| Regulation of Protein Compartmentalization Expands the Diversity of Protein Function Developmental Cell, Volume 9, Issue 4, 1 October 2005, Pages 545-554 Kelly L. Shaffer, Ajay Sharma, Erik L. Snapp and Ramanujan S. Hegde Summary Proteins destined for the secretory pathway are translocated into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) by signal sequences that vary widely in their functional properties. We have investigated whether differences in signal sequence function have been exploited for cellular benefit. A cytosolic form of the ER chaperone calreticulin was found to arise by an aborted translocation mechanism dependent on its signal sequence and factors in the ER lumen and membrane. A signal sequence that functions independently of these accessory translocation factors selectively eliminated cytosolic calreticulin. In vivo replacement of endogenous calreticulin with a constitutively translocated form influenced glucocorticoid receptor-mediated gene activation without compromising chaperone activity in the ER. Thus, in addition to its well-established ER lumenal functions, calreticulin has an independent role in the cytosol that depends critically on its inefficient compartmentalization. We propose that regulation of protein translocation represents a potentially general mechanism for generating diversity of protein function. Summary | Full Text | PDF (367 kb) |
| Mitochondrial Calcium Transients in Adult Rabbit Cardiac Myocytes: Inhibition by Ruthenium Red and Artifacts Caused by Lysosomal Loading of Ca-Indicating Fluorophores Biophysical Journal, Volume 79, Issue 1, 1 July 2000, Pages 39-50 Donna R. Trollinger, Wayne E. Cascio and John J. Lemasters Abstract A cold/warm loading protocol was used to ester-load Rhod 2 into mitochondria and other organelles and Fluo 3 into the cytosol of adult rabbit cardiac myocytes for confocal fluorescence imaging. Transient increases in both cytosolic Fluo 3 and mitochondrial Rhod 2 fluorescence occurred after electrical stimulation. Ruthenium red, a blocker of the mitochondrial Ca uniporter, inhibited mitochondrial Rhod 2 fluorescence transients but not cytosolic Fluo 3 transients. Thus the ruthenium red-sensitive mitochondrial Ca uniporter catalyzes Ca uptake during beat-to-beat transients of mitochondrial free Ca, which in turn may help match mitochondrial ATP production to myocardial ATP demand. After ester loading, substantial amounts of Ca-indicating fluorophores localized into an acidic lysosomal/endosomal compartment. This lysosomal fluorescence did not respond to electrical stimulation. Because fluorescence arose predominantly from lysosomes after the cold loading/warm incubation procedure, total cellular fluorescence failed to track beat-to-beat changes of mitochondrial fluorescence. Only three-dimensionally resolved confocal imaging distinguished the relatively weak mitochondrial signal from the bright lysosomal fluorescence. Abstract | Full Text | PDF (1611 kb) |
| Investigation of factors affecting fluorometric quantitation of cytosolic [Ca2+] in perfused hearts Biophysical Journal, Volume 65, Issue 5, 1 November 1993, Pages 1983-1993 R. Brandes, V.M. Figueredo, S.A. Camacho, A.J. Baker and M.W. Weiner Abstract The goal of these studies was to examine the effects of several factors that may artifactually influence quantitation of cytosolic [Ca2+], [Ca2+]c, while using the fluorescent calcium indicator Indo-1. The following factors were investigated: 1) a possible fluorescence contribution from unhydrolized Indo-1/AM (by Mn2+ quenching), 2) Ca2+ buffering by Indo-1 (by varying [Indo-1]), 3) endothelial and mitochondrial Indo-1 loading (by bradykinin stimulation and calculations), and 4) effects of changing tissue fluorescence (predominantly NAD(P)H) on calculated [Ca2+]c during hypoxia (by a new method which allowed simultaneous determination of [Ca2+]c and changes in [NAD(P)H]). No significant contribution of Indo-1/AM was found. With increasing [Indo-1], calculated systolic [Ca2+]c fell significantly. Indo-1 incorporation (< 18%) into endothelial cells, caused a slight underestimation of systolic [Ca2+]c, while mitochondrial Indo-1 loading may cause overestimation of [Ca2+]c. With increased tissue fluorescence, during hypoxia, systolic [Ca2+]c may be underestimated by approximately 27% (for Indo-1 loading factors three to five times original tissue fluorescence). These studies suggest conditions in which experimental artifacts could be minimized to allow reliable quantitation of [Ca2+]c in intact perfused hearts using Indo-1 fluorometry. The major problem of obtaining reliable results depended on the ability to correct for changing NAD(P)H fluorescence while keeping [Indo-1] low. Abstract | PDF (1067 kb) |
Copyright © 1996 The Biophysical Society. All rights reserved.
Biophysical Journal, Volume 70, Issue 6, 2571-2580, 1 June 1996
doi:10.1016/S0006-3495(96)79828-4
Research Article
J.H. Schreur, V.M. Figueredo, M. Miyamae, D.M. Shames, A.J. Baker and S.A. Camacho
Department of Medicine, Cardiology, San Francisco General Hospital, California 94110, USA.
Assessment of free cytosolic [Ca2+] ([Ca2+]c) using the acetoxymethyl ester (AM) form of indo-1 may be compromised by loading of indo-1 into noncytosolic compartments, primarily mitochondria. To determine the fraction of noncytosolic fluorescence in whole hearts loaded with indo-1 AM, Mn2+ was used to quench cytosolic fluorescence. Residual (i.e., noncytosolic) fluorescence was subtracted from the total fluorescence before calculating [Ca2+]c. Noncytosolic fluorescence was used to estimate mitochondrial [Ca2+]. In hearts paced at 5 Hz (N = 17), noncytosolic fluorescence was 0.61 +/- 0.06 and 0.56 +/- 0.07 of total fluorescence at lambda 385 and lambda 456, respectively. After taking into account noncytosolic fluorescence, systolic and diastolic [Ca2+]c was 673 +/- 72 and 132 +/- 9 nM, respectively, noncytosolic [Ca2+] was 183 +/- 36 nM and increased to 272 +/- 12 when extracellular Ca2+ was increased from 2 to 6 mM. This increase in noncytosolic [Ca2+] was inhibited by ruthenium red, a blocker of Ca2+ uptake by mitochondria. We conclude that cytosolic and mitochondrial [Ca2+] can be determined in whole hearts loaded with indo-1 AM by using Mn2+ to quench cytosolic fluorescence.