Biomedical subjects

F Rusnak

Publications and source records attributed to F Rusnak.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed1999

Biochemical and spectroscopic characterization of overexpressed fuscoredoxin from Escherichia coli.

Fuscoredoxin is a unique iron containing protein of yet unknown function originally discovered in the sulfate reducers of the genus Desulfovibrio. It contains two iron-sulfur clusters: a cubane [4Fe-4S] and a mixed oxo- and sulfido-bridged 4Fe cluster of unprecedented structure. The recent determination of the genomic sequence of Escherichia coli (E. coli) has revealed a homologue of fuscoredoxin in this facultative microbe. The presence of this gene in E. coli raises interesting questions regarding the function of fuscoredoxin and whether this gene represents a structural homologue of the better-characterized Desulfovibrio proteins. In order to explore the latter, an overexpression system for the E. coli fuscoredoxin gene was devised. The gene was cloned from genomic DNA by use of the polymerase chain reaction into the expression vector pT7-7 and overexpressed in E. coli BL21(DE3) cells. After two chromatographic steps a good yield of recombinant protein was obtained (approximately 4 mg of pure protein per liter of culture). The purified protein exhibits an optical spectrum characteristic of the homologue from D. desulfuricans, indicating that cofactor assembly was accomplished. Iron analysis indicated that the protein contains circa 8 iron atoms/molecule which were shown by EPR and Mössbauer spectroscopies to be present as two multinuclear clusters, albeit with slightly altered spectroscopic features. A comparison of the primary sequences of fuscoredoxins is presented and differences on cluster coordination modes are discussed on the light of the spectroscopic data.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1999

Interaction of bacteriophage lambda protein phosphatase with Mn(II): evidence for the formation of a [Mn(II)]2 cluster.

The interaction of bacteriophage lambda protein phosphatase with Mn2+ was studied using biochemical techniques and electron paramagnetic resonance spectrometry. Reconstitution of bacteriophage lambda protein phosphatase in the presence of excess MnCl2 followed by rapid desalting over a gel filtration column resulted in the retention of approximately 1 equiv of Mn2+ ion bound to the protein. This was determined by metal analyses and low-temperature EPR spectrometry, the latter of which provided evidence of a mononuclear high-spin Mn2+ ion in a ligand environment of oxygen and nitrogen atoms. The Mn2+-reconstituted enzyme exhibited negligible phosphatase activity in the absence of added MnCl2. The EPR spectrum of the mononuclear species disappeared upon the addition of a second equivalent of Mn2+ and was replaced by a spectrum attributed to an exchange-coupled (Mn2+)2 cluster. EPR spectra of the dinuclear (Mn2+)2 cluster were characterized by the presence of multiline features with a hyperfine splitting of 39 G. Temperature-dependent studies indicated that these features arose from an excited state. Titrations of the apoprotein with MnCl2 provided evidence of one Mn2+ binding site with a micromolar affinity and at least one additional Mn2+ site with a 100-fold lower affinity. The dependence of the phosphatase activity on Mn2+ concentration indicates that full enzyme activity probably requires occupation of both Mn2+ sites. These results are discussed in the context of divalent metal ion activation of this enzyme and possible roles for Mn2+ activation of other serine/threonine protein phosphatases.

Bacteriophage lambda↗

PubMed1999

Failure of calcineurin inhibitors to prevent pressure-overload left ventricular hypertrophy in rats.

A rapidly emerging body of literature implicates a pivotal role for the Ca2+-calmodulin-dependent phosphatase calcineurin as a cellular target for a variety of Ca2+-dependent signaling pathways culminating in left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). Most of the recent experimental support for this hypothesis is derived from in vitro studies or in vivo studies in transgenic mice expressing activated calcineurin or mutant sarcomeric proteins. The aim of the present study was to test whether calcineurin inhibitors, cyclosporin A (CsA) and FK 506, prevent pressure-overload LVH using 2 standard rat models: (1) the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) and (2) aortic banding. The major new findings are 2-fold. First, in SHR, LVH (left ventricular weight to body weight ratio) was unaffected by a dose of CsA (5 mg. kg-1. d-1) that was sufficient to raise blood pressure and to inhibit calcineurin-mediated transcriptional activation in skeletal muscle. Second, in rats with aortic banding, LVH was unaffected by FK 506 (0.3 mg. kg-1. d-1) or even higher doses of CsA (10 and 20 mg. kg-1. d-1) that were sufficient to inhibit 90% of total calcineurin phosphatase activity in the hypertrophied myocardium. In the latter experiments, CsA blocked neither the elevated left ventricular end-diastolic pressures, a measure of diastolic function, nor the induction in atrial natriuretic peptide mRNA in the hypertrophic ventricles. Thus, in numerous experiments, systemic administration of potent calcineurin inhibitors did not prevent the development of LVH in 2 classic models of pressure-overload hypertrophy. These results demonstrate that pressure-overload hypertrophy can arise through calcineurin-independent pathways.

Animals↗

PubMed1999

Mycobacterium tuberculosis KatG is a peroxynitritase.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis resides within the highly oxidative environment of the human macrophage and previous reports have indicated that these mycobacteria are susceptible to reactive nitrogen intermediates including peroxynitrite. This work provides evidence that the Mycobacterium tuberculosis hemoprotein KatG acts as an efficient peroxynitritase exhibiting a kapp of 1.4 x 10(5) M-1s-1 for peroxynitrite decomposition at pH 7.4 and 37 degrees C. The ability of KatG to act as a peroxynitritase adds to its growing list of enzymatic activities and may in part explain the ability of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to persist in macrophages.

Bacterial Proteins↗

PubMed1999

Redox regulation of calcineurin in T-lymphocytes.

To explore whether the Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein phosphatase calcineurin is subject to redox regulation in vivo, we used a luciferase reporter gene construct whose expression was controlled by the transcription factor NF-AT (the nuclear factor of activated T-cells) to monitor intracellular calcineurin activity following redox state perturbations. The NF-AT reporter construct was transfected into Jurkat cells, and luciferase activity was assessed following treatment with phorbol ester and ionomycin in the presence of either hydrogen peroxide or dithiothreitol (DTT). While DTT had no effect, H(2)O(2) completely abrogated NF-AT transactivation in response to stimulation. The inhibitory effect was specific for NF-AT as comparable levels of H(2)O(2) had only minor effects on constitutive transcription factors while an analogous construct under AP-1 control showed a 5-fold stimulation in transactivation in the presence of H(2)O(2). The inhibitory effect of H(2)O(2) was observed up to approximately 3 h following mitogen stimulation, a time point where NF-AT activity begins to increase under normal conditions. Protein serine/threonine phosphatase activities from Jurkat lysate indicated that calcineurin activity was inhibited not only by H(2)O(2) but also by high concentrations of DTT. These results indicate that calcineurin activity is subject to redox regulation in vivo and are discussed in the context of redox reactions involving active site metal ions.

Actins↗

PubMed1999

Structural studies by X-ray diffraction on metal substituted desulforedoxin, a rubredoxin-type protein.

Desulforedoxin (Dx), isolated from the sulfate reducing bacterium Desulfovibrio gigas, is a small homodimeric (2 x 36 amino acids) protein. Each subunit contains a high-spin iron atom tetrahedrally bound to four cysteinyl sulfur atoms, a metal center similar to that found in rubredoxin (Rd) type proteins. The simplicity of the active center in Dx and the possibility of replacing the iron by other metals make this protein an attractive case for the crystallographic analysis of metal-substituted derivatives. This study extends the relevance of Dx to the bioinorganic chemistry field and is important to obtain model compounds that can mimic the four sulfur coordination of metals in biology. Metal replacement experiments were carried out by reconstituting the apoprotein with In3+, Ga3+, Cd2+, Hg2+, and Ni2+ salts. The In3+ and Ga3+ derivatives are isomorphous with the iron native protein; whereas Cd2+, Hg2+, and Ni2+ substituted Dx crystallized under different experimental conditions, yielding two additional crystal morphologies; their structures were determined by the molecular replacement method. A comparison of the three-dimensional structures for all metal derivatives shows that the overall secondary and tertiary structures are maintained, while some differences in metal coordination geometry occur, namely, bond lengths and angles of the metal with the sulfur ligands. These data are discussed in terms of the entatic state theory.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1999

Hepatitis A virus capsid protein VP1 has a heterogeneous C terminus.

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) encodes a single polyprotein which is posttranslationally processed into the functional structural and nonstructural proteins. Only one protease, viral protease 3C, has been implicated in the nine protein scissions. Processing of the capsid protein precursor region generates a unique intermediate, PX (VP1-2A), which accumulates in infected cells and is assumed to serve as precursor to VP1 found in virions, although the details of this reaction have not been determined. Coexpression in transfected cells of a variety of P1 precursor proteins with viral protease 3C demonstrated efficient production of PX, as well as VP0 and VP3; however, no mature VP1 protein was detected. To identify the C-terminal amino acid residue of HAV VP1, we performed peptide sequence analysis by protease-catalyzed [18O]H2O incorporation followed by liquid chromatography ion-trap microspray tandem mass spectrometry of HAV VP1 isolated from purified virions. Two different cell culture-adapted isolates of HAV, strains HM175pE and HM175p35, were used for these analyses. VP1 preparations from both virus isolates contained heterogeneous C termini. The predominant C-terminal amino acid in both virus preparations was VP1-Ser274, which is located N terminal to a methionine residue in VP1-2A. In addition, the analysis of HM175pE recovered smaller amounts of amino acids VP1-Glu273 and VP1-Thr272. In the case of HM175p35, which contains valine at amino acid position VP1-273, VP1-Thr272 was found in addition to VP1-Ser274. The data suggest that HAV 3C is not the protease responsible for generation of the VP1 C terminus. We propose the involvement of host cell protease(s) in the production of HAV VP1.

3C Viral Proteases↗

PubMed1998

Evidence for differential binding of isoniazid by Mycobacterium tuberculosis KatG and the isoniazid-resistant mutant KatG(S315T).

Isoniazid is a mainstay of antibiotic therapy for the treatment of tuberculosis, but its molecular mechanism of action is unclear. Previous investigators have hypothesized that isoniazid is a prodrug that requires in vivo activation by KatG, the catalase-peroxidase of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and that resistance to isoniazid strongly correlates with deletions or point mutations in KatG. One such mutation, KatG(S315T), is found in approximately 50% of clinical isolates exhibiting isoniazid resistance. In this work, 1H nuclear magnetic resonance T1 relaxation measurements indicate that KatG and KatG(S315T) each bind isoniazid at a position approximately 12 A from the active site heme iron. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy revealed heterogeneous populations of high-spin ferric heme in both wild-type KatG and KatG(S315T) with the ratios of each species differing between the two enzymes. Small changes in the proportions of these high-spin species upon addition of isoniazid support the finding that isoniazid binds near the heme periphery of both enzymes. Titration of wild-type KatG with isoniazid resulted in the appearance of a "type I" substrate-induced difference spectrum analogous to those seen upon substrate binding to the cytochromes P450. The difference spectrum may result from an isoniazid-induced change in a portion of the KatG heme iron from 6- to 5-coordinate. Titration of KatG(S315T) with isoniazid failed to produce a measurable difference spectrum indicating an altered active site configuration. These results suggest that KatG(S315T) confers resistance to isoniazid through subtle changes in the isoniazid binding site.

Amino Acid Substitution↗

PubMed1998

NMR determination of the global structure of the 113Cd derivative of desulforedoxin: investigation of the hydrogen bonding pattern at the metal center.

Desulforedoxin (Dx) is a simple homodimeric protein isolated from Desulfovibrio gigas (Dg) containing a distorted rubredoxin-like center with one iron coordinated by four cysteinyl residues (7.9 kDa with 36 amino acids per monomer). In order to probe the geometry and the H-bonding at the active site of Dx, the protein was reconstituted with 113Cd and the solution structure determined using 2D NMR methods. The structure of this derivative was initially compared with the NMR solution structure of the Zn form (Goodfellow BJ et al., 1996, J Biol Inorg Chem 1:341-353). Backbone amide protons for G4, D5, G13, L11 NH, and the Q14 NH side-chain protons, H-bonded in the X-ray structure, were readily exchanged with solvent. Chemical shift differences observed for amide protons near the metal center confirm the H-bonding pattern seen in the X-ray model (Archer M et al., 1995, J Mol Biol 251:690-702) and also suggest that H-bond lengths may vary between the Fe, Zn, and 113Cd forms. The H-bonding pattern was further probed using a heteronuclear spin echo difference (HSED) experiment; the results confirm the presence of NH-S H-bonds inferred from D2O exchange data and observed in the NMR family of structures. The presence of "H-bond mediated" coupling in Dx indicates that the NH-S H-bonds at the metal center have significant covalent character. The HSED experiment also identified an intermonomer "through space" coupling for one of the L26 methyl groups, indicating its proximity to the 113Cd center in the opposing monomer. This is the first example of an intermonomer "through space" coupling. Initial structure calculations produced subsets of NMR families with the S of C28 pointing away from or toward the L26 methyl: only the subset with the C28 sulfur pointing toward the L26 methyl could result in a "through space" coupling. The HSED result was therefore included in the structure calculations. Comparison of the Fe, Zn, and 113Cd forms of Dx suggests that the geometry of the metal center and the global fold of the protein does not vary to any great extent, although the H-bond network varies slightly when Cd is introduced. The similarity between the H-bonding pattern seen at the metal center in Dx, Rd (including H-bonded and through space-mediated coupling), and many zinc-finger proteins suggests that these H-bonds are structurally vital for stabilization of the metal centers in these proteins.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1997

Determinants of calcineurin binding to model membranes.

The biochemical factors that lead to membrane targeting of the Ser/Thr protein phosphatase calcineurin were examined using model phospholipid membranes. The interaction of myristoyl- and non-myristoylcalcineurin with lipid surfaces was investigated as a function of negatively charged phospholipids, diacylglycerol, Ca2+, and calmodulin. The data indicate that calcineurin binding to phospholipid monolayers both is myristoyl-independent and is mediated by anionic phospholipids and/or diacylglycerol. Although the effect of Ca2+ on calcineurin-lipid binding is minor, calmodulin altered the binding of calcineurin to the lipid membrane in a Ca2+-dependent manner. Experiments with a constitutively active form of calcineurin that does not bind calmodulin indicated that the effect required the interaction of calcineurin with calmodulin. Our results suggest that phosphatidylserine, diaclyglycerol, and calmodulin may mediate the lipid binding properties of calcineurin in vivo.

Animals↗

PubMed1997

Spectroscopic and enzymatic characterization of the active site dinuclear metal center of calcineurin: implications for a mechanistic role.

The active site of bovine brain calcineurin contains an Fe3+-Zn2+ dinuclear metal center. Replacement of Zn2+ with Fe2+ yields a mixed valence Fe3+-Fe2+ center that exhibits a characteristic EPR signal that can be used as a convenient spectroscopic probe of the active site. Addition of product phosphate to both the Fe3+-Fe2+ and Fe3+-Zn2+ forms of calcineurin led to perturbations of the respective EPR signals, indicating that phosphate affects the environment of the paramagnetic centers. Anaerobic titrations of the iron-substituted Fe3+-Fe2+ enzyme with dithionite resulted in a gradual loss of activity toward pNPP that paralleled the loss of intensity of the EPR signal of the mixed valence diiron center. During dithionite reduction, an EPR resonance with g approximately 12 appeared. The intensity of this resonance increased when the spectrum was recorded in a parallel mode cavity and was therefore attributed to a paramagnetic center with integer spin. Oxidation of the Fe3+-Fe2+ cluster to the diferric state by hydrogen peroxide also led to a loss of activity. These results indicate that the mixed valence oxidation state represents the catalytically competent form of the cluster. The dependence of the enzyme activity on the redox state of the cluster has implications for a mechanistic role.

Aniline Compounds↗

PubMed1997

Kinetic and spectroscopic analyses of mutants of a conserved histidine in the metallophosphatases calcineurin and lambda protein phosphatase.

Calcineurin belongs to a family of serine/threonine protein phosphatases that contain active site dinuclear metal cofactors. Bacteriophage lambda protein phosphatase is also considered to be a member of this family based on sequence comparisons (Lohse, D. L., Denu, J. M., and Dixon, J. E. (1995) Structure 3, 987-990). Using EPR spectroscopy, we demonstrate that lambda protein phosphatase accommodates a dinuclear metal center. Calcineurin and lambda protein phosphatase likewise contain a conserved histidine that is not a metal ligand but is within 5 A of either metal in calcineurin. In this study the conserved histidine in calcineurin was mutated to glutamine and the mutant protein analyzed by EPR spectroscopy and kinetic methods. Parallel studies with an analogous lambda protein phosphatase mutant were also carried out. Kinetic studies using paranitrophenyl phosphate as substrate showed a decrease in kcat of 460- and 590-fold for the calcineurin and lambda protein phosphatase mutants, respectively, compared with the wild type enzymes. With a phosphopeptide substrate, mutagenesis of the conserved histidine resulted in a decrease in kcat of 1,300-fold for calcineurin. With the analogous lambda protein phosphatase mutant, kcat decreased 530-fold compared with wild type lambda protein phosphatase using phenyl phosphate as a substrate. EPR studies of the iron-reconstituted enzymes indicated that although both mutant enzymes can accommodate a dinuclear metal center, spectroscopic differences compared with wild type proteins suggest a perturbation of the ligand environment, possibly by disruption of a hydrogen bond between the histidine and a metal-coordinated solvent molecule.

Animals↗

PubMed1997

Mechanism of Ca(2+)-dependent inactivation of L-type Ca2+ channels in GH3 cells: direct evidence against dephosphorylation by calcineurin.

Dephosphorylation of Ca2+ channels by the Ca(2+)-activated phosphatase 2B (calcineurin) has been previously suggested as a mechanism of Ca(2+)-dependent inactivation of Ca2+ current in rat pituitary tumor (GH3) cells. Although recent evidence favors an inactivation mechanism involving direct binding of Ca2+ to the channel protein, the alternative "calcineurin hypothesis" has not been critically tested using the specific calcineurin inhibitors cyclosporine A (CsA) or FK506 in GH3 cells. To determine if calcineurin plays a part in the voltage- and/or Ca(2+)-dependent components of dihydropyridine-sensitive Ca2+ current decay, we rapidly altered the intracellular Ca2+ buffering capacity of GH3 cells by flash photolysis of DM-nitrophen, a high affinity Ca2+ chelator. Flash photolysis induced a highly reproducible increase in the extent of Ca2+ current inactivation in a two-pulse voltage protocol with Ca2+ as the charge carrier, but had no effect when Ba2+ was substituted for Ca2+. Despite confirmation of the abundance of calcineurin in the GH3 cells by biochemical assays, acute application of CsA or FK506 after photolysis had no effect on Ca(2+)-dependent inactivation of Ca2+ current, even when excess cyclophilin or FK binding protein were included in the internal solution. Prolonged preincubation of the cells with FK506 or CsA did not inhibit Ca(2+)-dependent inactivation. Similarly, blocking calmodulin activation with calmidazolium or blocking calcineurin with fenvalerate did not influence the extent of Ca(2+)-dependent inactivation after photolysis. The results provide strong evidence against Ca(2+)-dependent dephosphorylation as the mechanism of Ca2+ current inactivation in GH3 cells, but support the alternative idea that Ca(2+)-dependent inactivation reflects a direct effect of intracellular Ca2+ on channel gating.

Animals↗

PubMed1997

Conversion of desulforedoxin into a rubredoxin center.

Rubredoxin and desulforedoxin both contain an Fe(S-Cys)4 center. However, the spectroscopic properties of the center in desulforedoxin differ from rubredoxin. These differences arise from a distortion of the metal site hypothesized to result from adjacent cysteine residues in the primary sequence of desulforedoxin. Two desulforedoxin mutants were generated in which either a G or P-V were inserted between adjacent cysteines. Both mutants exhibited optical spectra with maxima at 278, 345, 380, 480, and 560 nm while the low temperature X-band EPR spectra indicated highspin Fe3+ ions with large rhombic distortions (E/D = 0.21-0.23). These spectroscopic properties are distinct from wild type desulforedoxin and virtually identical to rubredoxin.

Cysteine↗

PubMed1997

Differential modulation of cortical synaptic activity by calcineurin (phosphatase 2B) versus phosphatases 1 and 2A.

Reversible protein phosphorylation is thought to play an important regulatory role in synaptic neurotransmission. We recently have shown in cultured rat cortical neurons that inhibition of the Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent phosphatase calcineurin (phosphatase 2B) increases the frequency, but not the amplitude, of postsynaptic glutamatergic currents, implicating a presynaptic site of action for calcineurin. The specific presynaptic phosphoprotein substrates for calcineurin are unknown, however, calcineurin has been implicated in the control of the Ca2+-independent phosphatases, phosphatases 1 and 2A. To determine whether calcineurin's effects on synaptic transmission are direct or are mediated by changes in phosphatase 1 and/or 2A activities, we used whole-cell voltage clamp to record spontaneous and miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents in the presence of calyculin A (1 microM in bath solution), a membrane permeant inhibitor of phosphatases 1 and 2A which has no effect on calcineurin. Calyculin increased postsynaptic current amplitude without changing current frequency. In these same neurons, subsequent inhibition of calcineurin with cyclosporine A or FK506 had no further effect on current amplitude, but increased current frequency. The increased current amplitude seen with calyculin involved a postsynaptic mechanism, since the effect was reproduced by microcystin (10 microM in pipette solution), which is a membrane-impermeant inhibitor of phosphatases 1 and 2A. Thus, in rat cortical neurons, glutamatergic neurotransmission appears to be frequency-modulated through a presynaptic mechanism by calcineurin, and amplitude-modulated through a postsynaptic mechanism by phosphatases 1 and 2A.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1997

Recombinant Mycobacterium tuberculosis KatG(S315T) is a competent catalase-peroxidase with reduced activity toward isoniazid.

The presence of KatG(S315T), a mutation frequently detected in clinical isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, has been associated with loss of catalase-peroxidase activity and resistance to isoniazid therapy. Wild-type KatG and KatG(S315T) were expressed in a heterologous host (Escherichia coli) and purified to homogeneity, and enzymatic activity was measured. The catalase activity for KatG(S315T) was reduced 6-fold, and its peroxidase activity was decreased <2-fold, compared with the activities for wild-type KatG. Pyridine hemochrome analysis demonstrated 1.1 +/- 0.1 hemes/subunit for wild-type KatG and 0.9 +/- 0.1 hemes/subunit for KatG(S315T), indicating that the difference in enzymatic activity is not the result of incomplete heme cofactor incorporation in KatG(S315T). High-performance liquid chromatography analysis showed that wild-type KatG was more efficient than KatG(S315T) at converting isoniazid to isonicotinic acid. These results demonstrate that KatG(S315T), as expressed in E. coli, is a competent catalase-peroxidase that exhibits a reduced ability to metabolize isoniazid.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1996

Contributions of myristoylation to calcineurin structure/function.

Calcineurin is a serine/threonine protein phosphatase composed of a catalytic subunit, calcineurin A (58 kDa), and a NH2-terminal myristoylated regulatory subunit, calcineurin B (19 kDa). In order to study the effect of myristoylation on calcineurin structure/function, a dual plasmid transfection system was used to generate myristoylated and nonmyristoylated calcineurin B. Both metabolic labeling of calcineurin B with radiolabeled myristic acid and electrospray mass spectral analysis confirmed that myristic acid was covalently and stoichiometrically linked to calcineurin B. Myristoyl and non-myristoyl calcineurin B were reconstituted with recombinant calcineurin A to form native-like heterodimers, and the properties of the two calcineurin forms were examined. Myristoylation had no effect on enzymatic activity, calcineurin-immunosuppressant/immunophilin interactions, or Ca2+ binding. Surprisingly, myristoylation also had no effect on calcineurin heterodimer association with phospholipid monolayers. Fatty acylation, however, significantly influenced the thermal stability of calcineurin, with an approximate 10 degrees C increase in t1/2 observed for myristoyl calcineurin when compared to the non-myristoyl form. Myristoylation of calcineurin B therefore appears to provide structural stability to the calcineurin heterodimer.

Amino Acid Isomerases↗

PubMed1996

Direct modulation of calmodulin targets by the neuronal calcium sensor NCS-1.

Ca2+ and its ubiquitous intracellular receptor calmodulin (CaM) are required in the nervous system, among a host of cellular responses, for the modulation of several important enzymes and ion channels involved in synaptic efficacy and neuronal plasticity. Here, we report that CaM can be replaced by the neuronal calcium sensor NCS-1 both in vitro and in vivo. NCS-1 is a calcium binding protein with two Ca(2+)-binding domains that shares only 21% of homology with CaM. We observe that NCS-1 directly activates two Ca2+/CaM-dependent enzymes (3':5'-cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase and protein phosphatase calcineurin). Co-activation of nitric oxide synthase by NCS-1 and CaM results in a higher activity than with CaM alone. Moreover, NCS-1 is coexpressed with calcineurin and nitric oxide synthase in several neuron populations. Finally, injections of NCS-1 into calmodulin-defective cam1 Paramecium partially restore wildtype behavioral responses. With this highly purified preparation of NCS-1, we have obtained crystals suitable for crystallographic structure studies. NCS-1, despite its very different structure, distribution, and Ca(2+)-binding affinity as compared with CaM, can substitute for or potentiate CaM functions. Therefore, NCS-1 represents a novel protein capable of mediating multiple Ca(2+)-signaling pathways in the nervous system.

Animals↗