Calcium release activated channel

Calcium release-activated calcium channel protein 1 (olf186-F)
Identifiers
SymbolOrai
PfamPF07856
InterProIPR012446
TCDB1.A.52
OPM superfamily234
OPM protein4hkr
Available protein structures:
Pfam  structures / ECOD  
PDBRCSB PDB; PDBe; PDBj
PDBsumstructure summary

Calcium release-activated channels (CRAC) are specialized plasma membrane Ca2+ ion channels. When calcium ions (Ca2+) are depleted from the endoplasmic reticulum (a major store of Ca2+) of mammalian cells, the CRAC channel is activated to slowly replenish the level of calcium in the endoplasmic reticulum. The Ca2+ Release-activated Ca2+ (CRAC) Channel (CRAC-C) Family (TC# 1.A.52) is a member of the Cation Diffusion Facilitator (CDF) Superfamily. These proteins typically have between 4 and 6 transmembrane α-helical spanners (TMSs). The 4 TMS CRAC channels arose by loss of 2TMSs from 6TMS CDF carriers, an example of 'reverse' evolution'.[1]

Homology

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There are several proteins that belong to the CRAC-C family. A list of the currently classified members of the CRAC-C family can be found in the Transporter Classification Database. This classification is based on sequence similarity which also happens to coincide with functional and structural similarities between homologues.

Structure

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Almost all CRAC homologues are about 250 residues long, but some are up to 100 residues longer (e.g., the Drosophila melanogaster Olf186-F, TC# 1.A.52.1.5).

The plasma membrane protein "Orai" (ORAI1 and ORAI2 in humans) forms the pore of the CRAC channel. The protein ORAI1 is a structural component of the CRAC calcium channel. ORAI1 interacts with the STIM1 protein. STIM1 is a transmembrane protein of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). STIM1 can sense the concentration of Ca2+ inside the ER. When the concentration of Ca2+ inside the ER becomes low, STIM1 proteins aggregate and interact with ORAI1 located in the cell surface membrane.[2] When the concentration of Ca2+ inside the ER approaches an upper set point, another protein, SARAF (TMEM66) associates with STIM1 to inactivate the store-operated calcium channel (SOCE).[3]

The crystal structure of Orai from Drosophila melanogaster has been determined at 3.35 angstrom resolution (PDB: 4HKR​).[4] The calcium channel is composed of a hexameric assembly of Orai subunits arranged around a central ion pore. The pore traverses the membrane and extends into the cytosol. A ring of glutamate residues on its extracellular side forms the selectivity filter. A basic region near the intracellular side can bind anions that may stabilize the closed state. The architecture of the channel differs markedly from other ion channels and provides insight into the principles of selective calcium permeation and gating.[4]

Function

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In electrically non-excitable cells (i.e., blood cells), Ca2+ influx is essential for regulating a host of kinetically distinct processes involving exocytosis, enzyme control, gene regulation, cell growth and proliferation, and apoptosis. Capacitative calcium entry appears to also be a major means of signal transduction. The major Ca2+ entry pathway in these cells is the store-operated one, in which the emptying of intracellular Ca2+ stores activates Ca2+ influx (store-operated Ca2+ entry, or capacitative Ca2+ entry). This is often referred to as the store-operated current or SOC.[5]

A common mechanism by which such cytoplasmic calcium signals are generated involves receptors that are coupled to the activation of phospholipase C. Phospholipase C generates inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3), which in turn mediates the discharge of Ca2+ from intracellular stores (components of the endoplasmic reticulum), allowing calcium to be released into the cytosol. In most of the cell, the fall in Ca2+ concentration within the lumen of the Ca2+-storing organelles subsequently activates plasma membrane Ca2+ channels.

STIM Complex

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STIM1 is a Ca2+-sensor protein specialized for electrical signaling in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER).[6] It interacts with and mediates store-dependent regulation of both Orai1 and TRPC1 channels. TRPC1+STIM1-dependent SOC requires functional Orai1.[7] STIM1 is the mechanistic 'missing link' between the ER and the plasma membrane. STIM proteins sense the depletion of luminal Ca2+ from the ER and trigger activation of CRAC channels in the surface membrane after Ca2+ store depletion. The process involves oligomerization, then translocation to junctions adjacent to the plasma membrane, by which the CRAC channels become organized into clusters and then open to bring about SOC entry.[8]

Lymphocytes

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The primary mechanism of extracellular Ca2+ entry in lymphocytes involves CRAC channels. STIM1 is a crucial component of the CRAC influx mechanism in lymphocytes, acting as a sensor of low Ca2+ concentration in the ER and an activator of the Ca2+ selective channel ORAI1 in the plasma membrane. Yarkoni and Cambier (2011) reported that STIM1 expression differs in murine T and B lymphocytes; mature T cells express about 4 times more STIM1 than mature B cells. Through the physiologic range of expression, STIM1 levels determine the magnitude of Ca2+ influx responses that follow BCR-induced intracellular store depletion.[9]

SCID

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Antigen stimulation of immune cells triggers Ca2+ entry through tetrameric Ca2+ release-activated Ca2+ (CRAC) channels, promoting the immune response to pathogens by activating the transcription factor NFAT. Cells from patients with one form of hereditary Severe Combined Immune Deficiency (SCID) syndrome are defective in store-operated Ca2+ entry and CRAC channel function.[10] The genetic defect in these patients appears to be in ORAI1 (TM protein 142A; TMEM142a), which contains four putative transmembrane segments.[11] SCID patients are homozygous for a single missense mutation in ORAI1, and expression of wild-type ORAI1 in SCID T cells restores store-operated Ca2+ influx and the CRAC current (ICRAC).

SOCE

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Store operated calcium entry (SOCE) is used to regulate basal calcium, refill intracellular Ca2+ stores, and execute a wide range of specialized activities. STIM and Orai are the essential components enabling the reconstitution of Ca2+ release-activated Ca2+ (CRAC) channels that mediate SOCE. Palty et al. (2012) reported the molecular identification of SARAF as a negative regulator of SOCE. It is an endoplasmic reticulum membrane resident protein that associates with STIM to facilitate slow Ca2+-dependent inactivation of SOCE. SARAF plays a key role in shaping cytosolic Ca2+ signals and determining the content of the major intracellular Ca2+ stores, a role that is likely to be important in protecting cells from Ca2+overfilling.[3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Matias MG, Gomolplitinant KM, Tamang DG, Saier MH (June 2010). "Animal Ca2+ release-activated Ca2+ (CRAC) channels appear to be homologous to and derived from the ubiquitous cation diffusion facilitators". BMC Research Notes. 3: 158. doi:10.1186/1756-0500-3-158. PMC 2894845. PMID 20525303.
  2. ^ Feske S (July 2010). "CRAC channelopathies". Pflügers Archiv. 460 (2): 417–35. doi:10.1007/s00424-009-0777-5. PMC 2885504. PMID 20111871.
  3. ^ a b Palty R, Raveh A, Kaminsky I, Meller R, Reuveny E (April 2012). "SARAF inactivates the store operated calcium entry machinery to prevent excess calcium refilling". Cell. 149 (2): 425–38. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2012.01.055. PMID 22464749.
  4. ^ a b Hou X, Pedi L, Diver MM, Long SB (December 2012). "Crystal structure of the calcium release-activated calcium channel Orai". Science. 338 (6112): 1308–13. Bibcode:2012Sci...338.1308H. doi:10.1126/science.1228757. PMC 3695727. PMID 23180775.
  5. ^ Parekh AB, Putney JW (April 2005). "Store-operated calcium channels". Physiological Reviews. 85 (2): 757–810. doi:10.1152/physrev.00057.2003. PMID 15788710.
  6. ^ Bird GS, Hwang SY, Smyth JT, Fukushima M, Boyles RR, Putney JW (November 2009). "STIM1 is a calcium sensor specialized for digital signaling". Current Biology. 19 (20): 1724–9. Bibcode:2009CBio...19.1724B. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2009.08.022. PMC 3552312. PMID 19765994.
  7. ^ Cheng KT, Liu X, Ong HL, Ambudkar IS (May 2008). "Functional requirement for Orai1 in store-operated TRPC1-STIM1 channels". The Journal of Biological Chemistry. 283 (19): 12935–40. doi:10.1074/jbc.C800008200. PMC 2442339. PMID 18326500.
  8. ^ Cahalan MD (June 2009). "STIMulating store-operated Ca(2+) entry". Nature Cell Biology. 11 (6): 669–77. doi:10.1038/ncb0609-669. PMC 2721799. PMID 19488056.
  9. ^ Yarkoni Y, Cambier JC (September 2011). "Differential STIM1 expression in T and B cell subsets suggests a role in determining antigen receptor signal amplitude". Molecular Immunology. 48 (15–16): 1851–8. doi:10.1016/j.molimm.2011.05.006. PMC 3163766. PMID 21663969.
  10. ^ Zhou Y, Ramachandran S, Oh-Hora M, Rao A, Hogan PG (March 2010). "Pore architecture of the ORAI1 store-operated calcium channel". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 107 (11): 4896–901. Bibcode:2010PNAS..107.4896Z. doi:10.1073/pnas.1001169107. PMC 2841875. PMID 20194792.
  11. ^ Hogan PG, Rao A (May 2007). "Dissecting ICRAC, a store-operated calcium current". Trends in Biochemical Sciences. 32 (5): 235–45. doi:10.1016/j.tibs.2007.03.009. PMID 17434311.