Regulation of alternative splicing of the SERCA2 pre-mRNA in muscle.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to L Raeymaekers.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
The sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-transport ATPase (SERCA2) pre-mRNA is alternatively processed in a tissue-specific manner. At its 3' end, two 5' splice donor sites compete for the same 3' acceptor splice site (3'A). While the upstream 5' donor splice site (5'D1) is used in muscle cells giving rise to the class 1 mRNA, the downstream one (5'D2) is exclusively used in neuronal cells generating the class 4 mRNA. Using a neuroblastoma cell line and a minigene containing the 3' end of the SERCA2 gene, we have investigated the regulation of the neuronal-type of splicing. We have shown that a strong 3'A is required for splicing because exchanging it for a weaker one abolishes splicing. A second region spanning the entire exon 25 downstream of the 3'A is also necessary for the repression of the muscle-specific splicing in neuronal cells. In addition the tissue-specific (muscle/neuron) selection of the appropriate 5' donor splice site seems to be determined by at least two distinct but adjacent negative cis-active elements located in the last 237 nt of the optional exon 24. The upstream negative element controls the neuronal splicing while the downstream one represses the muscle-specific splicing in neuronal cells. It is suggested that the cis-active elements in the gene transcript are the target of trans-acting factors that are responsible for the repression of neuronal- or muscle-specific splicing in a tissue-specific manner.
The gene family of organellar-type Ca2+ transport ATPases consists of three members. SERCA1 is expressed exclusively in fast skeletal muscle; SERCA2 is ubiquitously expressed, whereas SERCA3 is considered to be mainly expressed in cells of the hematopoietic lineage and in some epithelial cells. In the brain, the organellar-type Ca2+ transport ATPases are almost exclusively transcribed from the SERCA2 gene. Four different SERCA2 mRNAs have been described (classes 1-4). However, unlike in nonneuronal cells, which express the class 1, 2, and 3 splice variants, the main SERCA2 mRNA in the brain is the class 4 messenger. Similar to classes 2 and 3, the class 4 codes for the ubiquitously expressed SERCA2b protein. Recently, we have reported the distribution of the SERCA isoforms in the brain (Baba-Aissa et al., 1996a,b). SERCA2b was present in most neurons of all investigated brain regions. The highest levels were found in the Purkinje neurons of the cerebellum and in the pyramidal cells of the hippocampus. Interestingly, SERCA3 and SERCA2a are coexpressed along with SERCA2b in the Purkinje neurons, but are weakly expressed in the other brain regions if present at all. Since these three protein isoforms have a different affinity for Ca2+, their possible roles in relation to Ca2+ stores in neurons are discussed.
The time course of Ca2+ release from intracellular stores during a prolonged exposure to a constant concentration of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate does not follow a single exponential but presents a progressive slowing down of the relative rate of efflux. Among the many factors that may contribute to this phenomenon, the possible contribution of lumenal Ca2+ buffering has been largely neglected. However, since the efflux rate depends on the free Ca2+ concentration whereas the total Ca2+ content is mainly determined by bound Ca2+, simple Ca2+ efflux kinetics can be expected only if there is a linear relation between free Ca2+ and bound Ca2+. Although little is known on lumenal Ca2+ binding, reasonable assumptions predict that the ratio of (Ca2+ bound)/(Ca2+ free) may decrease with increasing free Ca2+ concentrations, implying a continuously decreasing rate coefficient, as is experimentally observed. Simulated Ca2+ release curves show significant deviations from a single exponential if high-affinity binding sites are present in addition to low-affinity sites. Although this simple model does not predict several of the experimentally observed properties, it is concluded that a full understanding of Ca2+ release kinetics requires more detailed information on lumenal Ca2+ buffering within Ca2+ stores.
We tested the hypothesis that altered phosphorylation of myofibrillar proteins is involved in post-ischemic myocardial stunning. Myofibrillar proteins were isolated from Langendorff perfused control rabbit hearts, hearts submitted to 15 min normothermic ischemia and hearts submitted to 15 min ischemia followed by 10 min of reperfusion (stunned hearts). The in vivo level of phosphorylation of specific contractile proteins by protein kinases A and C was indirectly detected by the amount of 32P incorporated in vitro in the presence of these protein kinases and saturating concentration of [gamma-32P]-ATP (back-phosphorylation method). In control experiments the back-phosphorylation technique was able to detect PKA- or PKC-induced protein phosphorylation in hearts treated with isoproterenol and phorbol ester, respectively. In stunned hearts, contractile function was significantly suppressed compared to the period before ischemia. We found no difference in myofibrillar protein profile (on densitometry of the Coomassie-stained gels after SDS-PAGE) and in PKA mediated 32P incorporation when comparing control, ischemic and stunned myocardium. Three different PKCs were used for phosphorylation: commercial purified rat brain PKC, partially purified rat brain PKC or rabbit partially purified cardiac PKC. Cardiac PKC mainly phosphorylated troponin I, whereas brain PKC phosphorylated both troponin T and troponin I. No significant difference in 32P incorporation mediated by either brain or cardiac PKC was found between control, ischemic and ischemic/reperfused myofibrils. These data indicate that myocardial stunning does not cause changes in PKC- or PKA-mediated Pi incorporation into myofibrillar proteins detectable by the back-phosphorylation method.
The plasma membrane calcium pump (PMCA) and sarco(endo)plasmic reticular calcium pump (SERCA) are important components of the Ca2+ homeostasis system responsible for intracellular Ca2+ signaling, yet the factors which govern their expression remain unclear. Recently, we have found that overexpression of PMCA by a gene transfection approach caused a down-regulation of the SERCA pump [Liu B.F., Xu X., Fridman R., Muallem S., Kuo T.H. Consequences of functional expression of the plasma membrane calcium pump isoform 1a. J Biol Chem 1996; 271: 5536-5544]. The results suggest an interdependence between PMCA and SERCA gene expression which has prompted us to investigate further on the mechanisms that regulate the expression of these Ca2+ pump genes in various cultured cell lines. In the present study, we have analyzed the isoforms of the PMCA and SERCA in different cells and presented evidence in favor of a co-induction of the PMCA and SERCA gene expression by second messengers, such as protein kinase C, cAMP, and Ca2+. Ectopic expression of PMCA or SERCA led to downregulation of the endogenous forms of both pumps. Changes in the level of mRNAs were paralleled by corresponding altered pump protein contents. The Ca(2+)-mediated increase of gene expression is accompanied by increased transcription rates as indicated by nuclear run-on assay. The co-ordinated induction of the PMCA and SERCA gene expression by thapsigargin was not blocked by the cytosolic application of the Ca2+ chelator BAPTA. We conclude that genes encoding components of the major Ca2+ transport pathways, including pumps and IP3 receptor channels, are regulatorally linked and this link is provided by the Ca2+ load of the ER store. This study points to the importance of gene expression as an integral component in the regulation of cellular Ca2+ homeostasis.
Of the three genes encoding the Ca2+ transport ATPases of the endoplasmic reticulum, the SERCA2 gene is the major isoform expressed in the mammalian brain. The SERCA2 transcript is alternatively processed generating two protein isoforms: SERCA2a which is expressed in cardiac and slow-skeletal muscle, and SERCA2b, the house-keeping isoform which is ubiquitously expressed. We have studied the expression of SERCA2 in the cat brain, and at a less refined level also in the rat brain, using antibodies specific for either SERCA2a or SERCA2b. The SERCA2a staining was very restricted. The SERCA2a antibody clearly labeled the cell body of the Purkinje neurons and weakly stained the giant cells of the gigantocellular reticular nuclei. In contrast, the SERCA2b isoform was found in most regions of the brain. It appeared to be largely confined to neuronal cells. Neuroglial cells were negative. The antibody stained the cell body. In heavily labeled cells such as the pyramidal cells of the hippocampus and of the cerebral cortex, it also stained the proximal portion of the dendrites. The most intense labeling was observed in the Purkinje neurons, which were stained all over the cell including the distal ramifications of the dendritic tree. Remarkably the SERCA2b labeling in neuronal cells of the hypothalamic area and the substantia nigra was very weak. The possible physiological significance of these results is discussed.
We report the distribution of the sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase 3 (SERCA3) isoform in the rat brain. Compared to SERCA2 isoform, which is found in all brain regions, SERCA3 is specifically expressed in the Purkinje neurons. This conclusion is based on immunochemical observations using SERCA3- and SERCA2b-specific antibodies, in-situ hybridization using SERCA3-specific oligonucleotide probes and single-cell reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Immunocytochemistry clearly revealed the expression of SERCA3 in the cell body and in the dentritic processes of the Purkinje neurons. Single-cell ratio RT-PCR showed that Purkinje neurons expressed 3-fold lower levels of SERCA3 mRNA compared to SERCA2 mRNA. SERCA3 expression is very low or absent in the rat cerebrum and brainstem. It is known that the SERCA3 Ca2+ pump has an approximately 5-fold lower affinity for Ca2+ when expressed in COS cells as compared to other SERCA members [15]. If this property is also valid in a neuronal context, the expression of the SERCA3 Ca(2+)-pump isoform could have important functional implications for the regulation of the cytosolic Ca2+ concentration in Purkinje neurons.
cDNA and genomic clones encoding human sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase 3 (SERCA3) were isolated. The composite nucleotide sequence of the 4.6 kb cDNA, as well as the partial structure of 25 kb of genomic DNA encoding all but the 5' region of the gene, was determined. The nucleotide sequence coding for the last six amino acids of the pump and the 3'-untranslated region were identified within the sequence of the last exon. Northern blot hybridization analysis using cDNA probes derived from this exon detected a 4.8 kb transcript in several human tissues. Using a cDNA probe derived from the 5'-coding region an unexpected mRNA distribution pattern, consisting of two mRNA species of 4.8 and 4.0 kb, was detected in thyroid gland and bone marrow only. This is the first indication of an alternative splicing mechanism operating on the SERCA3 gene transcript, which most likely generates SERCA3 isoforms with altered C-termini. Human SERCA3 expressed in platelets and in COS cells transfected with the corresponding cDNA was detected with the previously described antibody N89 (directed against the N-terminal region of rat SERCA3) and with a new SERCA3-specific antiserum C91, directed against the extreme C-terminus of the human isoform. A monoclonal antibody PL/IM430, previously assumed to recognize SERCA3 in human platelets, does not react with the 97 kDa human SERCA3 transiently expressed in COS cells. Therefore the 97 kDa isoform detected by PL/IM430 more likely represents a novel SERCA pump, as recently suggested [Kovács, Corvazier, Papp, Magnier, Bredoux, Enyedi, Sarkadi and Enouf (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 6177-6184]. Finally, by fluorescence in situ hybridization and chromosome G-banding analyses, the SERCA3 gene was assigned to human chromosome 17p13.3.
We have investigated the detailed kinetics of the passive Ca2+ leak from non-mitochondrial Ca2+ stores in permeabilized A7r5 cells. The decrease in the content of stored Ca2+ in the presence of 2 microM thapsigargin deviated from a single-exponential curve in the initial phase of the efflux. The deviation persisted after correcting this efflux for passively bound Ca2+. The non-single-exponential nature of the spontaneous release also occurred when the initial store Ca2+ content was reduced to 40% of its original value by pretreatment with 200 nM inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (InsP3). The passive Ca2+ leak could be modelled by two exponential curves with discrete rate constants of 0.06 min-1 and 0.98 min-1, and not by any other type of non-exponential decay. We concluded that individual store units are heterogeneous with respect to their passive Ca2+ permeability. This non-exponential nature of the passive Ca2+ release is unrelated to the non-single-exponential InsP3-induced Ca2+ release.
Endothelial cells contain a cell-volume sensitive chloride conductance with biophysical properties similar to those of a ubiquitously expressed chloride current that is activated by cell swelling. The latter current has been associated with the ICln protein (pICln) which may be the chloride channel itself or, alternatively, a channel regulator. We were therefore interested in whether pICln is involved in the endothelial volume-sensitive chloride current. As a first step, we have cloned human pICln and studied its expression at the protein level. Using a polyclonal antiserum raised against human pICln we found a widespread expression of pICln, both in endothelial cells and in other cell lines. A characteristic feature of pICln is its anomalous migration during denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. We also demonstrate that bacterially expressed pICln forms homomeric complexes in vitro.
We employed the patch-clamp technique to investigate the effects of various phosphorylation pathways on activation and modulation of volume-activated Cl- currents (ICl,vol) in cultured endothelial cells from bovine pulmonary arteries (CPAE cells). Half-maximal activation of ICl,vol occurred at a hypotonicity of 27.5+/-1.2%. Run-down of the current upon repetitive activation was less than 15% within 60 min. Stimulation of protein kinase C (PKC) by phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA) or by (-)-indolactam did not affect ICl,vol. Down regulation of PKC activity by a 24-h preincubation of the cells with 0.2 micromol/l PMA, or its inhibition by loading the cells with the specific inhibitory 19-31 pseudosubstrate peptide, did not influence ICl,vol. Trifluoperazine and tamoxifen fully blocked ICl,vol with concentrations required for half-maximal inhibition of 3.0 and 2.4 micromol/l respectively. This inhibitory effect is probably not mediated by the calmodulin-antagonistic action of these compounds, because it occurs at free intracellular [Ca2+] of 50 nmol/l, which are below the threshold for calmodulin activation. The tyrosine kinase inhibitor herbimycin A (1 micromol/l) and genistein (100 micromol/l) did not affect ICl,vol. Exposing CPAE cells to lysophosphatidic acid (1 micromol/l), an activator of p42 MAPkinase and the focal adhesion kinase p125(FAK) in endothelial cells, neither evoked a Cl- current nor affected ICl,vol. Neither wortmannin (10 micromol/l), an inhibitor of MAP kinases and of PI-3 kinase, nor rapamycin (0.1 mmol/l), which interferes with the p70S6 kinase pathway, affected ICl,vol. Exposure of CPAE cells to heat or Na-arsenite, both activators of a recently discovered stress-activated tyrosine phosphorylation pathway, neither activated a current nor affected the hypotonic solution-induced Cl- current. We conclude that none of the studied phosphorylation pathways is essential for the activation of the Cl- current induced by hypotonicity.
It has been proposed that P-glycoprotein, the product of the human MDR1 gene, may function not only as a drug transporter but, depending on the conditions, as a volume-activated Cl- channel [Valverde, Diaz, Sepúlveda, Gill, Hyde and Higgins (1992) Nature (London) 355, 830-833; Gill, Hyde, Higgins, Valverde, Mintenig and Sepúlveda (1992) Cell 71, 23-32]. To verify this hypothesis, we have compared volume-activated Cl- currents with the level of MDR1 mRNA and its protein product in the human KB3 (epitheloid lung cancer) and HeLa cell lines. The related MDR2 was also included to find out whether it could account for observed discrepancies between Cl- current and MDR1 expression. A 40% decrease in osmolarity evoked a Cl- current in both cell types (at +80 mV: 50.3 +/- 4.3 pA/pF in KB3, n = 13; 28.2 +/- 3.3 pA/pF in HeLa, n = 16). The blocking of this current in both cell types by 5-nitro-2-(3-phenylpropylamino)-benzoic acid and by 1,9-dideoxyforskolin is similar to that of the presumed P-glycoprotein associated Cl- channel. As measured by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, KB3 cells expressed only an extremely small amount of the messengers for MDR1 and MDR2. The signal observed for MDR1 in HeLa cells was at least an order of magnitude more intense than in KB3 cells, while MDR2 mRNA was undetectable. A clear difference in MDR1 expression between KB3 and HeLa was also observed at the protein level. These data are difficult to reconcile with the hypothesis that in HeLa and KB3 cells MDR1- or MDR2- encoded P-glycoproteins are associated with volume-activated Cl- channels.
The characteristics of volume-activated chloride currents, drug transport function and levels of P-glycoprotein (PgP) expression were compared between two human chronic erythroleukemia cell lines: a parental (K562) cell line and a derivative obtained by vinblastine selection (K562 VBL400). Parental K562 cells showed no detectable P-glycoprotein expression, measured at the protein level (immunofluorescence labeling with monoclonal antibodies), and had very low levels of MDR-1 mRNA expression (RT-PCR analysis), when compared with levels measured in K562 VBL400. Differences in Pgp-mediated transport were estimated by comparing the rates of Fluo3 accumulation. The higher drug-transport function of K562 VBL400 cells (e.g., lower Fluo3 accumulation) correlated with their elevated levels of MDR-1. The rate of dye transport was sensitive to verapamil but was not affected by the tonicity of the extracellular medium. In contrast to the clear differences in transport function, the characteristics of chloride currents induced by cell swelling were indistinguishable between the two cell lines. Currents measured in the whole-cell configuration were outwardly rectifying, had a higher permeability to iodide than to chloride (SCN- > I- > Cl- > gluconate), were potently blocked by NPPB and were unresponsive to verapamil. The percentage of responding cells and the mean current density were nearly identical in both cell lines. In addition, activation of the volume-sensitive current was not prevented during whole-cell recordings obtained with pipettes containing high concentration of cytotoxic drugs (vincristine or vinblastine). These results do not lend support to the previously reported association between Pgp expression and volume-sensitive chloride channels, and suggest that a different protein is responsible for this type of chloride channel in K562 cells.
Correlation between expression of the mdr-1 genes (a and b) at the mRNA and protein level and volume-activation of chloride-channels was studied in rat colon cancer CC531 cells by means of RT-PCR, Western blotting and patch clamp, respectively. Three different kinds of cell lines were used: CC531-PAR, CC531-COL and CC531-REV. At the mRNA level, the parental cell line CC531-PAR showed significantly less mdr-1a expression in comparison with CC531-COL, a drug-resistant cell line induced from the parental CC531 cells by growth in the presence of colchicin. The third cell line, CC531-REV, was a spontaneous revertant of the drug-resistant cell line to a drug-sensitive one, but with a maintained level of mdr-1a mRNA. In none of the three cell lines, mdr-1b mRNA could be detected. At the protein level, a clear difference in mdr1 expression between CC531-PAR/REV and CC531-COL was observed. Although the amount of mdr-1a mRNA detected in CC531-REV was comparable to that found in CC531-COL, the amount of mdr-1 encoded protein in CC531-REV was remarkably reduced. In all three cell types, cell swelling activated chloride-currents which could be blocked by NPPB.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Of all the SERCA pumps, SERCA3 was the latest to be described and the least well known. Its primary structure deviates more than usual from the other members of the SERCA family. It is not known whether its remarkably low affinity for Ca2+ (K0.5 > 1 microM) observed upon expression in the COS cell system occurs also in its normal cellular context. SERCA3 is particularly expressed at high levels in different types of blood cells and related cells like platelets, lymphocytes, mast cells and arterial endothelial cells. It is also found in cerebellar Purkinje neurons. The physiological significance of this expression pattern remains unknown.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
An organellar-type of Ca2+ pump formerly detected by means of its phosphoprotein intermediate in platelets and in lymphoid cells, and which runs in acid gels at 97 kDa, is now characterized as sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ATPase 3 (SERCA3). SERCA3 is co-expressed in these cells along with the housekeeping SERCA2b. This conclusion is based on the following observations. 1) Tryptic digestion the phosphoprotein intermediate of SERCA3 expressed in COS cells yields a phosphorylated fragment of about 80 kDa, which can be clearly distinguished from the 57-kDa fragments formed in the SERCA1 and SERCA2 pumps. This 80-kDa fragment comigrates with a similar phosphoprotein fragment previously observed in human platelets (Papp, B., Enyedi, A., Pászty, K., Kovács, T., Sarkadi, B., Gárdos, G., Wuytack, F., and Enouf, J. (1992) Biochem. J. 288, 297-302). 2) An antiserum directed against an NH2-terminal SERCA3-specific peptide (N89) reacts with SERCA3 expressed in COS cells and with the 97-kDa protein in rat platelets and the corresponding protein in human platelets. Likewise an antiserum against the rat SERCA3 terminus (C90) binds to SERCA3 expressed in COS cells and to the 97-kDa band in rat platelets, but it does not recognize the human platelet pump. In conformity with the predicted absence of the T1 tryptic cleavage site in SERCA3, the autophosphorylated aspartyl residue and the COOH-terminal epitope were co-localized on the 80-kDa fragment. 3) The co-expression of nearly equal levels of SERCA3 and SERCA2b messengers in human lymphoblastoid Jurkat cells and in proliferating rat mucosal mast cells was also demonstrated by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction.