Background: D-ribose in cells and human serum participates in glycation of proteins resulting in advanced glycation end products (AGEs) that affect cell metabolism and induce cell death. However, the mechanism by which D-ribose-glycated proteins induce cell death is still unclear.

GCaMP, one popular type of genetically-encoded Ca2+ indicator, has been associated with various side-effects. Here we unveil the intrinsic problem prevailing over different versions and applications, showing that GCaMP containing CaM (calmodulin) interferes with both gating and signaling of L-type calcium channels (CaV1). GCaMP acts as an impaired apoCaM and Ca2+/CaM, both critical to CaV1, which disrupts Ca2+ dynamics and gene expression. We then design and implement GCaMP-X, by incorporating an extra apoCaM-binding motif, effectively protecting CaV1-dependent excitation–transcription coupling from perturbations. GCaMP-X resolves the problems of detrimental nuclear accumulation, acute and chronic Ca2+ dysregulation, and aberrant transcription signaling and cell morphogenesis, while still demonstrating excellent Ca2+-sensing characteristics partly inherited from GCaMP. In summary, CaM/CaV1 gating and signaling mechanisms are elucidated for GCaMP side-effects, while allowing the development of GCaMP-X to appropriately monitor cytosolic, submembrane or nuclear Ca2+, which is also expected to guide the future design of CaM-based molecular tools.

Background: A G90D point mutation in rhodopsin causes congenital stationary night blindness. Results: The G90D mutation alters the chromophore-binding pocket, mechanical rigidity, and energetic stability of dark state rhodopsin. Conclusion: Significant perturbations are promoted by the G90D mutation. Significance: Characterizing the effect of point mutations in rhodopsin allows for a better understanding of how these mutations lead to dysfunction in retinal diseases.

Glucose is the main physiological stimulus for insulin biosynthesis and secretion by pancreatic ␤-cells. Glucose-6-phosphatase (G-6-Pase) catalyzes the dephosphorylation of glucose-6-phosphate to glucose, an opposite process to glucose utilization. G-6-Pase activity in pancreatic islets could therefore be an important factor in the control of glucose metabolism and, consequently, of glucose-dependent insulin secretion. While G-6-Pase activity has been shown to be present in pancreatic islets, the gene responsible for this activity has not been conclusively identified. A homolog of liver glucose-6-phosphatase (LG-6-Pase) specifically expressed in islets was described earlier; however, the authors could not demonstrate enzymatic activity for this protein. Here we present evidence that the previously identified islet-specific glucose-6-phosphatase-related protein (IGRP) is indeed the major islet glucose-6-phosphatase. IGRP overexpressed in insect cells possesses enzymatic activity comparable to the previously described G-6-Pase activity in islets. The K m and V max values determined using glucose-6-phosphate as the substrate were 0.45 mM and 32 nmol/mg/min by malachite green assay, and 0.29 mM and 77 nmol/mg/min by glucose oxidase/peroxidase coupling assay, respectively. High-throughput screening of a small molecule library led to the identification of an active compound that specifically inhibits IGRP enzymatic activity. Interestingly, this inhibitor did not affect LG-6-Pase activity, while conversely LG-6-Pase inhibitors did not affect IGRP activity. These data demonstrate that IGRP is likely the authentic islet-specific glucose-6-phosphatase catalytic subunit, and selective inhibitors to this molecule can be obtained. IGRP inhibitors may be an attractive new approach for the treatment of insulin secretion defects in type 2 diabetes.

No abstract

The voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC) regulates the flux of metabolites and ions across the outer mitochondrial membrane. Regulation of ion flow involves conformational transitions in VDAC, but the nature of these changes has not been resolved to date. By combining single-molecule force spectroscopy with nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy we show that the β barrel of human VDAC embedded into a membrane is highly flexible. Its mechanical flexibility exceeds by up to one order of magnitude that determined for β strands of other membrane proteins and is largest in the N-terminal part of the β barrel. Interaction with Ca(2+), a key regulator of metabolism and apoptosis, considerably decreases the barrel's conformational variability and kinetic free energy in the membrane. The combined data suggest that physiological VDAC function depends on the molecular plasticity of its channel.

Inhibitions and antagonists of L-type Ca2+ channels are important to both research and therapeutics. Here, we report C-terminus mediated inhibition (CMI) for CaV1.3 that multiple motifs coordinate to tune down Ca2+ current and Ca2+ influx toward the lower limits determined by end-stage CDI (Ca2+-dependent inactivation). Among IQV (preIQ3-IQ domain), PCRD and DCRD (proximal or distal C-terminal regulatory domain), spatial closeness of any two modules, e.g., by constitutive fusion, facilitates the trio to form the complex, compete against calmodulin, and alter the gating. Acute CMI by rapamycin-inducible heterodimerization helps reconcile the concurrent activation/inactivation attenuations to ensure Ca2+ influx is reduced, in that Ca2+ current activated by depolarization is potently (~65%) inhibited at the peak (full activation), but not later on (end-stage inactivation, ~300 ms). Meanwhile, CMI provides a new paradigm to develop CaV1 inhibitors, the therapeutic potential of which is implied by computational modeling of CaV1.3 dysregulations related to Parkinson’s disease.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.21989.001

BetP, a trimeric Na þ -coupled betaine symporter, senses hyperosmotic stress via its cytoplasmic C-terminal domain and regulates transport activity in dependence of the cytoplasmic K þ -concentration. This transport regulation of BetP depends on a sophisticated interaction network. Using single-molecule force spectroscopy we structurally localize and quantify these interactions changing on K þ -dependent transport activation and substrate-binding. K þ significantly strengthened all interactions, modulated lifetimes of functionally important structural regions, and increased the mechanical rigidity of the symporter. Substrate-binding could modulate, but not establish most of these K þ -dependent interactions. A pronounced effect triggered by K þ was observed at the periplasmic helical loop EH2. Tryptophan quenching experiments revealed that elevated K þ -concentrations akin to those BetP encounters during hyperosmotic stress trigger the formation of a periplasmic second betaine-binding (S2) site, which was found to be at a similar position reported previously for the BetP homologue CaiT. In BetP, the presence of the S2 site strengthened the interaction between EH2, transmembrane α-helix 12 and the K þ -sensing C-terminal domain resulting in a K þ -dependent cooperative betaine-binding.atomic force microscopy | energy landscape | membrane transporter | osmoregulation | secondary substrate-binding site