38 research outputs found

    Phosphomimetic Mutations Enhance Oligomerization of Phospholemman and Modulate Its Interaction with the Na/K-ATPase

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    Na/K-ATPase (NKA) activity is dynamically regulated by an inhibitory interaction with a small transmembrane protein, phospholemman (PLM). Inhibition is relieved upon PLM phosphorylation. Phosphorylation may alter how PLM interacts with NKA and/or itself, but details of these interactions are unknown. To address this, we quantified FRET between PLM and its regulatory target NKA in live cells. Phosphorylation of PLM was mimicked by mutation S63E (PKC site), S68E (PKA/PKC site), or S63E/S68E. The dependence of FRET on protein expression in live cells yielded information about the structure and binding affinity of the PLM-NKA regulatory complex. PLM phosphomimetic mutations altered the quaternary structure of the regulatory complex and reduced the apparent affinity of the PLM-NKA interaction. The latter effect was likely due to increased oligomerization of PLM phosphomimetic mutants, as suggested by PLM-PLM FRET measurements. Distance constraints obtained by FRET suggest that phosphomimetic mutations slightly alter the oligomer quaternary conformation. Photon-counting histogram measurements revealed that the major PLM oligomeric species is a tetramer. We conclude that phosphorylation of PLM increases its oligomerization into tetramers, decreases its binding to NKA, and alters the structures of both the tetramer and NKA regulatory complex

    Dysferlin forms a dimer mediated by the C2 domains and the transmembrane domain in vitro and in living cells.

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    Dysferlin was previously identified as a key player in muscle membrane repair and its deficiency leads to the development of muscular dystrophy and cardiomyopathy. However, little is known about the oligomerization of this protein in the plasma membrane. Here we report for the first time that dysferlin forms a dimer in vitro and in living adult skeletal muscle fibers isolated from mice. Endogenous dysferlin from rabbit skeletal muscle exists primarily as a ∼460 kDa species in detergent-solubilized muscle homogenate, as shown by sucrose gradient fractionation, gel filtration and cross-linking assays. Fluorescent protein (YFP) labeled human dysferlin forms a dimer in vitro, as demonstrated by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) and photon counting histogram (PCH) analyses. Dysferlin also dimerizes in living cells, as probed by fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). Domain mapping FRET experiments showed that dysferlin dimerization is mediated by its transmembrane domain and by multiple C2 domains. However, C2A did not significantly contribute to dimerization; notably, this is the only C2 domain in dysferlin known to engage in a Ca-dependent interaction with cell membranes. Taken together, the data suggest that Ca-insensitive C2 domains mediate high affinity self-association of dysferlin in a parallel homodimer, leaving the Ca-sensitive C2A domain free to interact with membranes
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