The functions of store-operated calcium channels.

Store-operated calcium channels provide calcium signals to the cytoplasm of a wide variety of cell types. The basic components of this signaling mechanism include a mechanism for discharging Ca2+ stores (commonly but not exclusively phospholipase C and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate), a sensor in the endoplasmic reticulum that also serves as an activator of the plasma membrane channel (STIM1 and STIM2), and the store-operated channel (Orai1, 2 or 3). The advent of mice genetically altered to reduce store-operated calcium entry globally or in specific cell types has provided important tools to understand the functions of these widely encountered channels in specific and clinically important physiological systems. This review briefly discusses the history and cellular properties of store-operated calcium channels, and summarizes selected studies of their physiological functions in specific physiological or pathological contexts. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: ECS Meeting edited by Claus Heizmann, Joachim Krebs and Jacques Haiech.

Essential role of Orai1 store-operated calcium channels in lactation.

The nourishment of neonates by nursing is the defining characteristic of mammals. However, despite considerable research into the neural control of lactation, an understanding of the signaling mechanisms underlying the production and expulsion of milk by mammary epithelial cells during lactation remains largely unknown. Here we demonstrate that a store-operated Ca(2+) channel subunit, Orai1, is required for both optimal Ca(2+) transport into milk and for milk ejection. Using a novel, 3D imaging strategy, we visualized live oxytocin-induced alveolar unit contractions in the mammary gland, and we demonstrated that in this model milk is ejected by way of pulsatile contractions of these alveolar units. In mammary glands of Orai1 knockout mice, these contractions are infrequent and poorly coordinated. We reveal that oxytocin also induces a large transient release of stored Ca(2+) in mammary myoepithelial cells followed by slow, irregular Ca(2+) oscillations. These oscillations, and not the initial Ca(2+) transient, are mediated exclusively by Orai1 and are absolutely required for milk ejection and pup survival, an observation that redefines the signaling processes responsible for milk ejection. These findings clearly demonstrate that Ca(2+) is not just a substrate for nutritional enrichment in mammals but is also a master regulator of the spatiotemporal signaling events underpinning mammary alveolar unit contraction. Orai1-dependent Ca(2+) oscillations may represent a conserved language in myoepithelial cells of other secretory epithelia, such as sweat glands, potentially shedding light on other Orai1 channelopathies, including anhidrosis (an inability to sweat).

Transient complex I inhibition at the onset of reperfusion by extracellular acidification decreases cardiac injury.

A reversible inhibition of mitochondrial respiration by complex I inhibition at the onset of reperfusion decreases injury in buffer-perfused hearts. Administration of acidic reperfusate for a brief period at reperfusion decreases cardiac injury. We asked if acidification treatment decreased cardiac injury during reperfusion by inhibiting complex I. Exposure of isolated mouse heart mitochondria to acidic buffer decreased the complex I substrate-stimulated respiration, whereas respiration with complex II substrates was unaltered. Evidence of the rapid and reversible inhibition of complex I by an acidic environment was obtained at the level of isolated complex, intact mitochondria and in situ mitochondria in digitonin-permeabilized cardiac myocytes. Moreover, ischemia-damaged complex I was also reversibly inhibited by an acidic environment. In the buffer-perfused mouse heart, reperfusion with pH 6.6 buffer for the initial 5 min decreased infarction. Compared with untreated hearts, acidification treatment markedly decreased the mitochondrial generation of reactive oxygen species and improved mitochondrial calcium retention capacity and inner mitochondrial membrane integrity. The decrease in infarct size achieved by acidic reperfusion approximates the reduction obtained by a reversible, partial blockade of complex I at reperfusion. Extracellular acidification decreases cardiac injury during reperfusion in part via the transient and reversible inhibition of complex I, leading to a reduction of oxyradical generation accompanied by a decreased susceptibility to mitochondrial permeability transition during early reperfusion.

Role of Orai1 and store-operated calcium entry in mouse lacrimal gland signalling and function.

Lacrimal glands function to produce an aqueous layer, or tear film, that helps to nourish and protect the ocular surface. Lacrimal glands secrete proteins, electrolytes and water, and loss of gland function can result in tear film disorders such as dry eye syndrome, a widely encountered and debilitating disease in ageing populations. To combat these disorders, understanding the underlying molecular signalling processes that control lacrimal gland function will give insight into corrective therapeutic approaches. Previously, in single lacrimal cells isolated from lacrimal glands, we demonstrated that muscarinic receptor activation stimulates a phospholipase C-coupled signalling cascade involving the inositol trisphosphate-dependent mobilization of intracellular calcium and the subsequent activation of store-operated calcium entry (SOCE). Since intracellular calcium stores are finite and readily exhausted, the SOCE pathway is a critical process for sustaining and maintaining receptor-activated signalling. Recent studies have identified the Orai family proteins as critical components of the SOCE channel activity in a wide variety of cell types. In this study we characterize the role of Orai1 in the function of lacrimal glands using a mouse model in which the gene for the calcium entry channel protein, Orai1, has been deleted. Our data demonstrate that lacrimal acinar cells lacking Orai1 do not exhibit SOCE following activation of the muscarinic receptor. In comparison with wild-type and heterozygous littermates, Orai1 knockout mice showed a significant reduction in the stimulated tear production following injection of pilocarpine, a muscarinic receptor agonist. In addition, calcium-dependent, but not calcium-independent exocytotic secretion of peroxidase was eliminated in glands from knockout mice. These studies indicate a critical role for Orai1-mediated SOCE in lacrimal gland signalling and function.

Synthesis and characterization of photocurable polyamidoamine dendrimer hydrogels as a versatile platform for tissue engineering and drug delivery.

In this work, we describe a novel polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimer hydrogel (DH) platform with potential for tissue engineering and drug delivery. With PAMAM dendrimer G3.0 being the underlying carrier, polyethylene glycol (PEG) chains of various lengths (MW = 1500, 6000, or 12000 g mol(-1)) were coupled to the dendrimer to different extents, and the resulting PEGylated PAMAM dendrimers were further coupled with acrylate groups to yield photoreactive dendrimer macromonomers for gel formation. It was found that gelation based on photoreactive PAMAM G3.0 macromonomers was restricted by the degree of PEGylation, PEG chain length, and the distribution of acrylate groups on the dendrimer surface. Further, the architecture of the photoreactive macromonomers affects the structural stability and swelling of the resultant networks. A completely cross-linked network (DH-G3.0-12000(H)) with a high water swelling ratio was created by UV-curing of PAMAM dendrimer G3.0 coupled with 28 PEG 12000 chains in the presence of the eosin Y-based photoinitiating system. The disintegration of DH-G3.0-12000(H) was pH-insensitive. DH-G3.0-12000(H) was found to have similar cytocompatibility to un-cross-linked G3.0-12000(H) but a significantly lower cellular uptake by macrophages. With PAMAM dendrimer G3.5 being the underlying carrier, the dendrimer modified with 43 PEG 1500 chains was able to form a completely cross-linked network (DH-G3.5-1500(H)) by UV-curing in the presence of the eosin Y-based photoinitiating system. DH-G3.5-1500(H) exhibited pH-dependent disintegration. Its disintegration ratio increased with pH. PAMAM dendrimer hydrogels uniquely express the structural characteristics of both PEG hydrogel and PAMAM dendrimer and have potential for various applications in tissue engineering and drug delivery.

Multiple types of calcium channels arising from alternative translation initiation of the Orai1 message.

In mammals exclusively, the pore-forming Ca(2+) release-activated Ca(2+) (CRAC) channel subunit Orai1 occurs in two forms because of alternative translation initiation. The longer, mammal-specific Orai1α contains an additional 63 amino acids upstream of the conserved start site for Orai1ß, which occurs at methionine 64 in Orai1α. Orai1 participates in the generation of three distinct Ca(2+) currents, including two store-operated currents: Icrac, which involves activation of Orai1 channels by the Ca(2+)-sensing protein STIM1 (stromal interaction molecule 1), and Isoc, which involves an interaction among Orai1, the transient receptor potential (TRP) family member TRPC1 (TRP canonical 1), and STIM1. Orai1 is also a pore-forming subunit of an arachidonic acid (or leukotriene C4)-regulated current Iarc that involves interactions among Orai1, Orai3, and STIM1. We evaluated the roles of the two Orai1 forms in the Ca(2+) currents Icrac, Isoc, and Iarc. We found that Orai1α and Orai1ß were largely interchangeable for Icrac and Isoc, although Orai1α exhibited stronger inhibition by Ca(2+). Only the mammalian-specific Orai1α functioned in the arachidonic acid-regulated current Iarc. Thus, alternative translation initiation of the Orai1 message produces at least three types of Ca(2+) channels with distinct signaling and regulatory properties.