Enhancement of calcium signalling dynamics and stability by delayed modulation of the plasma-membrane calcium-ATPase in human T cells

Modulation of plasma membrane calcium-ATPase activity by local calcium microdomains near CRAC channels in human T cells

The spatial distribution of Ca(2+) signalling molecules is critical for establishing specific interactions that control Ca(2+) signal generation and transduction. In many cells, close physical coupling of Ca(2+) channels and their targets enables precise and robust activation of effector molecules through local [Ca(2+)](i) elevation in microdomains. In T cells, the plasma membrane Ca(2+)-ATPase (PMCA) is a major target of Ca(2+) influx through Ca(2+) release-activated Ca(2+) (CRAC) channels. Elevation of [Ca(2+)](i) slowly modulates pump activity to ensure the stability and enhance the dynamic nature of Ca(2+) signals. In this study we probed the functional organization of PMCA and CRAC channels in T cells by manipulating Ca(2+) microdomains near CRAC channels and measuring the resultant modulation of PMCAs. The amplitude and spatial extent of microdomains was increased by elevating the rate of Ca(2+) entry, either by raising extracellular [Ca(2+)], by increasing the activity of CRAC channels with 2-aminoethoxyborane (2-APB), or by hyperpolarizing the plasma membrane. Surprisingly, doubling the rate of Ca(2+) influx does not further increase global [Ca(2+)](i) in a substantial fraction of cells, due to a compensatory increase in PMCA activity. The enhancement of PMCA activity without changes in global [Ca(2+)](i) suggests that local [Ca(2+)](i) microdomains near CRAC channels effectively promote PMCA modulation. These results reveal an intimate functional association between CRAC channels and Ca(2+) pumps in the plasma membrane which may play an important role in governing the time course and magnitude of Ca(2+) signals in T cells.

Isoform-specific distribution of the plasma membrane Ca2+ ATPase in the rat brain

Regulation of cytoplasmic calcium is crucial both for proper neuronal function and cell survival. The concentration of Ca2+ in cytoplasm of a neuron at rest is 10,000 times lower than in the extracellular space, pointing to the importance of the transporters that extrude intracellular Ca2+. The family of plasma membrane calcium-dependent ATPases (PMCAs) represent a major component of the Ca2+ regulatory system. However, little information is available on the regional and cellular distribution of these calcium pumps. We used immunohistochemistry to investigate the distribution of each of the four PMCA isoforms (PMCA1-4) in the rat brain. Each isoform exhibited a remarkably precise and distinct pattern of distribution. In many cases, PMCA isoforms in a single brain structure were differentially expressed within different classes of neurons, and within different subcellular compartments. These data show that each isoform is independently organized and suggest that PMCAs may play a more complex role in calcium homeostasis than generally recognized.

A model for the activation of plasma membrane calcium pump isoform 4b by calmodulin

Overexpression of the plasma membrane calcium pump (PMCA) isoform 4b by means of the baculovirus system enabled us, for the first time, to study the kinetics of calmodulin binding to this pump. This was done by stopped-flow fluorescence measurements using 2-chloro-(amino-Lys(75))-[6-[4-(N,N-diethylamino)phenyl]-1,3,5-triazin-4-yl]calmodulin (TA-calmodulin). Upon mixing with PMCA, the fluorescence of TA-calmodulin changed along a biphasic curve: a rapid and small increase in fluorescence was followed by a slow and large decrease that lasted about 100 s. The experiment was done at several PMCA concentrations. Global fitting nonlinear regression analysis of these results led to a model in which PMCA is present in two forms: a closed conformation and an open conformation. Calmodulin reacts with both conformations but reacts faster and with higher affinity for the open conformation. Measurements of the ATPase activity of PMCA under similar conditions revealed that the open form has higher ATPase activity than the closed one. Contrasting with the reaction with the whole pump, TA-calmodulin reacted rapidly (in about 2 s) with a calmodulin-binding peptide made after the sequence of the calmodulin-binding domain of PMCA (C28). Results of TA-calmodulin binding to C28 are explained by a simpler model, in which only an open conformation exists.

Potent inhibition of Ca2+ release-activated Ca2+ channels and T-lymphocyte activation by the pyrazole derivative BTP2

Ca2+ entry through store-operated Ca2+release-activated Ca2+ (CRAC) channels is essential for T-cell activation and proliferation. Recently, it has been shown that 3,5-bistrifluoromethyl pyrazole (BTP) derivatives are specific inhibitors of Ca2+-dependent transcriptional activity in T-cells (Trevillyan, J. M., Chiou, X. G., Chen, Y. W., Ballaron, S. J., Sheets, M. P., Smith, M. L., Wiedeman, P. E., Warrior, U., Wilkins, J., Gubbins, E. J., Gagne, G. D., Fagerland, J., Carter, G. W., Luly, J. R., Mollison, K. W., and Djuric, S. W. (2001) J. Biol. Chem. 276, 48118-48126). Whereas inhibition of Ca2+ signals was reported for BTP2 (Ishikawa, J., Ohga, K., Yoshino, T., Takezawa, R., Ichikawa, A., Kubota, H., and Yamada, T. (2003) J. Immunol. 170, 4441-4449), it was not found for BTP3 (Chen, Y., Smith, M. L., Chiou, G. X., Ballaron, S., Sheets, M. P., Gubbins, E., Warrior, U., Wilkins, J., Surowy, C., Nakane, M., Carter, G. W., Trevillyan, J. M., Mollison, K., and Djuric, S. W. (2002) Cell. Immunol. 220, 134-142). We show that BTP2 specifically inhibits CRAC channels in T-cells with an IC(50) of approximately 10 nm. It does not interfere with other mechanisms important for Ca2+ signals in T-cells, including Ca2+ pumps, mitochondrial Ca2+ signaling, endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ release, and K+ channels. BTP2 inhibits Ca2+ signals in peripheral blood T-lymphocytes (in particular in CD4+ T-cells) and in human Jurkat T-cells. Inhibition of Ca2+ signals is independent of the stimulation method as Ca2+ entry was blocked following stimulation with anti-CD3, which activates the T-cell receptor, and also following stimulation with thapsigargin or inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate. BTP2 also inhibited Ca2+-dependent gene expression (interleukins 2 and 5 and interferon gamma) and proliferation of T-lymphocytes with similar IC(50) values. BTP2 is the first potent and specific inhibitor of CRAC channels in primary T-lymphocytes. The inhibition of CRAC channels as well as Ca2+-dependent signal transduction with similar IC(50) values in T-lymphocytes emphasizes the importance of CRAC channel activity during T-cell activation. Furthermore, BTP2 could prove to be a tool to finally unmask the molecular identity of CRAC channels.

The plasma membrane calcium-ATPase as a major mechanism for intracellular calcium regulation in neurones from the rat superior cervical ganglion

Patch-clamp recording combined with indo-l measurement of free intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) was used to determine the homeostatic systems involved in the maintenance of resting [Ca2+]I and in the clearance of Ca2+ transients following activation of voltage-gated Ca2+ channels in neurones cultured from rat superior cervical ganglion (SCG). The Ca2+ binding ratio was estimated to be approximately 500 at 100 nM, decreasing to approximately 250 at [Ca2+]i approximately 1 pM, and to involve at least two buffering systems with different affinities for Ca2+. Removal of extracellular Ca2+ led to a decrease in[Ca2+]i that was mimicked by the addition of La3+, and was more pronounced after inhibition of the endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ uptake system (SERCA). Inhibition of the plasma membrane Ca2+ pump (PMCA) by extracellular allkalinisation (pH 9) or intracellular carboxyeosin both increased resting [Ca2+]i and prolonged the recovery of Ca2+ transients at peak [Ca2+]i C 500 nM. For [Ca2+]i loads >500 nM, recovery showed an additional plateau phase that was abolished i nm-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP) or on omitting intracellular Na+. Inhibition of the plasma membrane Na+ -Ca2+ exchanger (NCX) and of SERCA had a small but significant additional effect on the rate of decay of these larger Ca2+ transients. In conclusion, resting [Ca2+]i is maintained by passive Ca2+ influx and regulated by a large Ca2+ buffering system, Ca2+ extrusion via a PMCA and Ca2+ transport from the intracellular stores. PMCA is also the principal Ca2+ extrusion system at low Ca2+ loads, with additional participation of the NCX and intracellular organelles at high [Ca2+]i.

CRAC channels: activation, permeation, and the search for a molecular identity

The Ca2+ release-activated Ca2+ (CRAC) channel is a highly Ca2+-selective store-operated channel that is expressed in T lymphocytes, mast cells, and other hematopoietic cells. In T cells, CRAC channels are essential for generating the prolonged intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+](i)) elevation required for the expression of T-cell activation genes. Here we review recent work addressing CRAC channel regulation, pore properties, and the search for CRAC channel genes. Of the current models for CRAC current (I(CRAC)) activation, several new studies argue against a conformational coupling mechanism in which IP(3) receptors communicate store depletion to CRAC channels through direct physical interaction. The study of CRAC channels has been complicated by the fact that they lose activity in the absence of extracellular Ca2+. Attempts to maintain current size by removing intracellular Mg2+ have been found to unmask Mg2+-inhibited cation (MIC/MagNuM/TRPM7) channels, which have been mistaken in several studies for the CRAC channel. Recent studies under conditions that prevent MIC activation reveal that CRAC channels use high-affinity binding of Ca2+ in the pore to achieve high Ca2+ selectivity but have a surprisingly low conductance for both Ca2+ (approximately 10fS) and Na+ (approximately 0.2pS). Pore properties provide a unique fingerprint that provides a stringent test for potential CRAC channel genes and suggest models for the ion selectivity mechanism.

Differential tyrosine phosphorylation of plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPase and regulation of calcium pump activity by carbachol and bradykinin

We investigated the effects of thapsigargin (TG), bradykinin (BK), and carbachol (CCh) on Ca(2+) entry via endogenous channels in human embryonic kidney BKR21 cells. After depletion of Ca(2+) stores by either TG, BK, or CCh, the addition of Ca(2+) gave a much larger rise in Ca(2+) levels in CCh-treated and TG-treated cells than in cells treated with BK. However, in experiments performed with Ba(2+), a cation not pumped by Ca(2+)-ATPases, only a modest difference between CCh- and BK-stimulated Ba(2+) entry levels was observed, suggesting that the large difference in the Ca(2+) response is mediated by a differential regulation of Ca(2+) pump activity by CCh and BK. This hypothesis is supported by the finding that when Ca(2+) is removed during the stable, CCh-induced Ca(2+) plateau phase, the decline of cytosolic Ca(2+) is much faster in the absence of CCh than in its presence. In addition, if Ca(2+) is released from a caged Ca(2+) compound after a UV pulse, the resulting Ca(2+) peak is much larger in the presence of CCh than in its absence. Thus, the large increase in Ca(2+) levels observed with CCh results from both the activation of Ca(2+) entry pathways and the inhibition of Ca(2+) pump activity. In contrast, BK has the opposite effect on Ca(2+) pump activity. If Ca(2+) is released from a caged Ca(2+) compound, the resulting Ca(2+) peak is much smaller in the presence of BK than in its absence. An investigation of tyrosine phosphorylation levels of the plasma membrane Ca(2+)-ATPase (PMCA) demonstrated that CCh stimulates an increase in tyrosine phosphorylation levels, which has been reported to inhibit Ca(2+) pump activity, whereas in contrast, BK stimulates a reduction of PMCA tyrosine phosphorylation levels. Thus, BK and CCh have a differential effect both on Ca(2+) pump activity and on tyrosine phosphorylation levels of the PMCA.