Necdin protects embryonic motoneurons from programmed cell death.

NECDIN belongs to the type II Melanoma Associated Antigen Gene Expression gene family and is located in the Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) critical region. Necdin-deficient mice develop symptoms of PWS, including a sensory and motor deficit. However, the mechanisms underlying the motor deficit remain elusive. Here, we show that the genetic ablation of Necdin, whose expression is restricted to post-mitotic neurons in the spinal cord during development, leads to a loss of 31% of specified motoneurons. The increased neuronal loss occurs during the period of naturally-occurring cell death and is not confined to specific pools of motoneurons. To better understand the role of Necdin during the period of programmed cell death of motoneurons we used embryonic spinal cord explants and primary motoneuron cultures from Necdin-deficient mice. Interestingly, while Necdin-deficient motoneurons present the same survival response to neurotrophic factors, we demonstrate that deletion of Necdin leads to an increased susceptibility of motoneurons to neurotrophic factor deprivation. We show that by neutralizing TNFα this increased susceptibility of Necdin-deficient motoneurons to trophic factor deprivation can be reduced to the normal level. We propose that Necdin is implicated through the TNF-receptor 1 pathway in the developmental death of motoneurons.

Modelling of the III-IV loop, a domain involved in calcium channel Ca(v)2.1 inactivation, highlights a structural homology with the gamma subunit of G proteins.

We have modelled the conformation of the III-IV loop of the Ca(v)2.1 subunit of P/Q calcium channels, a loop that is implicated in fast voltage-dependent inactivation. Change in channel inactivation requires its direct interaction with the I-II loop. This interaction occurs with an affinity in the order of 70 nm. Intracellular injection of a 40-mer III-IV loop-derived peptide produces an increase in the rate of fast inactivation. This alteration in channel kinetic is also accompanied by a hyperpolarizing shift in the steady-state voltage-dependence of inactivation. None of these effects are observed in the presence of a beta subunit, suggesting the existence of a competitive mechanism of action between the beta subunit and the III-IV loop. Amino acid sequence comparison using BLAST reveals that the III-IV loop shares 53% identity with the gamma subunit of G proteins. Because of the pivotal contribution of the III-IV loop to inactivation, an atomic model of the III-IV loop was generated by both homology modelling and molecular mechanics calculations. Using the X-ray structures of the betagamma dimer of the heterotrimeric G-proteins as templates, the III-IV loop is predicted to contain a well-structured alpha-helix at the amino-terminus with both the N- and C-termini having the same orientation in the plane of the inner lipid bilayer. We provide a hypothetical working model in which we propose that the III-IV loop interacts with the I-II loop via its Gbetagamma binding domain.

Use of a purified and functional recombinant calcium-channel beta4 subunit in surface-plasmon resonance studies.

Native high-voltage-gated calcium channels are multi-subunit complexes comprising a pore-forming subunit Ca(v) and at least two auxiliary subunits alpha(2)delta and beta. The beta subunit facilitates cell-surface expression of the channel and contributes significantly to its biophysical properties. In spite of its importance, detailed structural and functional studies are hampered by the limited availability of native beta subunit. Here, we report the purification of a recombinant calcium-channel beta(4) subunit from bacterial extracts by using a polyhistidine tag. The purified protein is fully functional since it binds on the alpha1 interaction domain, its main Ca(v)-binding site, and regulates the activity of P/Q calcium channel expressed in Xenopus oocytes in a similar way to the beta(4) subunit produced by cRNA injection. We took advantage of the functionality of the purified material to (i) develop an efficient surface-plasmon resonance assay of the interaction between two calcium channel subunits and (ii) measure, for the first time, the affinity of the recombinant His-beta(4) subunit for the full-length Ca(v)2.1 channel. The availability of this purified material and the development of a surface-plasmon resonance assay opens two immediate research perspectives: (i) drug screening programmes applied to the Ca(v)/beta interaction and (ii) crystallographic studies of the calcium-channel beta(4) subunit.

The interaction between the I-II loop and the III-IV loop of Cav2.1 contributes to voltage-dependent inactivation in a beta -dependent manner.

We have investigated the molecular mechanisms whereby the I-II loop controls voltage-dependent inactivation in P/Q calcium channels. We demonstrate that the I-II loop is localized in a central position to control calcium channel activity through the interaction with several cytoplasmic sequences; including the III-IV loop. Several experiments reveal the crucial role of the interaction between the I-II loop and the III-IV loop in channel inactivation. First, point mutations of two amino acid residues of the I-II loop of Ca(v)2.1 (Arg-387 or Glu-388) facilitate voltage-dependent inactivation. Second, overexpression of the III-IV loop, or injection of a peptide derived from this loop, produces a similar inactivation behavior than the mutated channels. Third, the III-IV peptide has no effect on channels mutated in the I-II loop. Thus, both point mutations and overexpression of the III-IV loop appear to act similarly on inactivation, by competing off the native interaction between the I-II and the III-IV loops of Ca(v)2.1. As they are known to affect inactivation, we also analyzed the effects of beta subunits on these interactions. In experiments in which the beta(4) subunit is co-expressed, the III-IV peptide is no longer able to regulate channel inactivation. We conclude that (i) the contribution of the I-II loop to inactivation is partly mediated by an interaction with the III-IV loop and (ii) the beta subunits partially control inactivation by modifying this interaction. These data provide novel insights into the mechanisms whereby the beta subunit, the I-II loop, and the III-IV loop altogether can contribute to regulate inactivation in high voltage-activated calcium channels.

FKBP12 modulation of the binding of the skeletal ryanodine receptor onto the II-III loop of the dihydropyridine receptor.

In skeletal muscle, excitation-contraction coupling involves a functional interaction between the ryanodine receptor (RyR) and the dihydropyridine receptor (DHPR). The domain corresponding to Thr(671)-Leu(690) of the II-III loop of the skeletal DHPR alpha(1)-subunit is able to regulate RyR properties and calcium release from sarcoplasmic reticulum, whereas the domain corresponding to Glu(724)-Pro(760) antagonizes this effect. Two peptides, covering these sequences (peptide A(Sk) and C(Sk), respectively) were immobilized on polystyrene beads. We demonstrate that peptide A(Sk) binds to the skeletal isoform of RyR (RyR1) whereas peptide C(Sk) does not. Using surface plasmon resonance detection, we show that 1) domain Thr(671)-Leu(690) is the only sequence of the II-III loop binding with RyR1 and 2) the interaction of peptide A(Sk) with RyR1 is not modulated by Ca(2+) (pCa 9-2) nor by Mg(2+) (up to 10 mM). In contrast, this interaction is strongly potentiated by the immunophilin FKBP12 (EC(50) = 10 nM) and inhibited by both rapamycin (IC(50) = 5 nM) and FK506. Peptide A(Sk) induces a 300% increase of the opening probability of the RyR1 incorporated in lipid bilayer. Removal of FKBP12 from RyR1 completely abolishes this effect of domain A(Sk) on RyR1 channel behavior. These results demonstrate a direct interaction of the RyR1 with the discrete domain of skeletal DHPR alpha(1)-subunit corresponding to Thr(671)-Leu(690) and show that the association of FKBP12 with RyR1 specifically modulates this interaction.