CRMP-2 binds to tubulin heterodimers to promote microtubule assembly

Regulated increase in the formation of microtubule arrays is thought to be important for axonal growth. Collapsin response mediator protein-2 (CRMP-2) is a mammalian homologue of UNC-33, mutations in which result in abnormal axon termination. We recently demonstrated that CRMP-2 is critical for axonal differentiation. Here, we identify two activities of CRMP-2: tubulin-heterodimer binding and the promotion of microtubule assembly. CRMP-2 bound tubulin dimers with higher affinity than it bound microtubules. Association of CRMP-2 with microtubules was enhanced by tubulin polymerization in the presence of CRMP-2. The binding property of CRMP-2 with tubulin was apparently distinct from that of Tau, which preferentially bound microtubules. In neurons, overexpression of CRMP-2 promoted axonal growth and branching. A mutant of CRMP-2, lacking the region responsible for microtubule assembly, inhibited axonal growth and branching in a dominant-negative manner. Taken together, our results suggest that CRMP-2 regulates axonal growth and branching as a partner of the tubulin heterodimer, in a different fashion from traditional MAPs.     

The substitution of calcium for magnesium in H+,K+-ATPase catalytic cycle. Evidence for two actions of divalent cations

In order to determine the role of divalent cations in the reaction mechanism of the H+,K+-ATPase, we have substituted calcium for magnesium, which is required by the H+,K+-ATPase for phosphorylation from ATP and from PO4. Calcium was chosen over other divalent cations assayed (barium and manganese) because in the absence of magnesium, calcium activated ATP hydrolysis, generated sufficiently high levels of phosphoenzyme (573 +/- 51 pmol.mg-1) from [gamma-32P]ATP to study dephosphorylation, and inhibited K+-stimulated ATP hydrolysis. The Ca2+-ATPase activity of the H+,K+-ATPase was 40% of the basal Mg2+-ATPase activity. However, the Ca2+,K+-ATPase activity (minus the Ca2+ basal activity) was only 0.7% of the Mg2+,K+-ATPase, indicating that calcium could partially substitute for Mg2+ in activating ATP hydrolysis but not in K+ stimulation of ATP hydrolysis. Approximately 0.1 mM calcium inhibited 50% of the Mg2+-ATPase or Mg2+,K+-ATPase activities. Inhibition of Mg2+,K+-ATPase activity was not competitive with respect to K+. Inhibition by calcium of Mg2+,K+ activity p-nitrophenyl phosphatase activity was competitive with respect to Mg2+ with an apparent Ki of 0.27 mM. Proton transport measured by acridine orange uptake was not detected in the presence of Ca2+ and K+. In the presence of Mg2+ and K+, Ca2+ inhibited proton transport with an apparent affinity similar to the inhibition of the Mg2+, K+-ATPase activity. The site of calcium inhibition was on the exterior of the vesicle. These results suggest that calcium activates basal turnover and inhibits K+ stimulation of the H+,K+-ATPase by binding at a cytosolic divalent cation site. The pseudo-first order rate constant for phosphoenzyme formation from 5 microM [gamma-32P]ATP was at least 22 times slower in the presence of calcium (0.015 s-1) than magnesium (greater than 0.310 s-1). The Ca.EP (phosphoenzyme formed in the presence of Ca2+) formed dephosphorylated four to five times more slowly that the Mg.EP (phosphoenzyme formed in the presence of Mg2+) in the presence of 8 mm trans-1,2-diaminocyclohexane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (CDTA) or 250 microM ATP. Approximately 10% of the Ca.EP formed was sensitive to a 100 mM KCl chase compared with greater than 85% of the Mg.EP. By comparing the transient kinetics of the phosphoenzyme formed in the presence of magnesium (Mg.EP) and calcium (Ca.EP), we found two actions of divalent cations on dephosphorylation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Magnesium promotes structural integrity and conformational switching action of a calcium sensor protein

Calcium binding proteins carry out various signal transduction processes upon binding to Ca2+. In general, these proteins perform their functions in a high background of Mg2+. Here, we report the role of Mg2+ on a calcium sensor protein from Entamoeba histolytica (EhCaBP), containing four Ca2+-binding sites. Mg2+-bound EhCaBP exists as a monomer with a conformation different from that of the holo- and apo-EhCaBP. NMR and biophysical data on EhCaBP demonstrate that Mg2+ stabilizes the closed conformation of the apo form. In the presence of Mg2+, the partially collapsed apo-EhCaBP gains stability and structural integrity. Mg2+ binds to only 3 out of 4 calcium binding sites in EhCaBP. The Ca2+ binding affinity and cooperativity of the conformational switching from the "closed" to the "open" state is significantly modulated by the presence of Mg2+. This fine-tuning of the Ca2+ concentration to switch its conformation is essential for CaBPs to carry out the signal transduction process efficiently.     

The effect of Mg2+ on hepatic microsomal Ca2+ and Sr2+ transport

The ATP-dependent uptake of Ca2+ by rat liver microsomal fraction is dependent upon Mg2+. Studies of the Mg2+ requirement of the underlying microsomal Ca2+-ATPase have been hampered by the presence of a large basal Mg2+-ATPase activity. We have examined the effect of various Mg2+ concentrations on Mg2+-ATPase activity, Ca2+ uptake, Ca2+-ATPase activity and microsomal phosphoprotein formation. Both Mg2+-ATPase activity and Ca2+ uptake were markedly stimulated by increasing Mg2+ concentration. However, the Ca2+-ATPase activity, measured concomitantly with Ca2+ uptake, was apparently unaffected by changes in the Mg2+ concentration. In order to examine the apparent paradox of Mg2+ stimulation of Ca2+ uptake but not of Ca2+-ATPase activity, we examined the formation of the Ca2+-ATPase phosphoenzyme intermediate and formation of a Mg2+-dependent phosphoprotein, which we have proposed to be an attribute of the Mg2+-ATPase activity. We found that Ca2+ apparently inhibited formation of the Mg2+-dependent phosphoprotein both in the absence and presence of exogenous Mg2+. This suggests that Ca2+ may inhibit (at least partially) the Mg2+-ATPase activity. However, inclusion of the Ca2+ inhibition of Mg2+-ATPase activity in the calculation of Ca2+-ATPase activity reveals that this effect is insufficient to totally account for the stimulation of Ca2+ uptake by Mg2+. This suggests that Mg2+, in addition to stimulation of Ca2+-ATPase activity, may have a direct stimulatory effect on Ca2+ uptake in an as yet undefined fashion. In an effort to further examine the effect of Mg2+ on the microsomal Ca2+ transport system of rat liver, the interaction of this system with Sr2+ was examined. Sr2+ was sequestered into an A23187-releasable space in an ATP-dependent manner by rat liver microsomal fraction. The uptake of Sr2+ was similar to that of Ca2+ in terms of both rate and extent. A Sr2+-dependent ATPase activity was associated with the Sr2+ uptake. Sr2+ promoted formation of a phosphoprotein which was hydroxylamine-labile and base-labile. This phosphoprotein was indistinguishable from the Ca2+-dependent ATPase phosphoenzyme intermediate. Sr2+ uptake was markedly stimulated by exogenous Mg2+, but the Sr2+-dependent ATPase activity was unaffected by increasing Mg2+ concentrations. Sr2+ uptake and Sr2+-dependent ATPase activity were concomitantly inhibited by sodium vanadate. In contrast to Ca2+, Sr2+ had no effect on Mg2+-dependent phosphoprotein formation. Taken together, these data indicate that Mg2+ stimulated Ca2+ and Sr2+ transport by increasing the Ca2+ (Sr2+)/ATP ratio.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Calmodulin-mediated regulation of calcium transport and (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-activated ATPase activity in isolated cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum

A severalfold activation of calcium transport and (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-activated ATPase activity by micromolar concentrations of calmodulin was observed in sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles obtained from canine ventricles. This activation was seen in the presence of 120 mM KCl. The ratio of moles of calcium transported per mol of ATP hydrolyzed remained at about 0.75 when calcium transport and (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-activated ATPase activity were measured in the presence and absence of calmodulin. Thus, the efficiency of the calcium transport process did not change. Stimulation of calcium transport by calmodulin involves the phosphorylation of one or more proteins. The major 32P-labeled protein, as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate slab gel electrophoresis, was the 22,000-dalton protein called phospholamban. The Ca2+ concentration dependency of calmodulin-stimulated microsomal phosphorylation corresponded to that of calmodulin-stimulated (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-activated ATPase activity. Proteins of 11,000 and 6,000 daltons and other proteins were labeled to a lesser extent. A similar phosphorylation pattern was obtained when microsomes were incubated with cAMP-dependent protein kinase and ethylene glycol bis(beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid. Phosphorylation produced by added cAMP-dependent protein kinase and calmodulin was additive. These studies provided further evidence for Ca2+-dependent regulation of calcium transport by calmodulin in sarcoplasmic reticulum that could play a role in the beat-to-beat regulation of cardiac relaxation in the intact heart.     

Characteristics of sarcoplasmic reticulum from normal and denervated rat skeletal muscle.

Denervation of rat skeletal muscle produces after 14 days a decrease in Ca2+ uptake of a heterogeneous population of sarcoplasmic-reticulum vesicles, when measured in the presence of oxalate. The Mg2+-dependent ATPase (Ca2+-independent) activity increased after the same period and the Ca2+ + Mg2+-dependent ATPase activity decreased. Concomitant with these changes, there was an increase in vesicle size and calcium content. The observations are discussed in terms of changes in altered membrane structure, manifested in the shift of the equilibrium of the ATPase from an enzyme involved in calcium transport to a phosphoenzyme giving rise to an increase in the Mg2+-dependent ATPase activity.     

Crystal structure of Mg2+- and Ca2+-bound Gla domain of factor IX complexed with binding protein

Factor IX is an indispensable protein required in the blood coagulation cascade. It binds to the surface of phospholipid membrane by means of a gamma-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla) domain situated at the N terminus. Recently, we showed that physiological concentrations of Mg2+ ions affect the native conformation of the Gla domain and in doing so augment the biological activity of factor IXa and binding affinity with its binding protein even in the presence of Ca2+ ions. Here we report on the crystal structures of the Mg2+/Ca2+-bound and Ca2+-bound (Mg2+-free) factor IX Gla domain (IXGD1-46) in complex with its binding protein (IX-bp) at 1.55 and 1.80 A resolutions, respectively. Three Mg2+ and five Ca2+ ions were bound in the Mg2+/Ca2+-bound IXGD1-46, and the Mg2+ ions were replaced by Ca2+ ions in Mg2+-free IXGD1-46. Comparison of Mg2+/Ca2+-bound with Ca2+-bound structures of the complexes showed that Mg2+ ion, which formed a bridge between IXGD1-46 and IX-bp, forced IXGD1-46 to rotate 4 degrees relative to IX-bp and hence might be the cause of a more tight interaction between the molecules than in the case of the Mg2+-free structure. The results clearly suggest that Mg2+ ions are required to maintain native conformation and in vivo function of factor IX Gla domain during blood coagulation.     

CRMP-2 regulates polarized Numb-mediated endocytosis for axon growth

Axon growth during neural development is highly dependent on both cytoskeletal re-organization and polarized membrane trafficking. Previously, we demonstrated that collapsin response mediator protein-2 (CRMP-2) is critical for specifying axon/dendrite fate and axon growth in cultured hippocampal neurons, possibly by interacting with tubulin heterodimers and promoting microtubule assembly. Here, we identify Numb as a CRMP-2-interacting protein. Numb has been shown to interact with alpha-adaptin and to be involved in endocytosis. We found that Numb was associated with L1, a neuronal cell adhesion molecule that is endocytosed and recycled at the growth cone, where CRMP-2 and Numb were colocalized. Furthermore, expression of dominant-negative CRMP-2 mutants or knockdown of CRMP-2 message with small-interfering (si) RNA inhibited endocytosis of L1 at axonal growth cones and suppressed axon growth. These results suggest that in addition to regulating microtubule assembly, CRMP-2 is involved in polarized Numb-mediated endocytosis of proteins such as L1.     

Reversal of the sarcoplasmic reticulum ATPase cycle by substituting various cations for magnesium. Phosphorylation and ATP synthesis when Ca2+ replaces Mg2+

Reversal of the cycle of sarcoplasmic reticulum ATPase starts from ATPase phosphorylation by Pi, in the presence of Mg2+, and leads to ATP synthesis. We show here that ATP can also be synthesized when Ca2+ replaces Mg2+. In the absence of a calcium gradient and in the presence of dimethyl sulfoxide, ATPase phosphorylation from Pi and Ca2+ led to the formation of an unstable phosphoenzyme. This instability was due to a competition between the phosphorylation reaction induced by Pi and Ca2+ and the transition induced by Ca2+ binding to the transport sites, which led to a conformation that could not be phosphorylated from Pi. Dimethyl sulfoxide and low temperature stabilized the calcium phosphoenzyme, which under appropriate conditions, subsequently reacted with ADP to synthesize ATP. Substitution of Co2+, Mn2+, Cd2+, or Ni2+ for Mg2+ induced ATPase phosphorylation from Pi, giving phosphoenzymes of various stabilities. However, substitution of Ba2+, Sr2+, or Cr3+ produced no detectable phosphoenzymes, under the same experimental conditions. Our results show that ATPase phosphorylation from Pi, like its phosphorylation from ATP, does not have a strict specificity for magnesium.     

Evidence that collapsin response mediator protein-2 is involved in the dynamics of microtubules

Collapsin response mediator protein-2 (CRMP-2) is a member of the CRMP/TOAD/Ulip/DRP family of cytosolic phosphoproteins involved in neuronal differentiation and axonal guidance. CRMP-2 mediates the intracellular response to collapsin 1/semaphorin 3A, a repulsive extracellular guidance cue for axonal outgrowth. The mutation of UNC-33, a Caenorhabditis elegans homolog of CRMP-2, results in abnormality of microtubules in neurites, but the mechanism of CRMP-2 action remains to be clarified. Here, we report that overexpression of human CRMP-2 in Neuro2a cells, a mouse neuroblastoma cell line, results in blebbing of the cytoplasm. Furthermore, some cells exhibited intranuclear inclusions, which were labeled with antibodies to CRMP-2 and tubulin. CRMP-2 was found to be associated with microtubule bundles in the spindles at the metaphase and in the midbodies at the late telophase in mitotic cells. Thus, it is most likely that failure of complete disassembly of the spindle microtubules during mitosis is responsible for the formation of these intranuclear inclusions. We suggest that CRMP-2 functions by regulating the dynamics of microtubules.     

Influence of Ca2+ and Mg2+ on the thermotropic behaviour and permeability properties of liposomes prepared from dimyristoyl phosphatidylglycerol and mixtures of dimyristoyl phosphatidylglycerol and dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine.

Calorimetric experiments showed a marked effect of Ca2+ and Mg2+ on the thermotropic behaviour of dimyristoyl phosphatidylglycerol. 2. Concentrations of Ca2+ and Mg2+ lower than 1 ion to 2 molecules of phosphatidylglycerol produced a shift of the phase transition to higher temperatures and an increase in the enthalpy change which is consistent with a closer packing of the lipid molecules in the liposomes. 3. Above the 1:2 ratio, freeze-fracture electron microscopy demonstrated typical "crystal" structures both in the presence of Ca2+ and Mg2+. In the presence of Mg2+ a metastable behaviour was noticed in the calorimetric experiments. 4. A Ca2+- and Mg2+-induced shift in the transition temperature and an increase in the enthalpy change was also observed in a 1:1 mixture of dimyristoyl phosphatidylglycerol and dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine. However, these mixed samples remained liposomal in structure at any concentration of the divalent ions. 5. Liposomes prepared from a 1:1 mixture of dimyristoyl phosphatidylglycerol and dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine in the absence of divalent cations are permeable in the range 10-50 degrees C. Bilayers of mixtures neutralized by Ca2+ or Mg2+ were demonstrated to be completely impermeable to K+, except in the vicinity of the phase transition. 6. The leak of ions from liposomes of a 1:1 mixture of dimyristoyl phosphatidylglycerol and dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine in the vicinity of the phase transition temperature was considerably less in the presence of Ca2+ than in the presence of Mg2+. 7. It is concluded that there is a correlation between the calorimetric data and the permeability properties of dimyristoyl phosphatidylglycerol-containing bilayers with respect to the influence of Ca2+ and Mg2+.     

Effects of Mg2+ on calcium accumulation by two fractions of sarcoplasmic reticulum from rabbit skeletal muscle

Calcium accumulation by two fractions of sarcoplasmic reticulum presumably derived from longitudinal tubules (light vesicles) and terminal cisternae (heavy vesicles) was examined radiochemically in the presence of various free Mg2+ concentrations. Both fractions of sarcoplasmic reticulum exhibited a Mg2+-dependent increase in phosphate-supported calcium uptake velocity, though half-maximal velocity in heavy vesicles occurred at a much higher free Mg2+ concentration than that in light vesicles (i.e., approx. 0.90 mM vs. approx. 0.02 mM Mg2+). Calcium uptake velocity in light vesicles correlated with Ca2+-dependent ATPase activity, suggesting that Mg2+ stimulated the calcium pump. Calcium uptake velocity in heavy vesicles did not correlate with Ca2+-dependent ATPase activity, although a Mg2+-dependent increase in calcium influx was observed. Thus, Mg2+ may increase the coupling of ATP hydrolysis to calcium transport in heavy vesicles. Analyses of calcium sequestration (in the absence of phosphate) showed a similar trend in that elevation of Mg2+ from 0.07 to 5 mM stimulated calcium sequestration in heavy vesicles much more than in light vesicles. This difference between the two fractions of sarcoplasmic reticulum was not explained by phosphoenzyme (EP) level or distribution. Analyses of calcium uptake, Ca2+-dependent ATPase activity, and unidirectional calcium flux in the presence of approx. 0.4 mM Mg2+ suggested that ruthenium red (0.5 microM) can also increase the coupling of ATP hydrolysis to calcium transport in heavy vesicles, with no effect in light vesicles. These functional differences between light and heavy vesicles suggest that calcium transport in terminal cisternae is regulated differently from that in longitudinal tubules.     

Calcium binding and ATPase activities of heart sarcolemma.

Rat heart sarcolemma prepared by the hypotonic shock-LiBr treatment method was found to bind calcium by a concentration-dependent and saturable process. The calcium binding values at 50 muM and 1.25 mM Ca2+ concentrations were about 30 and 250 nmoles/mg protein, respectively. Both Mg2+ and ATP inhibited calcium binding and no evidence for energy-linked calcium binding with sarcolemmn was found. z sn the other hand, maximal ATP hydrolysis by heart sarcolemma was seen at 4 mM Mg2+ or Ca2+. The Ca2+-ATPase LEO) of Ca2+ failed to stimulate ATP hydrolysis in the presence of various concentrations of Mg-ATP. These results indicate the absence of a "calcium pump" mechanism in the heart sarcolemmal membrane preparation employed in this study.     

Distance distributions and anisotropy decays of troponin C and its complex with troponin I

We used frequency domain measurements of fluorescence resonance energy transfer to recover the distribution of distances between Met 25 and Cys 98 in rabbit skeletal troponin C. These residues were labeled with dansylaziridine as energy donor and 5-(iodoacetamido)eosin as acceptor and are located on the N- and C-terminal lobes of the two-domain protein, respectively. We developed a procedure to correct for the fraction of the sample that was incompletely labeled with the acceptor independent of chemical data. At pH 7.5 and in the presence of Mg2+, the mean distance was near 15 A with a half-width of the distribution of 15 A; when Mg2+ was replaced by Ca2+, the mean distance increased to 22 A with a decrease in the half-width by 4 A. Similar but less pronounced differences in the mean distance and half-width between samples containing Mg2+ and Ca2+ were also observed with troponin C complexed to troponin I. The results suggest that the conformation of troponin C is altered by Ca2+ binding to the Ca(2+)-specific sites and displacing bound Mg2+ at the Ca2+/Mg2+ sites. This alteration may play an important role in Ca2+ signaling in muscle. At pH 7.5, the anisotropy decays of the donor-labeled troponin C showed two components, with the long rotational correlation time (12 ns) reflecting the overall motion of the protein. When the pH was lowered from 7.5 to 5.2, the mean distribution distance of apotroponin C increased from 22 to 32 A and the half-width decreased by a factor of 2 from 13 to 7 A. The long correlation time of apotroponin C increased to 19 ns at the acidic pH. These results are discussed in terms of a model in which skeletal troponin C is a dimer at low pH and enable comparison of the solution conformation of the protein at neutral pH with a crystal structure obtained at pH 5.2. While the conformation of the monomeric unit of troponin C dimer at pH 5.2 is extended and consistent with the crystal structure, the conformation at neutral pH is likely more compact than the crystal structure predicts.     

Calcium-stressed erythrocyte membrane structure and function for assessing glipizide effects on transglutaminase activation.

A proposed mechanism of action of hypoglycemic sulfonylureas is the prevention of transglutaminase-mediated endocytosis of insulin receptors. When activated by high levels of intracellular calcium, transglutaminase (TG) catalyzes the cross-linking of intracellular proteins to membrane proteins and modifies membrane structure and function. This study examined the effects of the sulfonylurea glipizide on TG activity in an erythrocyte model by assessing various membrane ATPase activities and high molecular weight protein polymer formation using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. To activate TG, red blood cells were exposed to 1 mM intracellular Ca2+ using 10(-5) M Ca2(+)-ionophore A23187. In Ca2(+)-stressed cells, calmodulin stimulation (0.1 micrograms/ml) of (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase was decreased to 21.2% of control activity. Increasing concentrations of calmodulin (0.1-3.0 micrograms/ml) could not overcome the inhibitory effects of TG on the (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase in Ca2(+)-stressed cells with or without glipizide. An increased Ca2+ sensitivity of calmodulin-independent (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase due to Ca2+ stress was seen in all Ca2(+)-stressed cells even in the presence of 1 mM glipizide. Structural changes were observed in the form of high molecular weight polymer formation. Cells exposed to high Ca2+ and glipizide (3 x 10(-5)-10(-3) M) showed no improvement in ATPase activity or protection from protein cross-linking compared with cells without the drug. We conclude that in this model glipizide fails to inhibit TG induced protein cross-linking and does not prevent the decrease in (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase activation in Ca2(+)-stressed red blood cells. This finding considerably weakens the proposal that sulfonylureas act by inhibiting TG activity.     

Conformational coupling of Mg2+ and Ca2+ on the three-state folding of calexcitin B

Calexcitin (CE) is a calcium sensor protein that has been implicated in associative learning through the Ca(2+)-dependent inhibition of K(+) channels and activation of ryanodine receptors. CE(B), the major CE variant, was identified as a member of the sarcoplasmic Ca(2+) binding protein family: proteins that can bind both Ca(2+) and Mg(2+). We have now determined the intrinsic Ca(2+) and Mg(2+) binding affinities of CE(B) and investigated their interplay on the folding and structure of CE(B). We find that urea denaturation of CE(B) displays a three-state unfolding transition consistent with the presence of two structural domains. Through a combination of spectroscopic and denaturation studies we find that one domain likely possesses molten globule structure and contains a mixed Ca(2+)/Mg(2+) binding site and a Ca(2+) binding site with weak Mg(2+) antagonism. Furthermore, ion binding to the putative molten globule domain induces native structure formation. The other domain contains a single Ca(2+)-specific binding site and has native structure, even in the absence of ion binding. Ca(2+) binding to CE(B) induces the formation of a recessed hydrophobic pocket. On the basis of measured ion binding affinities and intracellular ion concentrations, it appears that Mg(2+)-CE(B) represents the resting state and Ca(2+)-CE(B) corresponds to the active state, under physiological conditions.     

An Atypical Role for Collapsin Response Mediator Protein 2 (CRMP-2) in Neurotransmitter Release via Interaction with Presynaptic Voltage-gated Calcium Channels

Collapsin response mediator proteins (CRMPs) specify axon/dendrite fate and axonal growth of neurons through protein-protein interactions. Their functions in presynaptic biology remain unknown. Here, we identify the presynaptic N-type Ca²⁺ channel (CaV2.2) as a CRMP-2-interacting protein. CRMP-2 binds directly to CaV2.2 in two regions: the channel domain I-II intracellular loop and the distal C terminus. Both proteins co-localize within presynaptic sites in hippocampal neurons. Overexpression in hippocampal neurons of a CRMP-2 protein fused to enhanced green fluorescent protein caused a significant increase in Ca²⁺ channel current density, whereas lentivirus-mediated CRMP-2 knockdown abolished this effect. Interestingly, the increase in Ca²⁺ current density was not due to a change in channel gating. Rather, cell surface biotinylation studies showed an increased number of CaV2.2 at the cell surface in CRMP-2-overexpressing neurons. These neurons also exhibited a significant increase in vesicular release in response to a depolarizing stimulus. Depolarization of CRMP-2-enhanced green fluorescent protein-overexpressing neurons elicited a significant increase in release of glutamate compared with control neurons. Toxin block of Ca²⁺ entry via CaV2.2 abolished this stimulated release. Thus, the CRMP-2-Ca²⁺ channel interaction represents a novel mechanism for modulation of Ca²⁺ influx into nerve terminals and, hence, of synaptic strength.     

Cation and sequence effects on stability of intermolecular pyrimidine-purine-purine triplex.

A differential effect is found of various bivalent cations (Ba2+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Cd2+, Co2+, Mn2+, Ni2+, Zn2+ and Hg2+) on stability of intermolecular Py-Pu-Pu triplex with different sequence of base triads. Ca2+, Mg2+, Cd2+, Co2+, Mn2+, Ni2+ and Zn2+ do stabilize the d(C)n d(G)n d(G)n triplex whereas Ba2+ and Hg2+ do not. Ba2+, Ca2+, Mg2+ and Hg2+ destabilize the d(TC)n d(GA)n d(AG)n triplex whereas Cd2+, Co2+, Mn2+, Ni2+ and Zn2+ stabilize it. The complexes we observe are rather stable because they do not dissociate during time of gel electrophoresis in the co-migration experiments. Chemical probing experiments with dimethyl sulfate as a probe indicate that an arbitrary homopurine-homopyrimidine sequence forms triplex with corresponding purine oligonucleotide in the presence of Mn2+ or Zn2+, but not Mg2+. In the complex the purine oligonucleotide has antiparallel orientation with respect to the purine strand of the duplex. Specifically, we have shown the formation of the Py-Pu-Pu triplex in a fragment of human papilloma virus HPV-16 in the presence of Mn2+.     

The effect of di- and trivalent cations on the phosphorylation of the Ca2+-ATPase in sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles

The steady-state level of phosphorylated intermediate (EP) of (Mg2+ + Ca2+)-ATPase is influenced by magnesium and calcium concentration in the Ca2+-transporting system of sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles. At micromolar [Ca2+], the level of EP is increased by Mg2+, depending on its concentration. The effect of Mg2+ is less pronounced at lower Ca2+ concentration. At low [Mg2+], the EP formation increases at millimolar concentrations of Ca2+, suggesting, in accordance with earlier results, that the substrate may also be CaATP instead of MgATP. LaCl3 (1 mM) enhanced the EP formation at low Mg2+ concentration. Surprisingly, 10 microM LaCl3 caused a marked decrease in EP formation at high [Mg2+] and had little or no effect on the level of EP at low Mg2+ concentration. The inducing effect of 1 mM LaCl3 on the EP formation at low [Mg2+] and the inhibitory effect of 10 microM LaCl3 at high Mg2+ concentration draw attention to the involvement of divalent cation-binding sites with different affinity in phosphorylation and to the particular role of Mg2+ in the EP formation and EP decomposition.