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A Alioua

Publications and source records attributed to A Alioua.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

An endoplasmic reticulum trafficking signal prevents surface expression of a voltage- and Ca2+-activated K+ channel splice variant.

Protein delivery to restricted plasma membrane domains is exquisitely regulated at different stages of the cell trafficking machinery. Traffic control involves the recognition of export/retention/retrieval signals in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)/Golgi complex that will determine protein fate. A splice variant (SV), SV1, of the voltage- and Ca(2+)-activated K(+) channel alpha-subunit accumulates the channel in the ER, preventing its surface expression. We show that SV1 insert contains a nonbasic, hydrophobic retention/retrieval motif, CVLF, that does not interfere with proper folding and tetramerization of SV1. Localization of proteins in the ER by CVLF is independent of its position; originally, on the first internal loop, SV1 insert or CVLF perform equally well if placed at the middle or end of the alpha-subunit intracellular carboxyl terminus. Also, CVLF is able to restrict the traffic of an independently expressed transmembrane protein, beta 1-subunit. CVLF is present in proteins across species and in lower organisms. Thus, CVLF may have evolved to serve as a regulator of cellular traffic.

Amino Acid Motifs↗
PubMed2001

A novel MaxiK splice variant exhibits dominant-negative properties for surface expression.

We identified a novel MaxiK alpha subunit splice variant (SV1) from rat myometrium that is also present in brain. SV1 has a 33-amino acid insert in the S1 transmembrane domain that does not alter S1 overall hydrophobicity, but makes the S0-S1 linker longer. SV1 was transfected in HEK293T cells and studied using immunocytochemistry and electrophysiology. In non-permeabilized cells, N-terminal c-Myc- or C-terminal green fluorescent protein-tagged SV1 displayed no surface labeling or currents. The lack of SV1 functional expression was due to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) retention as determined by colabeling experiments with a specific ER marker. To explore the functional role of SV1, we coexpressed SV1 with the alpha (human SLO) and beta1 (KCNMB1) subunits of the MaxiK channel. Coexpression of SV1 inhibited surface expression of alpha and beta1 subunits approximately 80% by trapping them in the ER. This inhibition seems to be specific for MaxiK channel subunits since SV1 was unable to prevent surface expression of the Kv4.3 channel or to interact with green fluorescent protein. These results indicate a dominant-negative role of SV1 in MaxiK channel expression. Moreover, they reveal down-regulation by splice variants as a new mechanism that may contribute to the diverse levels of MaxiK channel expression in non-excitable and excitable cells.

Alternative Splicing↗
PubMed1998

The large conductance, voltage-dependent, and calcium-sensitive K+ channel, Hslo, is a target of cGMP-dependent protein kinase phosphorylation in vivo.

Native large conductance, voltage-dependent, and Ca2+-sensitive K+ channels are activated by cGMP-dependent protein kinase. Two possible mechanisms of kinase action have been proposed: 1) direct phosphorylation of the channel and 2) indirect via PKG-dependent activation of a phosphatase. To scrutinize the first possibility, at the molecular level, we used the human pore-forming alpha-subunit of the Ca2+-sensitive K+ channel, Hslo, and the alpha-isoform of cGMP-dependent protein kinase I. In cell-attached patches of oocytes co-expressing the Hslo channel and the kinase, 8-Br-cGMP significantly increased the macroscopic currents. This increase in current was due to an increase in the channel voltage sensitivity by approximately 20 mV and was reversed by alkaline phosphatase treatment after patch excision. In inside-out patches, however, the effect of purified kinase was negative in 12 of 13 patches. In contrast, and consistent with the intact cell experiments, purified kinase applied to the cytoplasmic side of reconstituted channels increased their open probability. This stimulatory effect was absent when heat-denatured kinase was used. Biochemical experiments show that the purified kinase incorporates gamma-33P into the immunopurified Hslo band of approximately 125 kDa. Furthermore, in vivo phosphorylation largely attenuates this labeling in back-phosphorylation experiments. These results demonstrate that the alpha-subunit of large conductance Ca2+-sensitive K+ channels is substrate for G-Ialpha kinase in vivo and support direct phosphorylation as a mechanism for PKG-Ialpha-induced activation of maxi-K channels.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Functional identification of a sarcolemmal chloride channel from bovine tracheal smooth muscle.

The biophysical and pharmacological characteristics of unitary Cl- currents from bovine tracheal smooth muscle cells were studied after reconstitution of microsomal vesicles into planar lipid bilayers. Two types of currents were recorded simultaneously in KCl buffer: the well-defined Ca(2+)-dependent K+ conductance [GK(Ca)] and a much smaller Cl- current, indicating that the Cl- channels under scrutiny originate from the same membrane as the GK(Ca)-type channels, the plasma membrane of airway smooth muscle (ASM) cells. The GK(Ca) activities were eliminated by the use of CsCl buffer. The average unitary Cl- conductance measured in 50 mM trans-250 mM cis CsCl was 77 +/- 6 pS (n = 21), and the reversal potential measured in various CsCl gradients followed the Cl- equilibrium potential as determined from the Nernst equation. In contrast with the previous reports describing the Ca2+ sensitivity of macroscopic ASM Cl- currents, this channel was found to be insensitive to cytoplasmic and extracellular Ca2+ levels. Phosphorylation cocktails, including protein kinases A, G, or C, did not alter the activity of the channel nor did changes in pH. Among a series of Cl- channel inhibitors, 4,4'-diisothiocyanostilbene-2, 2'-disulfonic acid [50% effective concentration (EC50) = 30 microM] and 5-nitro-2-(3-phenylpropylamino) benzoic acid (EC50 = 130 microM) were the most potent blockers of the current examined. The exact role of this surface Cl- conductance remains unclear, and its involvement in cellular activity needs further investigation.

4,4'-Diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-Disulfonic Acid↗
PubMed1995

PKG-I alpha phosphorylates the alpha-subunit and upregulates reconstituted GKCa channels from tracheal smooth muscle.

Modulation of Ca(2+)-dependent K+ channel (GKCa) activities in airway smooth muscles (ASM) by guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP)-dependent protein kinase (PKG) is thought to play a central role in mediating the effect of some bronchodilator agents that elevate cytoplasmic basal cGMP concentrations. However, no direct evidence supports this hypothesis in ASM. In the present work, we provide evidence that PKG-I alpha upregulates GKCa channels derived from bovine tracheal smooth muscle cells and reconstituted into planar lipid bilayers. In two different experimental approaches, PKG increased the open probability as well as the mean open time of GKCa channels, without any effect on unitary current amplitudes and unit conductance. Our results indicate that the kinetics of GKCa channels are controlled by a phosphorylation step mediated by PKG, and thus might be modulated by intracellular cGMP. Biochemical assays demonstrated that PKG phosphorylates several protein bands in the membrane fraction. Two of those proteins co-migrate with the same relative molecular mass as the 62- and 30-kDa components of the purified channel complex, identified as GKCa-alpha and -beta subunits, respectively. Our results also indicate that PKG phosphorylates the GKCa-alpha subunit with an apparent stoichiometry of 0.89, which would be consistent with the presence of a single PKG-sensitive phosphorylating site within its amino acid sequence. Furthermore, these results demonstrate for the first time that PKG directly phosphorylates GKCa from airway smooth muscle cells and thereby activates the channels at negative voltage or at low free Ca2+ concentrations.

Animals↗