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Evidence for the involvement of Ca2+-calmodulin and cyclic AMP in the regulation of the tyrosine hydroxylase system in rat striatal tissue slices.

To determine if both the Ca2+-calmodulin system and the cyclic AMP system may regulate tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) activity in situ, rat striatal tissue slices that contain all of the components of the TH, cyclic AMP and Ca2+-calmodulin systems were subjected to experimental manipulations. Incubation of striatal tissue slices in a medium containing W-7 [N-(6-aminohexyl)-5-chloro-1-naphthalenesulfonamide], a specific inhibitor of calmodulin, resulted in a dose-dependent decrease of DOPA formation. The concentration of W-7 producing 50% inhibition (3 X 10(-5)M) of DOPA formation was in good agreement with the binding affinity of W-7 to calmodulin. W-7 did not affect TH activity in vitro or cellular cyclic AMP level. A structurally unrelated calmodulin antagonist, trifluoroperazine, also inhibited DOPA formation. On the other hand, incubation of striatal tissue slices in a medium containing dibutyryl cyclic AMP (DBcAMP) increased DOPA formation dose dependently. Kinetic analysis revealed that the enzyme in homogenates of control tissue slices had two different Km values for a cofactor, 6-methyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydropterin (6MPH4), indicating the presence of two forms in striatal tissue slices: a less active form with a relatively low affinity for the pterin cofactor and a more active form with a relatively high affinity. W-7 produced an increase of the high Km form and a decrease of the low Km form respectively. In contrast, incubation of tissue slices in the presence of DBcAMP resulted in almost complete activation of the enzyme to the low Km form. These results suggest that both the Ca2+-calmodulin-dependent system and the cyclic AMP-dependent system may regulate TH activity in the rat striatum in vivo. The different types of kinetic change produced by DBcAMP and W-7 indicate that the two processes may act in different fashions and that the basal level of catechol formation in striatal tissue slices may be dependent upon an activated form of TH.

Animals↗

Characterization of [3H]Ro 5-4864 binding to calmodulin using a rapid filtration technique.

The benzodiazepine [3H]Ro 5-4864 bound specifically and saturably to an apparently homogenous, univalent species of binding site on the calmodulin molecule with an associated equilibrium dissociation rate constant (Kd) of 644 +/- 121 nM. The rates of association (K1) and dissociation (K-1) governing this interaction were estimated to be 7.66 x 10(3) M-1 sec-1 and 2.9 x 10(-3) sec-1, respectively, yielding a non-equilibrium determination of the Kd to be 379 nM. Such binding of [3H]Ro 5-4864 was protein-, pH-, and temperature-dependent and demonstrated pharmacological selectivity. Only benzodiazepine compounds (chlordiazepoxide, diazepam and Ro 5-4864) inhibited [3H]Ro 5-4864 binding to calmodulin with inhibitory equilibrium dissociation constants (Ki) less than 10 microM. The benzodiazepine compounds Ro 15-1788 and flunitrazepam did not displace [3H]Ro 5-4864 binding to calmodulin nor did a number of pharmacologically active non-benzodiazepine compounds (Ki values greater than 10 microM). Consideration of the stoichiometry yielded an approximate mole ratio of 0.90:1.0 (Ro 5-4864: calmodulin), suggesting that there is one binding site for Ro 5-4864 per molecule of calmodulin. The data reveal that the binding of [3H]Ro 5-4864 to calmodulin fulfills the major criteria of a ligand binding to a receptor. Such an interaction may underlie some of the pharmacological actions of Ro 5-4864-like compounds.

Benzodiazepinones↗

Calcium channel blocker inhibition of the calmodulin-dependent effects of thyroid hormone and milrinone on rabbit myocardial membrane Ca2+-ATPase activity.

The Ca2+-ATPase activity of rabbit myocardial membranes is stimulated in vitro by L-thyroxine and by milrinone, a bipyridine. These effects are concentration dependent and calmodulin requiring. The calcium channel blockers nifedipine and verapamil have been reported to have anti-calmodulin effects in other assay systems. In this study we have examined the effects of nifedipine and verapamil on rabbit myocardial membrane Ca2+-ATPase activity, in the absence (basal activity) and presence of exogenous L-thyroxine (T4), 10(-10) M, and milrinone, 10(-7) M. Basal enzyme activity was inhibited by a minimum of 10(-6) M nifedipine (IC50 of 3.4 X 10(-5) M) and 10(-5) M verapamil (IC50 of 1.5 X 10(-4) M). Both calcium antagonists inhibited enzyme stimulation by T4 and milrinone, with half-maximal inhibition of T4 and milrinone effects, respectively, at 2.9 X 10(-5) M and 9.0 X 10(-6) M nifedipine and 3.0 X 10(-5) M and 5.2 X 10(-5) M verapamil. The addition of exogenous purified calmodulin, 40 ng/micrograms membrane protein, in the presence of 10(-5) M nifedipine or verapamil restored T4-stimulated enzyme activity. Nifedipine and verapamil, each at a concentration of 10(-6) M, significantly inhibited binding of radioiodinated calmodulin to rabbit heart membranes in vitro. These studies provide evidence that nifedipine and verapamil have an anti-calmodulin effect in this myocardial enzyme system. Through interaction with calmodulin, the channel blockers inhibit thyroid hormone and milrinone stimulation of myocardial membrane Ca2+-ATPase.

Animals↗

Modulation of doxorubicin-induced chromosomal damage by calmodulin inhibitors and its relationship to cytotoxicity in progressively doxorubicin-resistant tumor cells.

Modulation of doxorubicin (DOX) cytotoxicity by the calmodulin inhibitor trifluoperazine (TFP) in progressively doxorubicin-resistant L1210 mouse leukemia cells is unrelated to effects on drug accumulation. Based on the clastogenic activity of DOX, the effects of TFP and the selective calmodulin inhibitor 1,3-dihydro-1-[1-[4-methyl-4H,6H-pyrrolo[1,2-a][4,1]- benzoxazepin-4-yl-methyl]-4-piperidinyl]-2H-benzimidazol-2-o ne(1:1) maleate (CGS9343B) on DOX-induced chromosomal damage and its relationship to cytotoxicity were evaluated in sensitive and progressively DOX-resistant L1210 cells. Potentiation of DOX cytotoxicity by CGS9343B (a potent inhibitor of calmodulin which does not inhibit protein kinase C) was related to the level of resistance. Further, for equivalent cytotoxicity, cellular DOX levels in the absence versus the presence of TFP or CGS9343B were markedly higher. Exposure to calmodulin inhibitors following DOX treatment enhanced chromosomal aberrations and cytotoxicity. Maximal effects of calmodulin inhibitors were apparent when used during and after DOX treatment, and potentiation of cytotoxicity was related to modulation of DOX-induced chromosomal aberrations. Results suggest that inhibition of calmodulin-regulated processes is a potential target in the modulation of DNA damage/repair, and could play a pivotal role in the expression of "acquired resistance" to DOX.

Animals↗

Persistent alterations of calmodulin kinase II activity in chickens after an oral dose of tri-o-cresyl phosphate.

Calmodulin kinase II has been found to be involved in the increased phosphorylation of brain microtubule and spinal cord neurofilament triplet proteins following treatment of animals with organophosphorus compounds that are capable of producing organophosphorus compound-induced delayed neurotoxicity (OPIDN). In this report, chickens were given a single oral neurotoxic dose of 750 mg/kg tri-o-cresyl phosphate (TOCP), and killed after 1 or 21 days of treatment. Crude calmodulin kinase II from brain cytosol as well as phosphocellulose-purified microtubules were prepared from control and treated animals. Phosphorylation reactions were started by adding protein into the phosphorylation buffer in the presence of Mg2+, Ca2+, calmodulin or trifluoperazine, and [gamma-32P]ATP. Proteins were separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and subjected to autoradiography. The extent of the calmodulin kinase II autophosphorylation as well as the Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent phosphorylation of the purified microtubules was investigated. The enzyme activities isolated from control and treated animals were compared. Autophosphorylation of calmodulin kinase II was found to be higher in both 1-day and 21-day TOCP-treated animals than in control animals. The activity of the kinase to phosphorylate exogenous substrates such as tubulin and microtubule-associated protein-2 (MAP-2) was also higher in the treated hens than in the controls. The increased activity of the kinase was noted at day 1 following treatment when no clinical signs were observed and persisted until day 21 when the animals were paralyzed completely. This finding supports the significance of altered calmodulin kinase II in the pathogenesis of OPIDN.

Animals↗

Distinct mechanisms of inhibition of purified cardiac sarcolemma Ca(2+)-ATPase by two calmodulin antagonists.

The effects of calmidazolium and compound 48/80 were studied in four different states of activation of the purified Ca(2+)-ATPase from cardiac sarcolemma: "basal" or unactivated, activated by calmodulin, activated by phosphatidylserine, and activated by controlled trypsinization. When assayed in the presence of phosphatidylcholine as the sole phospholipid (basal state), the purified enzyme was resistant to inhibition by calmidazolium (0.1 to 3 microM). In the same range, calmidazolium inhibited the enzyme activated by controlled proteolysis as well as the calmodulin-activated enzyme regardless of the calmodulin concentration. The phosphatidylserine-activated enzyme was inhibited at higher calmidazolium concentrations due to non-specific trapping of the inhibitor by the excess of phospholipid. Addition of calmidazolium did not modify the K0.5 for calcium activation of ATP hydrolysis by the enzyme. The inhibition by calmidazolium was counteracted by Pi. Compound 48/80 also had no effect on the enzyme when only phosphatidylcholine was present and, like calmidazolium, it inhibited the calmodulin-activated enzyme and the phosphatidylserine-activated enzyme. The apparent Ki for inhibition by compound 48/80 was dependent on the calmodulin concentration. However, the enzyme activated by controlled trypsinization was insensitive to compound 48/80. Binding of 48/80 to the enzyme in the presence of phosphatidylserine or calmodulin reversed the increased affinity for Ca2+ caused by these activators.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Evidence that tamoxifen binds to calmodulin in a conformation different to that when binding to estrogen receptors, through structure-activity study on ring-fused analogues.

A ring-fused analogue of tamoxifen, which had previously been shown to have practically identical estrogen receptor (ER) affinity and antitumour potency against estrogen responsive cells as tamoxifen, failed to inhibit calmodulin-dependent cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase. The substitution of an extra methyl group into the ring-fused analogue, at a position which the ethyl group of tamoxifen can occupy in one of its conformations, restored the calmodulin inhibition. Also, the replacement of the tamoxifen ethyl group by methyl diminishes calmodulin inhibition. Direct interaction of these tamoxifen analogues with calmodulin was demonstrated through the use of the fluorescent probe, 2-p-toluidinyl-naphthalene-6-sulfonic acid (TNS). These findings lead to the conclusion that tamoxifen binds to calmodulin in a conformation not accessible to the fused analogue and therefore likely to be different to that which binds to the ER. Also, the results on the ring-fused analogues indicate that the calmodulin binding cannot be essential for antitumour activity.

3',5'-Cyclic-AMP Phosphodiesterases↗

Possible involvement of calmodulin in maturation and activation of Chaetopterus eggs.

We report the isolation of calmodulin from oocytes of Chaetopterus pergamentaceus. The identification of this protein is based on (1) activation of beef heart cAMP phosphodiesterase, (2) heat stability, (3) sensitivity to chlorpromazine, and (4) electrophoretic mobility identical to that of porcine brain calmodulin after sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of either Ca2+ or EGTA. We treated oocytes with chlorpromazine and W-7 to investigate the involvement of calmodulin in meiosis initiation and egg activation. Very low concentrations of chlorpromazine inhibited germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD). This effect was shown to be dependent upon bright indirect light, since the drug was much less effective at GVBD inhibition under conditions of very low illumination. Higher concentrations of chlorpromazine and W-7 (100 microM) inhibited GVBD and activated eggs with intact germinal vesicles as determined by fertilization envelope formation and the onset of ameboid activity. Neither egg activation nor inhibition of calmodulin stimulation of phosphodiesterase activity in vitro was affected by light. These results are consistent with a role for calmodulin in egg activation and GVBD, but suggest that chlorpromazine in bright light may prevent GVBD by some mechanism other than calmodulin inhibition.

Animals↗

Calmodulin during development and metamorphosis in urodelan amphibians.

Calmodulin isolated and purified to homogeneity from young larvae is very similar to that obtained from adult Pleurodeles waltlii and these proteins are almost identical to previously described vertebrate calmodulins. During P. waltlii development, an increase in total individual calmodulin content is observed after the heart beating stage. In dorsal axial muscle, calmodulin level which is very high at the beginning of larval life (premetamorphosis) decreases strikingly in the first part of prometamorphosis. Such an evolution is observed in Ambystoma mexicanum too. Then, a significant increase occurs during metamorphosis. In contrast, calmodulin level in P. waltlii cardiac ventricular muscle increases continuously from hatching to the end of metamorphic climax. Thyroxine treatment which promotes precocious metamorphosis in P. waltlii and experimental metamorphosis in neotenic A. mexicanum, induces a rapid and significant increase in muscle calmodulin concentration.

Ambystoma↗

Spectrin and calmodulin in spreading mouse blastomeres.

The role of spectrin and its association with calmodulin in spreading mouse blastomeres was investigated. Embryonic spectrin binds 125I-calmodulin in a calcium-dependent fashion in the blot overlay technique. Double-labeling experiments show coordinate redistribution of spectrin and calmodulin in blastomeres preparing to undergo active spreading movement. At this stage cortical spectrin staining is lost from the region of cell-substrate contact and spectrin and calmodulin become concentrated in two structures closely associated with the contacted region: a group of spherical bodies located on the cytoplasmic side of the cortical layer and a subcortical ring that marks the perimeter of the contacted region. The localization pattern of spectrin and calmodulin is also coordinated with that of actin and myosin. The results suggest that spectrin plays a role in the spreading of blastomeres and that this function may involve linkage of spectrin, calmodulin, and the cortical contractile apparatus.

Actins↗

Plasmodium falciparum: the calmodulin gene is not amplified or overexpressed in chloroquine resistant or sensitive isolates.

The in vitro growth of Plasmodium falciparum is sensitive to some calmodulin antagonists and these compounds show antagonism with classic antimalarials such as chloroquine suggesting competition for the same drug binding site. In order to ask if calmodulin is involved in resistance to chloroquine we cloned the calmodulin gene of P. falciparum. We show that it is encoded by a single gene and that the putative protein is highly homologous to calmodulin from other eukaryotes. The calmodulin gene is encoded on chromosome 14 and contains a single intron of 506 bp that has the appropriate donor and acceptor splice sites. Two major transcripts of similar size are encoded by this gene. The sequence of the gene is identical and the calmodulin protein is expressed approximately equally in chloroquine resistant and sensitive isolates of P. falciparum suggesting that alterations in this protein play no role in the mechanism of chloroquine resistance in the isolates tested.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Calmodulin binding to human spectrin.

Calmodulin is shown to interact with human spectrin dimer. The binding was highly calcium-dependent and observed in two different kinds of experiments. Firstly, affinity chromatography of calmodulin on a Sepharose 4B column with immobilized spectrin, and secondly, partition in aqueous two-phase polymer systems. In the column experiments stoichiometric amounts of calmodulin were retained on the spectrin-Sepharose column when micromolar concentrations of calcium were present. The calmodulin bound could be eluted with EGTA. The partition coefficient of calmodulin in an aqueous two-phase polymer system containing calcium was changed upon addition of spectrin, indicating an association between the two proteins. In the absence of calcium, spectrin did not cause any change in the partition behaviour of calmodulin, thus showing that the association requires calcium.

Animals↗

Interaction of calmodulin with lactoferrin.

Calmodulin, as a major intracellular calcium-binding protein, regulates many Ca(2+)-dependent enzymes and plays an important role in a wide spectrum of cellular functions of the eukaryotes. Interaction between calmodulin and human lactoferrin, a 78 kDa protein with antibacterial properties, was found in the presence of Ca2+ using (i) a method for the detection of calmodulin binding proteins with biotinylated calmodulin, (ii) affinity chromatography on an agarose-calmodulin column with subsequent detection by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The binding of calmodulin to lactoferrin blocked the ability of lactoferrin to agglutinate Micrococcus lysodeikticus.

Agglutination Tests↗

Two calmodulin genes are expressed in Arbacia punctulata. An ancient gene duplication is indicated.

Calmodulin is highly conserved, and only in the sea urchin Arbacia punctulata have two distinct isotypes been reported. We have isolated and sequenced two cDNAs from a lambda gt 11 library constructed from RNA from ovary tissue of A. punctulata. One clone, designated alpha, encodes a calmodulin isotype previously designated A. It encodes an amino acid sequence that is identical with calmodulin of most vertebrates in positions 1 through 141; however, it does not encode the last seven amino acids. The other clone, designated beta, starts with an open reading frame and encodes the B form of calmodulin from position 11 through the C-terminal position 148. It has only four differences from vertebrate calmodulin, occurring at positions 78 (Asp, beta Glu), 99 (Tyr, beta Phe), 143 (Gln, beta Ala) and 147 (Ala, beta Ser). The nucleic acid sequences of the alpha and beta cDNAs differ at 46 nucleotide positions that are distributed throughout their coding sequences. We conclude that the corresponding mRNAs are not derived from post-transcriptional processing of a single gene, and we infer that they are transcribed from two non-allelic genes. The gene duplication is inferred to have occurred prior to the divergence of the vertebrates and the echinoderms. The expression of these calmodulin mRNAs in ovary tissue and eggs of a single animal differs as judged by hybridization of probes to RNA immobilized to filters.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Distribution of calmodulin in taste buds.

Calmodulin is higher in particulate fractions from bovine taste buds containing taste bud membranes which specifically bind sweet tastants compared to corresponding fractions from control non-taste bud bearing lingual epithelial tissue. As biochemical purity (i.e., membrane enzyme marker activity) of these membrane enriched fractions increased (P4B greater than P3B greater than P2B) calmodulin correspondingly increased (P4B greater than P3B greater than P2B); these increases also correlated with increased membrane purity as demonstrated by electron microscopy. All PB subfractions from taste buds contained a greater membrane concentration than those from PD subfractions and calmodulin was significantly increased in each corresponding subfraction. The presence of calmodulin in taste bud membranes, its correlation with membrane purification and reports that numerous drugs which induce taste loss are potent inhibitors of calmodulin suggest a role for calmodulin in taste function.

3',5'-Cyclic-AMP Phosphodiesterases↗

In vivo effects of zinc deficiency on calmodulin concentrations in selected rat tissues.

Two groups of male Sprague-Dawley rats, one fed zinc-deficient diet, ad libitum, the other, pair-fed with the same diet, but given supplemental zinc in the drinking water (8 mg Zn++/ml) were studied. After ten weeks of diet, rats were exsanguinated and zinc and calmodulin concentrations in brain and testis were measured. Mean zinc concentration in testis was significantly decreased in rats fed zinc-deficient diet without supplemental Zn++, but mean zinc concentration in brain was not different. Similarly, mean calmodulin concentration in testis was decreased in rats fed zinc-deficient diet without supplemental Zn++ whereas mean calmodulin concentration in brain was not different. Distribution studies of zinc and calmodulin showed that both zinc and calmodulin were released more freely into soluble fractions of testis in rats fed zinc-deficient diet without supplemental Zn++. These results indicate, for the first time in in vivo studies, that zinc influences the calmodulin content of testis.

Animals↗

Planarian regeneration: in vivo and in vitro effects of calcium and calmodulin on DNA synthesis.

Regeneration does not occur when planarians are grown in Ca2+-free medium. The possible effect of calcium upon DNA synthesis was therefore studied using cultured planarian cells and regenerating planarian fragments. In the cultures, DNA synthesis was Ca2+-dependent and required a minimum of 10(-6) M Ca2+ in the medium. It was gradually decreased in cells grown in Ca2+-free medium. Addition of Ca2+ to these cultures raised DNA synthesis. The time lag between addition of Ca2+ and stimulation of DNA synthesis varied with culture age. The triggering effect of Ca2+ was amplified by ionophore A 23187. A calcium binding protein, ram testis calmodulin, intensified the stimulatory effect of calcium, but EGTA blocked this effect. In the presence of trifluoperazine (TFP), DNA synthesis was not stimulated by Ca2+. This inhibition by TFP was overcome by adding calmodulin to the medium. Ca2+ therefore triggered DNA synthesis in vitro, and this role might have been potentiated by calmodulin. In vivo, DNA synthesis was shown to be dependent on the Ca2+ concentration in the medium in which intact or regenerating planarians were grown. In 12-h regenerates, the Ca2+ concentration in the medium was no longer critical. Total calcium content decreased just after sectioning until completion of healing (at 6 h) and then rose significantly to a peak at 12 h which coincided with the first peak of DNA synthesis. The calmodulin content gradually diminished during the first 6 h after sectioning. After a transient rise at 12 h, calmodulin content further decreased until 48 h. The results demonstrate the crucial role of Ca2+ in triggering DNA synthesis in planarian cells in vitro and in regenerating fragments. Calmodulin, whose concentration is very low in planarians compared to vertebrates, might help to induce the first peak of DNA synthesis at 12 h after sectioning, but is probably not the main Ca2+-binding protein involved in the regeneration process.

Animals↗

Phenothiazine inhibition of calmodulin stimulates calcium-dependent potassium efflux in human red blood cells.

Elevation of red blood cell calcium increases the efflux of potassium. The active extrusion of calcium from the red cell is regulated by calmodulin. Phenothiazines bind to calmodulin in a calcium-dependent manner preventing the calmodulin from activating a wide variety of cellular processes. The present study shows that phenothiazines increase the efflux of potassium from red cells incubated with the calcium ionophore A23187. The dose dependent effect of trifluoperazine on potassium efflux correlates with its inhibition of Ca-ATPase activity. The phenothiazine effects are dependent upon ATP in that increases in potassium efflux are not observed in energy depleted cells. In calcium buffered ghosts no direct effect of calmodulin or an antibody to calmodulin can be shown. These data suggest that phenothiazines stimulate calcium-dependent potassium loss indirectly by a drug-induced blockage of the calmodulin-activated Ca-ATPase.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗