficiency attenuates efsevin's rescue effect and that VDAC2 functions synergistically with MCU to suppress cardiac fibrillation in tremblor. Together, these findings demonstrate a critical modulatory role for VDAC2-dependent mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake in the regulation of cardiac rhythmicity.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.04801.001

During skeletal muscle excitation-contraction (EC) coupling, membrane depolarizations activate the sarcolemmal voltage-gated L-type Ca 2+ channel (Ca V 1.1). Ca V 1.1 in turn triggers opening of the sarcoplasmic Ca 2+ release channel (RyR1) via interchannel protein-protein interaction to release Ca 2+ for myofibril contraction. Simultaneously to this EC coupling process, a small and slowly activating Ca 2+ inward current through Ca V 1.1 is found in mammalian skeletal myotubes. The role of this Ca 2+ influx, which is not immediately required for EC coupling, is still enigmatic. Interestingly, whole-cell patch clamp experiments on freshly dissociated skeletal muscle myotubes from zebrafish larvae revealed the lack of such Ca 2+ currents. We identified two distinct isoforms of the pore-forming Ca V 1.1α 1S subunit in zebrafish that are differentially expressed in superficial slow and deep fast musculature. Both do not conduct Ca 2+ but merely act as voltage sensors to trigger opening of two likewise tissue-specific isoforms of RyR1. We further show that non-Ca 2+ conductivity of both Ca V 1.1α 1S isoforms is a common trait of all higher teleosts. This non-Ca 2+ conductivity of Ca V 1.1 positions teleosts at the most-derived position of an evolutionary trajectory. Though EC coupling in early chordate muscles is activated by the influx of extracellular Ca 2+ , it evolved toward Ca V 1.1-RyR1 protein-protein interaction with a relatively small and slow influx of external Ca 2+ in tetrapods. Finally, the Ca V 1.1 Ca 2+ influx was completely eliminated in higher teleost fishes.calcium conductivity | evolution | ion channels | slow and fast muscle | zebrafish