Ultrastructural localization of calsequestrin in rat skeletal muscle by immunoferritin labeling of ultrathin frozen sections

Calsequestrin: a well-known but curious protein in skeletal muscle

Calsequestrin (CASQ) was discovered in rabbit skeletal muscle tissues in 1971 and has been considered simply a passive Ca²⁺-buffering protein in the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) that provides Ca²⁺ ions for various Ca²⁺ signals. For the past three decades, physiologists, biochemists, and structural biologists have examined the roles of the skeletal muscle type of CASQ (CASQ1) in skeletal muscle and revealed that CASQ1 has various important functions as (1) a major Ca²⁺-buffering protein to maintain the SR with a suitable amount of Ca²⁺ at each moment, (2) a dynamic Ca²⁺ sensor in the SR that regulates Ca²⁺ release from the SR to the cytosol, (3) a structural regulator for the proper formation of terminal cisternae, (4) a reverse-directional regulator of extracellular Ca²⁺ entries, and (5) a cause of human skeletal muscle diseases. This review is focused on understanding these functions of CASQ1 in the physiological or pathophysiological status of skeletal muscle.

The relationship between form and function throughout the history of excitation-contraction coupling

Franzini-Armstrong reviews the development of the excitation–contraction coupling field over time.

The concept of excitation–contraction coupling is almost as old as Journal of General Physiology. It was understood as early as the 1940s that a series of stereotyped events is responsible for the rapid contraction response of muscle fibers to an initial electrical event at the surface. These early developments, now lost in what seems to be the far past for most young investigators, have provided an endless source of experimental approaches. In this Milestone in Physiology, I describe in detail the experiments and concepts that introduced and established the field of excitation–contraction coupling in skeletal muscle. More recent advances are presented in an abbreviated form, as readers are likely to be familiar with recent work in the field.

Differential effect of calsequestrin ablation on structure and function of fast and slow skeletal muscle fibers

We compared structure and function of EDL and Soleus muscles in adult (4–6 m) mice lacking both Calsequestrin (CASQ) isoforms, the main SR Ca²⁺-binding proteins. Lack of CASQ induced ultrastructural alterations in ~30% of Soleus fibers, but not in EDL. Twitch time parameters were prolonged in both muscles, although tension was not reduced. However, when stimulated for 2 sec at 100 hz, Soleus was able to sustain contraction, while in EDL active tension declined by 70–80%. The results presented in this paper unmask a differential effect of CASQ1&2 ablation in fast versus slow fibers. CASQ is essential in EDL to provide large amount of Ca²⁺ released from the SR during tetanic stimulation. In contrast, Soleus deals much better with lack of CASQ because slow fibers require lower Ca²⁺ amounts and slower cycling to function properly. Nevertheless, Soleus suffers more severe structural damage, possibly because SR Ca²⁺ leak is more pronounced.

Calsequestrin distribution, structure and function, its role in normal and pathological situations and the effect of thyroid hormones

Calsequestrin is the main calcium binding protein of the sarcoplasmic reticulum, serving as an important regulator of Ca(2+). In mammalian muscles, it exists as a skeletal isoform found in fast- and slow-twitch skeletal muscles and a cardiac isoform expressed in the heart and slow-twitch muscles. Recently, many excellent reviews that summarised in great detail various aspects of the calsequestrin structure, localisation or function both in skeletal and cardiac muscle have appeared. The present review focuses on skeletal muscle: information on cardiac tissue is given, where differences between both tissues are functionally important. The article reviews the known multiple roles of calsequestrin including pathology in order to introduce this topic to the broader scientific community and to stimulate an interest in this protein. Newly we describe our results on the effect of thyroid hormones on skeletal and cardiac calsequestrin expression and discuss them in the context of available literary data on this topic.

Sarcoplasmic reticulum function in smooth muscle

The sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) of smooth muscles presents many intriguing facets and questions concerning its roles, especially as these change with development, disease, and modulation of physiological activity. The SR's function was originally perceived to be synthetic and then that of a Ca store for the contractile proteins, acting as a Ca amplification mechanism as it does in striated muscles. Gradually, as investigators have struggled to find a convincing role for Ca-induced Ca release in many smooth muscles, a role in controlling excitability has emerged. This is the Ca spark/spontaneous transient outward current coupling mechanism which reduces excitability and limits contraction. Release of SR Ca occurs in response to inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate, Ca, and nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate, and depletion of SR Ca can initiate Ca entry, the mechanism of which is being investigated but seems to involve Stim and Orai as found in nonexcitable cells. The contribution of the elemental Ca signals from the SR, sparks and puffs, to global Ca signals, i.e., Ca waves and oscillations, is becoming clearer but is far from established. The dynamics of SR Ca release and uptake mechanisms are reviewed along with the control of luminal Ca. We review the growing list of the SR's functions that still includes Ca storage, contraction, and relaxation but has been expanded to encompass Ca homeostasis, generating local and global Ca signals, and contributing to cellular microdomains and signaling in other organelles, including mitochondria, lysosomes, and the nucleus. For an integrated approach, a review of aspects of the SR in health and disease and during development and aging are also included. While the sheer versatility of smooth muscle makes it foolish to have a "one model fits all" approach to this subject, we have tried to synthesize conclusions wherever possible.

Ryanodine receptor luminal Ca2+ regulation: swapping calsequestrin and channel isoforms

Sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca(2+) release in striated muscle is mediated by a multiprotein complex that includes the ryanodine receptor (RyR) Ca(2+) channel and the intra-SR Ca(2+) buffering protein calsequestrin (CSQ). Besides its buffering role, CSQ is thought to regulate RyR channel function. Here, CSQ-dependent luminal Ca(2+) regulation of skeletal (RyR1) and cardiac (RyR2) channels is explored. Skeletal (CSQ1) or cardiac (CSQ2) calsequestrin were systematically added to the luminal side of single RyR1 or RyR2 channels. The luminal Ca(2+) dependence of open probability (Po) over the physiologically relevant range (0.05-1 mM Ca(2+)) was defined for each of the four RyR/CSQ isoform pairings. We found that the luminal Ca(2+) sensitivity of single RyR2 channels was substantial when either CSQ isoform was present. In contrast, no significant luminal Ca(2+) sensitivity of single RyR1 channels was detected in the presence of either CSQ isoform. We conclude that CSQ-dependent luminal Ca(2+) regulation of single RyR2 channels lacks CSQ isoform specificity, and that CSQ-dependent luminal Ca(2+) regulation in skeletal muscle likely plays a relatively minor (if any) role in regulating the RyR1 channel activity, indicating that the chief role of CSQ1 in this tissue is as an intra-SR Ca(2+) buffer.

Modulating sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase 2 (SERCA2) activity: cell biological implications

Of the three mammalian members belonging to the sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase (SERCA) family, SERCA2 is evolutionary the oldest and shows the most wide tissue-expression pattern. Two major SERCA2 splice variants are well-characterized: the muscle-specific isoform SERCA2a and the housekeeping isoform SERCA2b. Recently, several interacting proteins and post-translational modifications of SERCA2 were identified which may modulate the activity of the Ca2+ pump. This review aims to give an overview of the vast literature concerning the cell biological implications of the SERCA2 isoform diversity and the factors regulating SERCA2. Proteins reported to interact with SERCA2 from the cytosolic domain involve the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2, the insulin receptor substrates IRS1/2, the EF-hand Ca2+-binding protein S100A1 and acylphosphatase. We will focus on the very particular position of SERCA2 as an enzyme functioning in a thin, highly fluid, leaky and cholesterol-poor membrane. Possible differential interactions of SERCA2b and SERCA2a with calreticulin, calnexin and ERp57, which could occur within the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum will be discussed. Reported post-translational modifications possibly affecting pump activity involve N-glycosylation, glutathionylation and Ca2+/calmodulin kinase II-dependent phosphorylation. Finally, the pronounced vulnerability to oxidative damage of SERCA2 appears to be pivotal in the etiology of various pathologies.

Reorganized stores and impaired calcium handling in skeletal muscle of mice lacking calsequestrin-1

Calsequestrin (CS), the major Ca(2+)-binding protein in the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), is thought to play a dual role in excitation-contraction coupling: buffering free Ca(2+) increasing SR capacity, and modulating the activity of the Ca(2+) release channels (RyRs). In this study, we generated and characterized the first murine model lacking the skeletal CS isoform (CS1). CS1-null mice are viable and fertile, even though skeletal muscles appear slightly atrophic compared to the control mice. No compensatory increase of the cardiac isoform CS2 is detectable in any type of skeletal muscle. CS1-null muscle fibres are characterized by structural and functional changes, which are much more evident in fast-twitch muscles (EDL) in which most fibres express only CS1, than in slow-twitch muscles (soleus), where CS2 is expressed in about 50% of the fibres. In isolated EDL muscle, force development is preserved, but characterized by prolonged time-to-peak and half-relaxation time, probably related to impaired calcium release from and re-uptake by the SR. Ca(2+)-imaging studies show that the amount of Ca(2+) released from the SR and the amplitude of the Ca(2+) transient are significantly reduced. The lack of CS1 also causes significant ultrastructural changes, which include: (i) striking proliferation of SR junctional domains; (ii) increased density of Ca(2+)-release channels (confirmed also by (3)H-ryanodine binding); (iii) decreased SR terminal cisternae volume; (iv) higher density of mitochondria. Taken together these results demonstrate that CS1 is essential for the normal development of the SR and its calcium release units and for the storage and release of appropriate amounts of SR Ca(2+).

Tubular aggregates: sarcoplasmic reticulum origin, calcium storage ability, and functional implications

Muscle biopsy specimens from three patients with an autosomal dominant myopathy and tubular aggregates in both type 1 and type 2 fibers were investigated for immunofluorescent staining with antibodies to sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca-pump protein and calsequestrin and for Ca2+ loading ability. The results show that type 1 and type 2 fibers are differentially reactive to anti-Ca-pump protein IgG and similarly reactive with affinity-purified antibody to calsequestrin, which is in agreement with earlier observations in rat skeletal muscle. Tubular aggregates, which are shown to be highly reactive with either kind of antibody, appear to be sites of calcium accumulation for oxalate-facilitated adenosine triphosphate (ATP) dependent Ca uptake by chemically skinned fibers and thereby increase markedly the Ca loading capacity of the affected fibers.

Regulation of the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase expression in the hypertrophic and failing heartThis paper is part of a series in the Journal's “Made in Canada” section. The paper has undergone peer review

The sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) plays a central role in the contraction and relaxation coupling in the myocardium. The SR Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA2) transports Ca2+ inside the SR lumen during relaxation of the cardiac myocyte. It is well known that diminished contractility of the hypertrophic cardiac myocyte is the main factor of ventricular dysfunction in the failing heart. A key feature of the failing heart is a decreased content and activity of SERCA2, which is the cause of some of the physiological defects observed in the hypertrophic cardiomyocyte performance that are important during transition of compensated hypertrophy to heart failure. In this review different possible mechanisms responsible for decreased transcriptional regulation of the SERCA2 gene are examined, which appear to be the primary cause for decreased SERCA2 expression in heart failure. The experimental evidence suggests that several signalling pathways are involved in the downregulation of SERCA2 expression in the hypertrophic and failing cardiomyocyte. Therapeutic upregulation of SERCA2 expression using replication deficient adenoviral expression vectors, pharmacological interventions using thyroid hormone analogues, β-adrenergic receptor antagonists, and novel metabolically active compounds are currently under investigation for the treatment of uncompensated cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure.

Enhanced resistance to fatigue and altered calcium handling properties of sarcalumenin knockout mice

Sarcalumenin is a Ca2+-binding protein located in the sarcoplasmic reticulum of striated muscle cells, the physiological function of which has not been fully determined yet. Using sarcalumenin knockout ( sar−/−) mice, we showed that sar ablation altered store-operated Ca2+entry (SOCE) and enhanced muscle fatigue resistance. Sar−/−mice fatigued less with treadmill exercise, and intact isolated soleus and extensor digitorum longus muscles from sar−/−mice were more resistant to intermittent fatiguing stimulation than those from wild-type mice. Enhanced SOCE was observed in the sar−/−muscles. Biochemical analysis revealed that sar−/−muscles contained significantly elevated expression of mitsugumin 29 (MG29), a synaptophysin-related membrane protein located in the triad junction of skeletal muscle. Because the ablation of mg29 has been shown to cause increased fatigability and dysfunction of SOCE, the enhanced SOCE activity seen in sar−/−muscle may be correlated with the increased expression of MG29. Our data suggest that systemic ablation of sarcalumenin caused enhanced resistance to muscle fatigue by compensatory changes in Ca2+regulatory proteins that effect SOCE.

Organization of Ca2+ release units in excitable smooth muscle of the guinea-pig urinary bladder

Ca(2+) release from internal stores (sarcoplasmic reticulum or SR) in smooth muscles is initiated either via pharmaco-mechanical coupling due to the action of an agonist and involving IP3 receptors, or via excitation-contraction coupling, mostly involving L-type calcium channels in the plasmalemma (DHPRs), and ryanodine receptors (RyRs), or Ca(2+) release channels of the SR. This work focuses attention on the structural basis for the coupling between DHPRs and RyRs in phasic smooth muscle cells of the guinea-pig urinary bladder. Immunolabeling shows that two proteins of the SR: calsequestrin and the RyR, and one protein the plasmalemma, the L-type channel or DHPR, are colocalized with each other within numerous, peripherally located sites located within the caveolar domains. Electron microscopy images from thin sections and freeze-fracture replicas identify feet in small peripherally located SR vesicles containing calsequestrin and distinctive large particles clustered within small membrane areas. Both feet and particle clusters are located within caveolar domains. Correspondence between the location of feet and particle clusters and of RyR- and DHPR-positive foci allows the conclusion that calsequestrin, RyRs, and L-type Ca(2+) channels are associated with peripheral couplings, or Ca(2+) release units, constituting the key machinery involved in excitation-contraction coupling. Structural analogies between smooth and cardiac muscle excitation-contraction coupling complexes suggest a common basic mechanism of action.

Electron tomography of frozen-hydrated isolated triad junctions

Cryoelectron microscopy and tomography have been applied for the first time to isolated, frozen-hydrated skeletal muscle triad junctions (triads) and terminal cisternae (TC) vesicles derived from sarcoplasmic reticulum. Isolated triads were selected on the basis of their appearance as two spherical TC vesicles attached to opposite sides of a flattened vesicle derived from a transverse tubule (TT). Foot structures (ryanodine receptors) were resolved within the gap between the TC vesicles and TT vesicles, and some residual ordering of the receptors into arrays was apparent. Organized dense layers, apparently containing the calcium-binding protein calsequestrin, were found in the lumen of TC vesicles underlying the foot structures. The lamellar regions did not directly contact the sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane, thereby creating an approximately 5-nm-thick zone that potentially constitutes a subcompartment for achieving locally elevated [Ca(2+) ] in the immediate vicinity of the Ca(2+)-conducting ryanodine receptors. The lumen of the TT vesicles contained globular mass densities of unknown origin, some of which form cross-bridges that may be responsible for the flattened appearance of the transverse tubules when viewed in cross-section. The spatial relationships among the TT membrane, ryanodine receptors, and calsequestrin-containing assemblage are revealed under conditions that do not use dehydration, heavy-metal staining, or chemical fixation, thus exemplifying the potential of cryoelectron microscopy and tomography to reveal structural detail of complex subcellular structures.

Mass spectrometry of cardiac calsequestrin characterizes microheterogeneity unique to heart and indicative of complex intracellular transit

Cardiac calsequestrin concentrates in junctional sarcoplasmic reticulum in heart and skeletal muscle cells by an undefined mechanism. During transit through the secretory pathway, it undergoes an as yet uncharacterized glycosylation and acquires phosphate on CK2-sensitive sites. In this study, we have shown that active calsequestrin phosphorylation occurred in nonmuscle cells as well as muscle cells, reflecting a widespread cellular process. To characterize this post-translational modification and resolve individual molecular mass species, we subjected purified calsequestrin to mass spectrometry using electrospray ionization. Mass spectra showed that calsequestrin glycan structure in nonmuscle cells was that expected for an endoplasmic reticulum-localized glycoprotein and showed that each glycoform existed as four mass peaks representing molecules that also had 0-3 phosphorylation sites occupied. In heart, mass peaks indicated carbohydrate modifications characteristic of transit through Golgi compartments. Phosphorylation did not occur on every glycoform present, suggesting a far more complex movement of calsequestrin molecules in heart cells. Significant amounts of calsequestrin contained glycan with only a single mannose residue, indicative of a novel post-endoplasmic reticulum mannosidase activity. In conclusion, glyco- and phosphoforms of calsequestrin chart a complex cellular transport in heart, with calsequestrin following trafficking pathways not present or not accessible to the same molecules in nonmuscle.

Morphology and molecular composition of sarcoplasmic reticulum surface junctions in the absence of DHPR and RyR in mouse skeletal muscle

Calcium release during excitation-contraction coupling of skeletal muscle cells is initiated by the functional interaction of the exterior membrane and the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), mediated by the "mechanical" coupling of ryanodine receptors (RyR) and dihydropyridine receptors (DHPR). RyR is the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) release channel and DHPR is an L-type calcium channel of exterior membranes (surface membrane and T tubules), which acts as the voltage sensor of excitation-contraction coupling. The two proteins communicate with each other at junctions between SR and exterior membranes called calcium release units and are associated with several proteins of which triadin and calsequestrin are the best characterized. Calcium release units are present in diaphragm muscles and hind limb derived primary cultures of double knock out mice lacking both DHPR and RyR. The junctions show coupling between exterior membranes and SR, and an apparently normal content and disposition of triadin and calsequestrin. Therefore SR-surface docking, targeting of triadin and calsequestrin to the junctional SR domains and the structural organization of the two latter proteins are not affected by lack of DHPR and RyR. Interestingly, simultaneous lack of the two major excitation-contraction coupling proteins results in decrease of calcium release units frequency in the diaphragm, compared with either single knockout mutation.

Calsequestrin binds to monomeric and complexed forms of key calcium-handling proteins in native sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes from rabbit skeletal muscle

Ca(2+)-handling proteins are important regulators of the excitation-contraction-relaxation cycle in skeletal muscle fibres. Although domain binding studies suggest protein coupling between various Ca(2+)-regulatory elements of triad junctions, no direct biochemical evidence exists demonstrating high-molecular-mass complex formation in native microsomal membranes. Calsequestrin represents the protein backbone of the luminal Ca(2+) reservoir and thereby occupies a central position in Ca(2+) homeostasis; we therefore used calsequestrin blot overlay assays in order to determine complex formation between sarcoplasmic reticulum components. Peroxidase-conjugated calsequestrin clearly labelled four major protein bands in one-dimensional (1D) and 2D electrophoretically separated membrane preparations from adult skeletal muscle. Immunoblotting identified the calsequestrin-binding proteins of approximately 26, 63, 94 and 560 kDa as junctin, calsequestrin itself, triadin and the ryanodine receptor, respectively. Protein-protein coupling could be modified by ionic detergents, non-ionic detergents, changes in Ca(2+) concentration, as well as antibody and purified calsequestrin binding. Importantly, complex formation as determined by blot overlay assays was confirmed by differential co-immunoprecipitation experiments and chemical crosslinking analysis. Hence, the key Ca(2+)-regulatory membrane components of skeletal muscle form a supramolecular membrane assembly. The formation of this tightly associated junctional sarcoplasmic reticulum complex seems to underlie the physiological regulation of skeletal muscle contraction and relaxation, which supports the biochemical concept that Ca(2+) homeostasis is regulated by direct protein-protein interactions.

Localisation of intracellular calcium stores in the striated muscles of the jellyfishPolyorchis penicillatus: possible involvement in excitation–contraction coupling

When jellyfish striated muscles were stimulated directly, the amplitude of contractile tension increased as the stimulation frequency increased. Application of 10 mmol l–1 caffeine reduced the amplitude of contractile tension and abolished this facilitatory relationship, indicating that calcium stores participate in excitation–contraction coupling. Calcium stores were identified ultrastructurally using enzymatic histochemistry to localize CaATPases, and potassium dichromate to precipitate calcium. Electron energy-loss spectroscopy was used to verify the presence of calcium in precipitates. Both CaATPase and calcium were localised in membrane-bound vesicles beneath the sarcolemma. We concluded that sub-sarcolemmal vesicles could act as calcium stores and participate in excitation–contraction coupling.

Endoplasmic reticulum of animal cells and its organization into structural and functional domains

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in animal cells is an extensive, morphologically continuous network of membrane tubules and flattened cisternae. The ER is a multifunctional organelle; the synthesis of membrane lipids, membrane and secretory proteins, and the regulation of intracellular calcium are prominent among its array of functions. Many of these functions are not homogeneously distributed throughout the ER but rather are confined to distinct ER subregions or domains. This review describes the structural and functional organization of the ER and highlights the dynamic properties of the ER network and the mechanisms that support the positioning of ER membranes within the cell. Furthermore, we outline processes involved in the establishment and maintenance of an anisotropic distribution of ER-resident proteins and, thus, in the organization of the ER into functionally and morphologically different subregions.

Structural complexity and functional diversity of endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) stores

Considerable evidence, including recent direct observations, suggest that endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca(2+) stores in neurons, glia, and other cell types, consists of spatially-distinct compartments that can be individually loaded and unloaded. In addition, sub-plasmalemmal ('junctional') components of the ER (jER) are functionally coupled to the overlying plasmalemmal (PL) microdomains in PL-jER units named 'PLasmERosomes'. The PL microdomains and the jER contain clusters of specific transport proteins that regulate Na(+) and Ca(2+) concentrations in the tiny cytosolic space between the PL and jER. This organization helps the ER to produce the many types of complex local and global Ca(2+) signals that are responsible for the simultaneous control of numerous neuronal and glial functions.

delta- and gamma-Sarcoglycan localization in the sarcoplasmic reticulum of skeletal muscle

Sarcoglycans are transmembrane proteins that are members of the dystrophin complex. Sarcoglycans cluster together to form a complex, which is localized in the cell membrane of skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscle fibers. However, it is still unclear whether or not sarcoglycans are restricted to the sarcolemma. To address this issue, we examined alpha-, beta-, delta-, and gamma-sarcoglycan expression in femoral skeletal muscle from control and dystrophin-deficient mice and rats using confocal microscopy and immunoelectron microscopy. Confocal microscopy of the tissues in cross-section showed that all sarcoglycans were detected under the sarcolemma in rats and control mice. delta- and gamma-sarcoglycan labeling demonstrated striations in the longitudinal section, suggesting that the proteins were expressed in the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) or transverse tubules (T-tubules). Moreover, such striations of both sarcoglycans were recognized in the dystrophin-deficient mouse skeletal muscle. Double labeling with phalloidin or alpha-actinin and delta- or gamma-sarcoglycan showed different labeling patterns, indicating that delta-sarcoglycan localization was distinct from that of gamma-sarcoglycan. Immunoelectron microscopy clarified that delta-sarcoglycan was localized in the terminal cisternae of the SR, while gamma-sarcoglycan was found in the terminal cisternae and longitudinal SR over I-bands but not over A-bands. These data demonstrate that delta- and gamma-sarcoglycans are components of the SR in skeletal muscle, suggesting that both sarcoglycans function independent of the dystrophin complex in the SR.

Complex formation of skeletal muscle Ca2+-regulatory membrane proteins by halothane

In skeletal muscle, halothane affects the functions of several Ca2+-regulatory membrane proteins involved in the excitation-contraction-relaxation cycle. To investigate the mechanism by which this volatile anesthetic interferes with Ca2+-homeostasis, we studied potential changes in protein-protein interactions by halothane. Using comparative immunoblotting of microsomal muscle proteins separated on native and denaturing gels, we show here that halothane induces oligomerization of the terminal cisternae Ca2+-binding protein calsequestrin, the junctional ryanodine receptor Ca2+-release channel and the transverse-tubular alpha1-dihydropyridine receptor. This agrees with previous reports on the modulation of Ca2+-release activity by halothane since interactions between the voltage-sensing alpha1-dihydropyridine receptor, the ryanodine receptor and the luminal Ca2+-reservoir might result in a rapid release of Ca2+-ions. Furthermore, this study supports the idea that specific protein sites are involved in the action of inhalational anesthetics and that halothane might trigger abnormal Ca2+-homeostasis in malignant hyperthermia via oligomerization of the mutated ryanodine receptor.

Cloning of the genes encoding mouse cardiac and skeletal calsequestrins: expression pattern during embryogenesis

Calsequestrin is a low-affinity and high-capacity calcium-binding protein in the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). In the present study, we have cloned and sequenced mouse cardiac and skeletal calsequestrin cDNAs. The deduced amino acid sequences are highly homologous to those of other mammalian calsequestrins. As expected, the cardiac and skeletal calsequestrins are expressed specifically and exclusively in adult heart and skeletal muscles, respectively. In-situ hybridization was performed to examine the expression pattern of the calsequestrins in the developing mouse and rat embryos. During early organogenesis, the cardiac and skeletal calsequestrin transcripts were detected exclusively in the heart primordium and the myotome of somites, respectively. The cardiac calsequestrin transcripts were later detected in fetal heart and skeletal muscles, whereas the skeletal calsequestrin transcripts were only found in fetal skeletal muscles. These data suggest that the cardiac calsequestrin plays a role in the differentiation and function of heart, and in the function of fetal skeletal muscles in conjunction with the skeletal calsequestrin, but not in the early differentiation of the myotome of somites. The expression of the skeletal calsequestrin in the myotome is regulated probably by myogenin, a myogenic regulatory gene.

Oligomerisation of Ca2+-regulatory membrane components involved in the excitation-contraction-relaxation cycle during postnatal development of rabbit skeletal muscle

The skeletal muscle excitation-contraction-relaxation cycle matures during the first weeks after birth and protein-protein interactions are believed to be essential for proper Ca2+ regulation. We therefore studied potential changes in the oligomerisation of key components of the Ca2+-regulatory membrane system during postnatal myogenesis. In contrast to a decrease in calreticulin, the Ca2+-binding proteins calsequestrin and sarcalumenin increased in abundance in microsomes isolated from muscle between postnatal days 1 and 41. While the expression of the fast Ca2+-ATPase increased, its slow-twitch isoform decreased. The junctional component triadin, the 53 kDa sarcoplasmic reticulum glycoprotein, as well as the dihydropyridine receptor increased in abundance, while no major changes in the expression of the ryanodine receptor were observed. Crosslinking analysis revealed that the fast Ca2+-ATPase, alpha1-dihydropyridine receptor and calsequestrin exhibit a more pronounced tendency to oligomerise in adult muscle fibres as compared to early postnatal stages. Interestingly, adult calsequestrin exists not only as a 63 kDa form but also as stable molecular species of higher molecular mass. These findings imply that during postnatal development, protein-protein interactions within the Ca2+-regulatory membrane system become more complex and oligomerisation appears to be an essential prerequisite for the proper physiological functioning of key membrane proteins in matured skeletal muscle fibres.

Developmental regulation of myotonic dystrophy protein kinase in human muscle cells in vitro

From our previous studies, myotonic dystrophy protein kinase: gene product of myotonic dystrophy is localized at the terminal cisternae of sarcoplasmic reticulum of human adult muscle. Now we have studied the developmental expression of myotonic dystrophy protein kinase in aneurally cultured human muscles and contracting cross-striated muscles innervated with fetal rat spinal cord using a semi-quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction method for myotonic dystrophy protein kinase messenger RNA expression, Western blot analysis, immunohistochemical examinations by laser scanning confocal microscopy and immunoelectron microscopy. About 65,000 mol. wt myotonic dystrophy protein kinase was detected in aneurally cultured muscles. Myotonic dystrophy protein kinase messenger RNA was expressed in both aneurally and innervated cultured muscles, but in early innervated cultured muscles the message was transiently lower than in aneurally cultured muscles and innervated cultured muscles in long-term co-culture. In aneurally cultured muscles, immature aneurally cultured muscles show a diffuse and irregular distribution of myotonic dystrophy protein kinase in the deeper cytoplasm near the nuclei. Ultrastructurally the immuno-products against myotonic dystrophy protein kinase were observed as dense deposits in parts of the membranes near the mitochondria. In innervated cultured muscles, immunofluorescent microscopy showed myotonic dystrophy protein kinase to be localized regularly in the I bands and A-I junctions. Ultrastructurally myotonic dystrophy protein kinase was localized in branched duct-like membranes in the early stage of innervated cultured muscles and then in small sacs at the I bands and A-I junctions of the sarcolemma in the mature stage. Our present studies strongly suggest that innervation plays an important role in the localization of myotonic dystrophy protein kinase in human skeletal muscle during development. We conclude that the expression of myotonic dystrophy protein kinase during development is under neuronal influence.

Complex formation between calsequestrin and the ryanodine receptor in fast- and slow-twitch rabbit skeletal muscle

Linkage between the high-capacity Ca2+-binding protein calsequestrin and the ryanodine receptor is proposed to be essential for proper Ca2+-release during skeletal muscle excitation-contraction coupling. However, no direct biochemical evidence exists showing a connection between these high-molecular-mass complexes in native skeletal muscle membranes. Here, using immunoblot analysis of chemically crosslinked membrane vesicles enriched in triad junctions, we have demonstrated that a very close neighborhood relationship exists between calsequestrin and the ryanodine receptor in both main fiber types. Hence, the luminal Ca2+-reservoir complex appears to be directly coupled to the membrane Ca2+-release complex and oligomerization seems to be of functional importance.

Crystal structure of calsequestrin from rabbit skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum

Calsequestrin, the major Ca2+ storage protein of muscle, coordinately binds and releases 40-50 Ca2+ ions per molecule for each contraction-relaxation cycle by an uncertain mechanism. We have determined the structure of rabbit skeletal muscle calsequestrin. Three very negative thioredoxin-like domains surround a hydrophilic center. Each monomer makes two extensive dimerization contacts, both of which involve the approach of many negative groups. This structure suggests a mechanism by which calsequestrin may achieve high capacity Ca2+ binding. The suggested mechanism involves Ca2+-induced collapse of the three domains and polymerization of calsequestrin monomers arising from three factors: N-terminal arm exchange, helix-helix contacts and Ca2+ cross bridges. This proposed structure-based mechanism accounts for the observed coupling of high capacity Ca2+ binding with protein precipitation.

The endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ store: a view from the lumen

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and its specialized subcompartments such as the sarcoplasmic reticulum, is the main dynamic Ca2+ storage compartment of the cell. Key cellular functions are regulated, either directly or indirectly, by the free Ca2+ concentration in the ER. This article discusses the properties of Ca2+ storage in the ER and considers the functions that appear to be regulated by the Ca2+ stores within the ER, both in and around the ER and at a distance from it.

Overexpression of calsequestrin in L6 myoblasts: formation of endoplasmic reticulum subdomains and their evolution into discrete vacuoles where aggregates of the protein are specifically accumulated

Calsequestrin (CSQ), the major low-affinity Ca(2+)-binding glycoprotein of striated muscle fibers, is concentrated to yield aggregates that occupy the lumen of the terminal cisternae of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). When infected or transfected into L6 myoblast, the protein is also concentrated, however, in dense vacuoles apparently separate from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). CSQ-rich cells appear otherwise normal; in particular, neither other proteins involved in Ca2+ homeostasis nor ER chaperones are increased. The CSQ dense vacuoles are shown herein to be specialized ER subdomains as demonstrated by 1) the endoglycosidase H sensitivity of their CSQ and 2) two markers, calreticulin and calnexin (but not others, protein disulfide isomerase and BiP), intermixed with the vacuole content. Their formation is shown to start with the aggregation of CSQ at discrete sites of the ER lumen. When cells were transfected with both CSQ and calreticulin, only the first gave rise to vacuoles; the second remained diffusely distributed within the ER lumen. The possibility that CSQ aggregation is an artifact of overexpression appears unlikely because 1) within dense vacuoles CSQ molecules are not disulfide cross-linked, 2) their turnover is relatively slow (t = 12 h), and 3) segregated CSQ is bound to large amounts of Ca2+. Transfection of a tagged CSQ into cells already overexpressing the protein revealed the continuous import of the newly synthesized protein into preassembled vacuoles. The tendency to aggregation appears, therefore, as a property contributing to the segregation of CSQ within the ER lumen and to its accumulation within specialized subdomains. The study of L6 cells expressing CSQ-rich vacuoles might thus ultimately help to unravel mechanisms by which the complexity of the sarcoplasmic reticulum is established in muscle fibers.

High resolution ultrastructural mapping of total calcium: electron spectroscopic imaging/electron energy loss spectroscopy analysis of a physically/chemically processed nerve-muscle preparation

We report on a procedure for tissue preparation that combines thoroughly controlled physical and chemical treatments: quick-freezing and freeze-drying followed by fixation with OsO4 vapors and embedding by direct resin infiltration. Specimens of frog cutaneous pectoris muscle thus prepared were analyzed for total calcium using electron spectroscopic imaging/electron energy loss spectroscopy (ESI/EELS) approach. The preservation of the ultrastructure was excellent, with positive K/Na ratios revealed in the fibers by x-ray microanalysis. Clear, high-resolution EELS/ESI calcium signals were recorded from the lumen of terminal cisternae of the sarcoplasmic reticulum but not from longitudinal cisternae, as expected from previous studies carried out with different techniques. In many mitochondria, calcium was below detection whereas in others it was appreciable although at variable level. Within the motor nerve terminals, synaptic vesicles as well as some cisternae of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum yielded positive signals at variance with mitochondria, that were most often below detection. Taken as a whole, the present study reveals the potential of our experimental approach to map with high spatial resolution the total calcium within individual intracellular organelles identified by their established ultrastructure, but only where the element is present at high levels.

Purification, primary structure, and immunological characterization of the 26-kDa calsequestrin binding protein (junctin) from cardiac junctional sarcoplasmic reticulum

Previously we identified a protein of apparent M(r) = 26,000 as the major calsequestrin binding protein in junctional sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles isolated from cardiac and skeletal muscle (Mitchell, R. D., Simmerman, H. K. B., and Jones, L. R. (1988) J. Biol. Chem. 263, 1376-1381). Here we describe the purification and primary structure of the 26-kDa calsequestrin binding protein. The protein was purified 164-fold from cardiac microsomes and shown by immunoblotting to be highly enriched in junctional membrane subfractions. It ran as a closely spaced doublet on SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and bound 125I-calsequestrin intensely. Cloning of the cDNA predicted a protein of 210 amino acids containing a single transmembrane domain. The protein has a short N-terminal region located in the cytoplasm, and the bulk of the molecule, which is highly charged and basic, projects into the sarcoplasmic reticulum lumen. Significant homologies were found with triadin and aspartyl beta-hydroxylase, suggesting that all three proteins are members of a family of single membrane-spanning endoplasmic reticulum proteins. Immunocytochemical labeling localized the 26-kDa protein to junctional sarcoplasmic reticulum in cardiac and skeletal muscle. The same gene product was expressed in these two tissues. The calsequestrin binding activity of the 26-kDa protein combined with its codistribution with calsequestrin and ryanodine receptors strongly suggests that the protein plays an important role in the organization and/or function of the Ca2+ release complex. Because the 26-kDa calsequestrin binding protein is an integral component of the junctional sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane in cardiac and skeletal muscle, we have named it Junctin.

Molecular cloning of the cDNA encoding human skeletal muscle triadin and its localisation to chromosome 6q22-6q23

We have cloned and sequenced the cDNA encoding triadin, a junctional terminal cisternae protein from human skeletal muscle. The cDNA, 2941 base pairs in length, encodes a protein of 729 amino acids with a predicted molecular mass of 81,545 Da. Hydropathy analysis indicates that triadin of human skeletal muscle has the same topology in the myoplasmic, transmembrane and sarcoplasmic reticulum luminal domains as that of triadin from rabbit skeletal muscle. The number and relative position of potential modulation sites are also conserved between the human and rabbit proteins. The cDNA sequence of the predicted sarcoplasmic reticulum luminal domain of human triadin diverged from that of rabbit, with an observed similarity of 82%, translating to an identity of 77% in amino acid sequence. Two insertions of 9 and 12 residues in the amino acid sequence were observed in the predicted luminal domain of triadin, although the structural and functional consequences of such insertions are expected to be minimal. Using fluorescence in situ hybridisation, we have assigned the gene encoding human triadin to the long arm of chromosome 6 in the region 6q22-6q23. Our structural analysis of human triadin supports a central role for this protein in the mechanism of skeletal muscle excitation/contraction coupling.

Localization of the N-terminal and C-terminal ends of triadin with respect to the sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane of rabbit skeletal muscle

Antibodies were raised against synthetic peptides corresponding to the N-terminal (residues 2-17) and C-terminal (residues 691-706) ends of rabbit skeletal muscle triadin, a 95 kDa protein located in the sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane at the triad junction. The specificity of the antibodies generated was tested by ELISA and Western blot analysis. These tests demonstrated the ability of the antibodies to react specifically with the proteins. The anti-N-terminus antibodies bound to sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles, indicating that the N-terminal end of the membrane-embedded triadin is exposed on the cytoplasmic side of the vesicles. In contrast, the anti-C-terminus antibodies were able to react with sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles only after permeabilization of the vesicles with a detergent, indicating that the C-terminal end is exposed on the luminal side of the vesicles. These immunological data were complemented by proteolysis experiments using carboxypeptidases and endoproteinase Arg C. A mixture of carboxypeptidases A, B and Y was used to induce degradation of the C-terminal end of triadin in sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles. This degradation, and a concomitant loss of reactivity of the anti-C-terminus antibodies in Western blots, was observed only when the vesicles were permeabilized, providing further evidence for the luminal localization of the C-terminal end of triadin. Treatment of sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles with endoproteinase Arg C resulted in the removal of the N-terminal end of triadin, probably due to cleavage after Arg-34. This is a further indication of the cytoplasmic localization of the N-terminal end of triadin (and of its first 34 amino acids). When the proteolysis with endoproteinase Arg C was carried out with permeabilized vesicles, the cleavage occurred after Arg-141 or Arg-157, indicating that at least one of these residues is luminal.

Characterization of the sarcoplasmic reticulum proteins in the thermogenic muscles of fish

Marlins, sailfish, spearfishes, and swordfish have extraocular muscles that are modified into thermogenic organs beneath the brain. The modified muscle cells, called heater cells, lack organized myofibrils and are densely packed with sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), transverse (T) tubules, and mitochondria. Thermogenesis in the modified extraocular muscle fibers is hypothesized to be associated with increased energy turnover due to Ca2+ cycling at the SR. In this study, the proteins associated with sequestering and releasing Ca2+ from the SR (ryanodine receptor, Ca2+ ATPase, calsequestrin) of striated muscle cells were characterized in the heater SR using immunoblot and immunofluorescent techniques. Immunoblot analysis with a monoclonal antibody that recognizes both isoforms of nonmammalian RYRs indicates that the fish heater cells express only the alpha RYR isoform. The calcium dependency of [3H]ryanodine binding to the RYR isoform expressed in heater indicates functional identity with the non-mammalian alpha RYR isoform. Fluorescent labeling demonstrates that the RYR is localized in an anastomosing network throughout the heater cell cytoplasm. Measurements of oxalate supported 45Ca2+ uptake, Ca2+ ATPase activity, and [32P]phosphoenzyme formation demonstrate that the SR contains a high capacity for Ca2+ uptake via an ATP dependent enzyme. Immunoblot analysis of calsequestrin revealed a significant amount of the Ca2+ binding protein in the heater cell SR. The present study provides the first direct evidence that the heater SR system contains the proteins necessary for Ca2+ release, re-uptake and sequestration, thus supporting the hypothesis that thermogenesis in the modified muscle cells is achieved via an ATP-dependent cycling of Ca2+ between the SR and cytosolic compartments.

Calsequestrin is a component of smooth muscles: the skeletal- and cardiac-muscle isoforms are both present, although in highly variable amounts and ratios

Expression by smooth-muscle cells of calsequestrin (CS), the low-affinity/high-capacity Ca(2+)-binding protein of striated-muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), has been investigated in recent years with conflicting results. Here we report the purification and characterization from rat vas deferens of two CS isoforms, the first deemed skeletal muscle, the second cardiac type, on account of their N-terminal amino acids and other relevant biochemical and molecular properties. Compared with vas deferens, the smooth muscles from aorta and stomach, in that order, were found to express lower amounts of CS, whereas in the uterus and bladder the protein was not detectable. The ratio between the two CS isoforms was also variable, with the stomach and aorta predominantly expressing the skeletal-muscle type and the vas deferens expressing the two CSs in roughly similar amount. Because of the property of CSs to localize within the skeletal-muscle SR lumen not uniformly, but according to the distribution of their anchorage membrane proteins, the expression of the protein suggests the existence in smooth-muscle cells of discrete endoplasmic-reticulum areas specialized in the rapidly exchanging Ca2+ storage and release, and thus in the control of a variety of functions, including smooth-muscle contraction.

Sarcoplasmic reticulum calsequestrins: structural and functional properties

Calsequestrin is the major Ca(2+)-binding protein localized in the terminal cisternae of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) of skeletal and cardiac muscle cells. Calsequestrin has been purified and cloned from both skeletal and cardiac muscle in mammalian, amphibian, and avian species. Two different calsequestrin gene products namely cardiac and fast have been identified. Fast and cardiac calsequestrin isoforms have a highly acidic amino acid composition. The amino acid composition of the cardiac form is very similar to the skeletal form except for the carboxyl terminal region of the protein which possess variable length of acidic residues and two phosphorylation sites. Circular dichroism and NMR studies have shown that calsequestrin increases its alpha-helical content and the intrinsic fluorescence upon binding of Ca2+. Calsequestrin binds Ca2+ with high-capacity and with moderate affinity and it functions as a Ca2+ storage protein in the lumen of the SR. Calsequestrin has been found to be associated with the Ca2+ release channel protein complex of the SR through protein-protein interactions. The human and rabbit fast calsequestrin genes have been cloned. The fast gene is skeletal muscle specific and transcribed at different rates in fast and slow skeletal muscle but not in cardiac muscle. We have recently cloned the rabbit cardiac calsequestrin gene. Heart expresses exclusively the cardiac calsequestrin gene. This gene is also expressed in slow skeletal muscle. No change in calsequestrin mRNA expression has been detected in animal models of cardiac hypertrophy and in failing human heart.

Transmembrane orientation of the N-terminal and C-terminal ends of the ryanodine receptor in the sarcoplasmic reticulum of rabbit skeletal muscle

Antibodies were raised against synthetic peptides corresponding to the N-terminal (residues 2-15) and the C-terminal (residues 5027-5037) parts of the rabbit skeletal muscle ryanodine receptor. The specificity of the antibodies generated was tested by e.l.i.s.a., Western blotting and immunofluorescence. All these tests demonstrated the specificity of the antibodies and their ability to react with both the native and the denaturated ryanodine receptor. Both the anti-N-terminus and the anti-C-terminus antibodies bound to sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles, indicating that each end of the membrane-embedded ryanodine receptor is exposed to the cytoplasmic side of the vesicles. These immunological data were complemented with proteolysis experiments using carboxypeptidase A. Carboxypeptidase A induced degradation of the C-terminal end of the ryanodine receptor in sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles and a concomitant loss of reactivity of the anti-C-terminus antibodies in Western blots, providing extra evidence for the cytoplasmic localization of the C-terminal end of the ryanodine receptor.

Immunochemical quantification of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase and calsequestrin in muscle biopsies from patients with myotonia congenita and paramyotonia congenita Eulenburg

A sensitive enzyme-linked immunoadsorbant assay was developed to quantify Ca(2+)-ATPase and calsequestrin from sarcoplasmic reticulum in human muscle biopsies. Tissue levels of Ca(2+)-ATPase and calsequestrin averaged 51.5 +/- 28.1 and 6.4 +/- 1.8 mg/g muscle protein, respectively, in control muscles (means +/- SD, n = 12). The high sensitivity and specificity of the antibodies make the assay a useful tool in the diagnosis of human neuromuscular disorders where defects in sarcoplasmic reticulum function may be expected. The assay was applied to muscle biopsies from patients with myotonia congenita and paramyotonia congenita Eulenburg. The calsequestrin concentration was normal in all patient muscles. The Ca(2+)-ATPase content was also within the normal range but varied considerably with the percentage distribution of slow-twitch fibres. This indicates that the prolonged relaxation observed in the muscles of patients with these disorders is not caused by faulty expression of Ca(2+)-ATPase and calsequestrin.

Triad formation: organization and function of the sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium release channel and triadin in normal and dysgenic muscle in vitro

Excitation-contraction (E-C) coupling is thought to involve close interactions between the calcium release channel (ryanodine receptor; RyR) of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) and the dihydropyridine receptor (DHPR) alpha 1 subunit in the T-tubule membrane. Triadin, a 95-kD protein isolated from heavy SR, binds both the RyR and DHPR and may thus participate in E-C coupling or in interactions responsible for the formation of SR/T-tubule junctions. Immunofluorescence labeling of normal mouse myotubes shows that the RyR and triadin co-aggregate with the DHPR in punctate clusters upon formation of functional junctions. Dysgenic myotubes with a deficiency in the alpha 1 subunit of the DHPR show reduced expression and clustering of RyR and triadin; however, both proteins are still capable of forming clusters and attaining mature cross-striated distributions. Thus, the molecular organization of the RyR and triadin in the terminal cisternae of SR as well as its association with the T-tubules are independent of interactions with the DHPR alpha 1 subunit. Analysis of calcium transients in dysgenic myotubes with fluorescent calcium indicators reveals spontaneous and caffeine-induced calcium release from intracellular stores similar to those of normal muscle; however, depolarization-induced calcium release is absent. Thus, characteristic calcium release properties of the RyR do not require interactions with the DHPR; neither do they require the normal organization of the RyR in the terminal SR cisternae. In hybrids of dysgenic myotubes fused with normal cells, both action potential-induced calcium transients and the normal clustered organization of the RyR are restored in regions expressing the DHPR alpha 1 subunit.

Expression of the calsequestrin gene in chicken cerebellum Purkinje neurons

Intracellular rapidly exchanging Ca2+ stores are identified and defined in terms of intralumenal low-affinity, high-capacity Ca(2+)-binding proteins, of which calsequestrin (CS) is the prototype in striated muscles. In chicken striated muscles, there is a single gene for CS [Choi and Clegg (1990) Dev. Biol. 142, 169-177]. In the chicken brain, the gene for CS was found to be selectively expressed in Purkinje neurons, as judged by Northern blotting, in situ hybridization and immunocytochemistry. The synthetic machinery for CS was found to be restricted to the cell body, i.e. excluded from dendrites and axon.

Detection and localization of triadin in rat ventricular muscle

Dyads (transverse tubule--junctional sarcoplasmic reticulum complexes) were enriched from rat ventricle microsomes by continuous sucrose gradients. The major vesicle peak at 36% sucrose contained up to 90% of those membranes which possessed dihydropyridine (DHP) binding sites (markers for transverse tubules) and all membranes which possessed ryanodine receptors and the putative junctional foot protein (markers for junctional sarcoplasmic reticulum). In addition, the 36% sucrose peak contained half of the vesicles with muscarine receptors. Vesicles derived from the nonjunctional plasma membrane as defined by a low content of dihydropyridine binding sites per muscarine receptor and from the free sarcoplasmic reticulum as defined by the M(r) 102K Ca2+ ATPase were associated with a diffuse protein band (22-30% sucrose) in the lighter region of the gradient. These organelles were recovered in low yield. Putative dyads were not broken by French press treatment at 8,000 psi and only partially disrupted at 14,000 psi. The monoclonal antibody GE4.90 against skeletal muscle triadin, a protein which links the DHP receptor to the junctional foot protein in skeletal muscle triad junctions, cross-reacted with a protein in rat dyads of the same M(r) as triadin. Western blots of muscle microsomes from preparations which had been treated with 100 mM iodoacetamide throughout the isolation procedure showed that cardiac triadin consisted predominantly of a band of M(r) 95 kD. Higher molecular weight polymers were detectable but low in content, in contrast with the ladder of oligomeric forms in rat psoas muscle microsomes. Cardiac triadin was not dissolved from the microsomes by hypertonic salt or Triton X-100, indicating that it, as well as skeletal muscle triadin, was an integral protein of the junctional SR. The cardiac epitope was localized to the junctional SR by comparison of its distribution with that of organelle markers in both total microsome and in French press disrupted dyad preparations. Immunofluorescence localization of triadin using mAb GE4.90 revealed that intact rat ventricular muscle tissue was stained following a well-defined pattern of bands every sarcomere. This spacing of bands was consistent with the interpretation that triadin was present in the dyadic junctional regions.

Structural analysis of muscle development: transverse tubules, sarcoplasmic reticulum, and the triad

Increased interest in the mechanism of excitation-contraction (E-C) coupling over the last few years has been accompanied by numerous investigations into the development of the underlying cellular structures. Areas of particular interest include: (1) the compartmentalization and specialization of an external and an internal membrane system, the T-tubules, and the sarcoplasmic reticulum, respectively; (2) interactions between the membrane proteins of both systems upon the formation of a junction, the triad; and (3) membrane-cytoskeletal interactions leading to the orderly arrangement of the triads with respect to the myofibrils. Structural studies using newly available specific molecular probes and a variety of in vivo and in vitro model systems have provided new insights into the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in the development of the E-C coupling apparatus in skeletal muscle.

The endoplasmic reticulum-sarcoplasmic reticulum connection: distribution of endoplasmic reticulum markers in the sarcoplasmic reticulum of skeletal muscle fibers

The skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) was investigated for the presence of well-known endoplasmic reticulum (ER) markers: the lumenal protein BiP and a group of membrane proteins recognized by an antibody raised against ER membrane vesicles. Western blots of SR fractions revealed the presence of BiP in fast- and slow-twitch muscles of the rabbit as well as in rat and chicken muscles. Analyses of purified SR subfractions, together with cryosection immunofluorescence and immunogold labeling, revealed BiP evenly distributed within the longitudinal SR and the terminal cisternae. Within the terminal cisternae BiP appeared not to be mixed with calsequestrin but to be distributed around the aggregates of the latter Ca2+ binding protein. Of the various membrane markers only calnexin (91 kDa) was found to be distributed within both SR subfractions, whereas the other markers (apparent molecular masses of 64 kDa and 58 kDa and a doublet around 28 kDa) were concentrated in the terminal cisternae. These results suggest that the SR is a specialized ER subcompartment in which general markers, such as the ones we have investigated, coexist with the major SR proteins specifically responsible for Ca2+ uptake, storage, and release. The differential distribution of the ER markers reveals new aspects of the SR molecular structure that might be of importance for the functioning of the endomembrane system.

s-cyclophilin is retained intracellularly via a unique COOH-terminal sequence and colocalizes with the calcium storage protein calreticulin

Cyclophilins (cyclosporin A-binding proteins) are conserved, ubiquitous, and abundant proteins that accelerate the isomerization of XaaPro peptide bonds and the refolding of proteins in vitro. s-Cyclophilin is a member of the cyclophilin family with unique NH2- and COOH-terminal extensions, and with a signal sequence. We now report that s-cyclophilin is retained in the cell, and that the conserved s-cyclophilin-specific COOH-terminal extension VEKPFAIAKE is sufficient to direct a secretory protein to s-cyclophilin containing structures. Antibodies to s-cyclophilin-specific peptides were produced and the location of the protein was determined by an immunocytochemical study at the light microscopic level. s-Cyclophilin colocalized with the Ca(2+)-binding protein calreticulin and, to a lesser extent, with the microsomal Ca(2+)-ATPase in the myogenic cell line L6, and with the Ca(2+)-binding protein calsequestrin in skeletal muscle. In activated platelets, s-cyclophilin immunoreactivity was detected in a ring-like structure that might correspond to the Ca(2+)-storing and -releasing dense tubular network. In spreading cells, s-cyclophilin containing vesicular structures accumulated at actin-rich protrusion sites. While s-cyclophilin consistently codistributed with Ca2+ storage site markers, the distribution of s-cyclophilin immunoreactivity was not identical to that of ER markers. To determine whether the COOH-terminal extension of s-cyclophilin was involved in its intracellular transport we added this sequence to the COOH-terminus of the secretory protein glia-derived nexin. Appropriate constructs were expressed transiently in cultured cells and proteins were detected with specific antibodies. We found that glia-derived nexin with the COOH-terminal sequence VEKPFAIAKE (but not with the control sequence GLVVMNIT) colocalized with endogenous s-cyclophilin, indicating that the sequence contained retention information. These results indicate that s-cyclophilin is a retained component of an intracellular organelle and that it may accumulate in specialized portions of the ER, and possibly in calciosomes. Because of its conserved structure, widespread distribution, and abundance s-cyclophilin may be a useful marker to study the biogenesis and distribution of ER subcompartments.