Project description:Glioblastoma is the most frequent and deadly form of primary brain tumors. Despite multimodal treatment, more than 90% of patients experience tumor recurrence. Glioblastoma contains a small population of cells, called glioblastoma stem cells (GSC) that are highly resistant to treatment and endowed with the ability to regenerate the tumor, which accounts for tumor recurrence. Transcriptomic studies disclosed an enrichment of calcium (Ca2+) signaling transcripts in GSC. In non-excitable cells, store-operated channels (SOC) represent a major route of Ca2+ influx. As SOC regulate the self-renewal of adult neural stem cells that are possible cells of origin of GSC, we analyzed the roles of SOC in cultures of GSC previously derived from five different glioblastoma surgical specimens. Immunoblotting and immunocytochemistry experiments showed that GSC express Orai1 and TRPC1, two core SOC proteins, along with their activator STIM1. Ca2+ imaging demonstrated that SOC support Ca2+ entries in GSC. Pharmacological inhibition of SOC-dependent Ca2+ entries decreased proliferation, impaired self-renewal, and reduced expression of the stem cell marker SOX2 in GSC. Our data showing the ability of SOC inhibitors to impede GSC self-renewal paves the way for a strategy to target the cells considered responsible for conveying resistance to treatment and tumor relapse.
Project description:Voltage-gated Ca2+ (CaV ) channels mediate Ca2+ entry into excitable cells to regulate a myriad of cellular events following membrane depolarization. We report the engineering of RGK GTPases, a class of genetically encoded CaV channel modulators, to enable photo-tunable modulation of CaV channel activity in excitable mammalian cells. This optogenetic tool (designated optoRGK) tailored for CaV channels could find broad applications in interrogating a wide range of CaV -mediated physiological processes.
Project description:The proinflammatory cytokine IL-1β is a significant risk factor in cardiovascular disease that can be targeted to reduce major cardiovascular events. IL-1β expression and release are tightly controlled by changes in intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i), which has been associated with ATP release and purinergic signaling. Despite this, the mechanisms that regulate these changes have not been identified. The pannexin 1 (Panx1) channels have canonically been implicated in ATP release, especially during inflammation. We examined Panx1 in human umbilical vein endothelial cells following treatment with the proinflammatory cytokine TNF-α. Analysis by whole transcriptome sequencing and immunoblot identified a dramatic increase in Panx1 mRNA and protein expression that is regulated in an NF-κB-dependent manner. Furthermore, genetic inhibition of Panx1 reduced the expression and release of IL-1β. We initially hypothesized that increased Panx1-mediated ATP release acted in a paracrine fashion to control cytokine expression. However, our data demonstrate that IL-1β expression was not altered after direct ATP stimulation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Because Panx1 forms a large pore channel, we hypothesized it may permit Ca2+ diffusion into the cell to regulate IL-1β. High-throughput flow cytometric analysis demonstrated that TNF-α treatments lead to elevated [Ca2+]i, corresponding with Panx1 membrane localization. Genetic or pharmacological inhibition of Panx1 reduced TNF-α-associated increases in [Ca2+]i, blocked phosphorylation of the NF-κB-p65 protein, and reduced IL-1β transcription. Taken together, the data in our study provide the first evidence, to our knowledge, that [Ca2+]i regulation via the Panx1 channel induces a feed-forward effect on NF-κB to regulate IL-1β synthesis and release in endothelium during inflammation.
Project description:Ca2+ channels are essential to cell birth, life, and death. They can be externally activated by optogenetic tools, but this requires robust introduction of exogenous optogenetic genes for expression of photosensitive proteins in biological systems. Here we present femtoSOC, a method for direct control of Ca2+ channels solely by ultrafast laser without the need for optogenetic tools or any other exogenous reagents. Specifically, by focusing and scanning wavelength-tuned low-power femtosecond laser pulses on the plasma membrane for multiphoton excitation, we directly induced Ca2+ influx in cultured cells. Mechanistic study reveals that photoexcited flavins covalently bind cysteine residues in Orai1 via thioether bonds, which facilitates Orai1 polymerization to form store-operated calcium channels (SOCs) independently of STIM1, a protein generally participating in SOC formation, enabling all-optical activation of Ca2+ influx and downstream signaling pathways. Moreover, we used femtoSOC to demonstrate direct neural activation both in brain slices in vitro and in intact brains of living mice in vivo in a spatiotemporal-specific manner, indicating potential utility of femtoSOC.
Project description:Transmembrane heparan sulfate proteoglycans regulate multiple aspects of cell behavior, but the molecular basis of their signaling is unresolved. The major family of transmembrane proteoglycans is the syndecans, present in virtually all nucleated cells, but with mostly unknown functions. Here, we show that syndecans regulate transient receptor potential canonical (TRPCs) channels to control cytosolic calcium equilibria and consequent cell behavior. In fibroblasts, ligand interactions with heparan sulfate of syndecan-4 recruit cytoplasmic protein kinase C to target serine714 of TRPC7 with subsequent control of the cytoskeleton and the myofibroblast phenotype. In epidermal keratinocytes a syndecan-TRPC4 complex controls adhesion, adherens junction composition, and early differentiation in vivo and in vitro. In Caenorhabditis elegans, the TRPC orthologues TRP-1 and -2 genetically complement the loss of syndecan by suppressing neuronal guidance and locomotory defects related to increases in neuronal calcium levels. The widespread and conserved syndecan-TRPC axis therefore fine tunes cytoskeletal organization and cell behavior.
Project description:Voltage-gated calcium ion (CaV) channels convert neuronal activity into rapid intracellular calcium signals to trigger a myriad of cellular responses. Their involvement in major neurological and psychiatric diseases, and importance as therapeutic targets, has propelled interest in subcellular-specific mechanisms that align CaV channel activity to specific tasks. Here, we highlight recent studies that delineate mechanisms controlling the expression of CaV channels at the level of RNA and protein. We discuss the roles of RNA editing and alternative pre-mRNA splicing in generating CaV channel isoforms with activities specific to the demands of individual cells; the roles of ubiquitination and accessory proteins in regulating CaV channel expression; and the specific binding partners that contribute to both pre- and postsynaptic CaV channel function.
Project description:Aldosterone, which plays a key role in the regulation of blood pressure, is produced by zona glomerulosa (ZG) cells of the adrenal cortex. Exaggerated overproduction of aldosterone from ZG cells causes primary hyperaldosteronism. In ZG cells, calcium entry through voltage-gated calcium channels plays a central role in the regulation of aldosterone secretion. Previous studies in animal adrenals and human adrenal adrenocortical cell lines suggest that the T-type but not the L-type calcium channel activity drives aldosterone production. However, recent clinical studies show that somatic mutations in L-type calcium channels are the second most prevalent cause of aldosterone-producing adenoma. Our objective was to define the roles of T and L-type calcium channels in regulating aldosterone secretion from human adrenals. We find that human adrenal ZG cells mainly express T-type CaV3.2/3.3 and L-type CaV1.2/1.3 calcium channels. TTA-P2, a specific inhibitor of T-type calcium channel subtypes, reduced basal aldosterone secretion from acutely prepared slices of human adrenals. Surprisingly, nifedipine, the prototypic inhibitor of L-type calcium channels, also decreased basal aldosterone secretion, suggesting that L-type calcium channels are active under basal conditions. In addition, TTA-P2 or nifedipine also inhibited aldosterone secretion stimulated by angiotensin II- or elevations in extracellular K+. Remarkably, blockade of either L- or T-type calcium channels inhibits basal and stimulated aldosterone production to a similar extent. Low concentrations of TTA-P2 and nifedipine showed additive inhibitory effect on aldosterone secretion. We conclude that T- and L-type calcium channels play equally important roles in controlling aldosterone production from human adrenals.
Project description:Analysis of transcriptome in moss Physcomitrella patens CNGCb null mutant at 25 and 34 degrees C for 30 minutes. Results provide insight into role of CNGCb in acquired thermotolerance induced by non-lethal heat treatment. Typically at dawn of a hot summer day, land plants need precise molecular thermometers to sense harmless increments in the ambient temperature to timely develop a heat-shock response (HSR) and accumulate protective heat shock proteins (Hsps), in anticipation of upcoming harmful temperatures at mid-day. Here, we found that the CNGCb gene from Physcomitrella patens and its Arabidopsis ortholog CNGC2, encode for a component of cyclic nucleotide gated Ca2+ channels acting as the primary thermosensors of land plant cells. Disruption of CNGCb or CNGC2 produced a hyper-thermosensitive phenotype, giving rise to a HSR and acquired thermotolerance at significantly milder heat-priming treatments than in wild type plants. In an aequorin-expressing moss, CNGCb loss-of-function caused altered Ca2+ signaling and a sustained Ca2+ influx. Patch clamp recordings on moss protoplasts showed the presence of three distinct thermo-responsive Ca2+-channels in wild type cells. Deletion of CNGCb led to a total absence of one, and it increased the open probability of the remaining two thermo-responsive Ca2+ channels. Thus, both in Arabidopsis and moss, CNGC2 and CNGCb are expected to form with other related CNGCs, heteromeric Ca2+ channels in the plasma membrane that respond to mild increments in the ambient temperature by triggering an optimal HSR, leading to the onset of plant acquired thermotolerance. The WT moss tissues were heat-shocked for a half an hour at 34°C and 38°C and CNGCb at 25and 34°C followed by liquid nitrogen freezing. Total RNA was isolated using RNeasy Mini Kit (QIAGEN, Hilden, Germany) and two biological replicate samples for each treatment, were extracted. An Agilent-certified microarray service lab (MOgene, LC, St. Louis, MO, USA) was used to verify the integrity of the RNA and perform the microarray experiments. Two biological replicates were performed.
Project description:Voltage-gated calcium (Ca(V)) channels deliver Ca(2+) to trigger cellular functions ranging from cardiac muscle contraction to neurotransmitter release. The mechanism by which these channels select for Ca(2+) over other cations is thought to involve multiple Ca(2+)-binding sites within the pore. Although the Ca(2+) affinity and cation preference of these sites have been extensively investigated, the effect of voltage on these sites has not received the same attention. We used a neuronal preparation enriched for N-type calcium (Ca(V)2.2) channels to investigate the effect of voltage on Ca(2+) flux. We found that the EC50 for Ca(2+) permeation increases from 13 mM at 0 mV to 240 mM at 60 mV, indicating that, during permeation, Ca(2+) ions sense the electric field. These data were nicely reproduced using a three-binding-site step model. Using roscovitine to slow Ca(V)2.2 channel deactivation, we extended these measurements to voltages <0 mV. Permeation was minimally affected at these hyperpolarized voltages, as was predicted by the model. As an independent test of voltage effects on permeation, we examined the Ca(2+)-Ba(2+) anomalous mole fraction (MF) effect, which was both concentration and voltage dependent. However, the Ca(2+)-Ba(2+) anomalous MF data could not be reproduced unless we added a fourth site to our model. Thus, Ca(2+) permeation through Ca(V)2.2 channels may require at least four Ca(2+)-binding sites. Finally, our results suggest that the high affinity of Ca(2+) for the channel helps to enhance Ca(2+) influx at depolarized voltages relative to other ions (e.g., Ba(2+) or Na(+)), whereas the absence of voltage effects at negative potentials prevents Ca(2+) from becoming a channel blocker. Both effects are needed to maximize Ca(2+) influx over the voltages spanned by action potentials.
Project description:Ion channels are essential for the regulation of neuronal functions. The significance of plasma membrane, mitochondrial, endoplasmic reticulum and lysosomal ion channels in the regulation of Ca(2+) is well established. In contrast, surprisingly little is known about the function of ion channels on the nuclear envelope (NE). Here we demonstrate the presence of functional large-conductance, calcium-activated potassium channels (BK channels) on the NE of rodent hippocampal neurons. Functionally, blockade of nuclear BK channels (nBK channels) induces NE-derived Ca(2+) release, nucleoplasmic Ca(2+) elevation and cyclic AMP response element binding protein (CREB)-dependent transcription. More importantly, blockade of nBK channels regulates nuclear Ca(2+)-sensitive gene expression and promotes dendritic arborization in a nuclear Ca(2+)-dependent manner. These results suggest that the nBK channel functions as a molecular link between neuronal activity and nuclear Ca(2+) to convey signals from synapse to nucleus and is a new modulator, operating at the NE, of synaptic activity-dependent neuronal functions.