Coupled transmembrane mechanisms control MCU-mediated mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake.

Ca2+ uptake by mitochondria regulates bioenergetics, apoptosis, and Ca2+ signaling. The primary pathway for mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake is the mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU), a Ca2+-selective ion channel in the inner mitochondrial membrane. MCU-mediated Ca2+ uptake is driven by the sizable inner-membrane potential generated by the electron-transport chain. Despite the large thermodynamic driving force, mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake is tightly regulated to maintain low matrix [Ca2+] and prevent opening of the permeability transition pore and cell death, while meeting dynamic cellular energy demands. How this is accomplished is controversial. Here we define a regulatory mechanism of MCU-channel activity in which cytoplasmic Ca2+ regulation of intermembrane space-localized MICU1/2 is controlled by Ca2+-regulatory mechanisms localized across the membrane in the mitochondrial matrix. Ca2+ that permeates through the channel pore regulates Ca2+ affinities of coupled inhibitory and activating sensors in the matrix. Ca2+ binding to the inhibitory sensor within the MCU amino terminus closes the channel despite Ca2+ binding to MICU1/2. Conversely, disruption of the interaction of MICU1/2 with the MCU complex disables matrix Ca2+ regulation of channel activity. Our results demonstrate how Ca2+ influx into mitochondria is tuned by coupled Ca2+-regulatory mechanisms on both sides of the inner mitochondrial membrane.

ER-luminal [Ca2+] regulation of InsP3 receptor gating mediated by an ER-luminal peripheral Ca2+-binding protein.

Modulating cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) by endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-localized inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (InsP3R) Ca2+-release channels is a universal signaling pathway that regulates numerous cell-physiological processes. Whereas much is known regarding regulation of InsP3R activity by cytoplasmic ligands and processes, its regulation by ER-luminal Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]ER) is poorly understood and controversial. We discovered that the InsP3R is regulated by a peripheral membrane-associated ER-luminal protein that strongly inhibits the channel in the presence of high, physiological [Ca2+]ER. The widely-expressed Ca2+-binding protein annexin A1 (ANXA1) is present in the nuclear envelope lumen and, through interaction with a luminal region of the channel, can modify high-[Ca2+]ER inhibition of InsP3R activity. Genetic knockdown of ANXA1 expression enhanced global and local elementary InsP3-mediated Ca2+ signaling events. Thus, [Ca2+]ER is a major regulator of InsP3R channel activity and InsP3R-mediated [Ca2+]i signaling in cells by controlling an interaction of the channel with a peripheral membrane-associated Ca2+-binding protein, likely ANXA1.

Systematic Identification of MCU Modulators by Orthogonal Interspecies Chemical Screening.

The mitochondrial calcium uniporter complex is essential for calcium (Ca2+) uptake into mitochondria of all mammalian tissues, where it regulates bioenergetics, cell death, and Ca2+ signal transduction. Despite its involvement in several human diseases, we currently lack pharmacological agents for targeting uniporter activity. Here we introduce a high-throughput assay that selects for human MCU-specific small-molecule modulators in primary drug screens. Using isolated yeast mitochondria, reconstituted with human MCU, its essential regulator EMRE, and aequorin, and exploiting a D-lactate- and mannitol/sucrose-based bioenergetic shunt that greatly minimizes false-positive hits, we identify mitoxantrone out of more than 600 clinically approved drugs as a direct selective inhibitor of human MCU. We validate mitoxantrone in orthogonal mammalian cell-based assays, demonstrating that our screening approach is an effective and robust tool for MCU-specific drug discovery and, more generally, for the identification of compounds that target mitochondrial functions.

Biphasic regulation of InsP3 receptor gating by dual Ca2+ release channel BH3-like domains mediates Bcl-xL control of cell viability.

Antiapoptotic Bcl-2 family members interact with inositol trisphosphate receptor (InsP3R) Ca(2+)release channels in the endoplasmic reticulum to modulate Ca(2+)signals that affect cell viability. However, the molecular details and consequences of their interactions are unclear. Here, we found that Bcl-xL activates single InsP3R channels with a biphasic concentration dependence. The Bcl-xLBcl-2 homology 3 (BH3) domain-binding pocket mediates both high-affinity channel activation and low-affinity inhibition. Bcl-xL activates channel gating by binding to two BH3 domain-like helices in the channel carboxyl terminus, whereas inhibition requires binding to one of them and to a previously identified Bcl-2 interaction site in the channel-coupling domain. Disruption of these interactions diminishes cell viability and sensitizes cells to apoptotic stimuli. Our results identify BH3-like domains in an ion channel and they provide a unifying model of the effects of antiapoptotic Bcl-2 proteins on the InsP3R that play critical roles in Ca(2+) signaling and cell viability.

EMRE Is a Matrix Ca(2+) Sensor that Governs Gatekeeping of the Mitochondrial Ca(2+) Uniporter.

The mitochondrial uniporter (MCU) is an ion channel that mediates Ca(2+) uptake into the matrix to regulate metabolism, cell death, and cytoplasmic Ca(2+) signaling. Matrix Ca(2+) concentration is similar to that in cytoplasm, despite an enormous driving force for entry, but the mechanisms that prevent mitochondrial Ca(2+) overload are unclear. Here, we show that MCU channel activity is governed by matrix Ca(2+) concentration through EMRE. Deletion or charge neutralization of its matrix-localized acidic C terminus abolishes matrix Ca(2+) inhibition of MCU Ca(2+) currents, resulting in MCU channel activation, enhanced mitochondrial Ca(2+) uptake, and constitutively elevated matrix Ca(2+) concentration. EMRE-dependent regulation of MCU channel activity requires intermembrane space-localized MICU1, MICU2, and cytoplasmic Ca(2+). Thus, mitochondria are protected from Ca(2+) depletion and Ca(2+) overload by a unique molecular complex that involves Ca(2+) sensors on both sides of the inner mitochondrial membrane, coupled through EMRE.

General anesthetic isoflurane modulates inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor calcium channel opening.

BACKGROUND: Pharmacological evidence suggests that inhalational general anesthetics induce neurodegeneration in vitro and in vivo through overactivation of inositol trisphosphate receptor (InsP3R) Ca-release channels, but it is not clear whether these effects are due to direct modulation of channel activity by the anesthetics. METHODS: Using single-channel patch clamp electrophysiology, the authors examined the gating of rat recombinant type 3 InsP3R (InsP3R-3) Ca-release channels in isolated nuclei (N = 3 to 15) from chicken lymphocytes modulated by isoflurane at clinically relevant concentrations in the absence and presence of physiological levels of the agonist inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (InsP3). The authors also examined the effects of isoflurane on InsP3R-mediated Ca release from the endoplasmic reticulum and changes in intracellular Ca concentration ([Ca]i). RESULTS: Clinically relevant concentrations (approximately 1 minimal alveolar concentration) of the commonly used general anesthetic, isoflurane, activated InsP3R-3 channels with open probability similar to channels activated by 1 µM InsP3 (Po ≈ 0.2). This isoflurane modulation of InsP3R-3 Po depended biphasically on [Ca]i. Combination of isoflurane with subsaturating levels of InsP3 in patch pipettes resulted in at least two-fold augmentations of InsP3R-3 channel Po compared with InsP3 alone. These effects were not noted in the presence of saturating [InsP3]. Application of isoflurane to DT40 cells resulted in a 30% amplification of InsP3R-mediated [Ca]i oscillations, whereas InsP3-induced increase in [Ca]i and cleaved caspase-3 activity were enhanced by approximately 2.5-fold. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the InsP3R may be a direct molecular target of isoflurane and plays a role in the mechanisms of anesthetic-mediated pharmacological or neurotoxic effects.

Phosphorylated K-Ras limits cell survival by blocking Bcl-xL sensitization of inositol trisphosphate receptors.

K-Ras4B is targeted to the plasma membrane by a farnesyl modification that operates in conjunction with a polybasic domain. We characterized a farnesyl-electrostatic switch whereby protein kinase C phosphorylates K-Ras4B on serine 181 in the polybasic region and thereby induces translocation from the plasma membrane to internal membranes that include the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and outer mitochondrial membrane. This translocation is associated with cell death. Here we have explored the mechanism of phospho-K-Ras4B toxicity and found that GTP-bound, phosphorylated K-Ras4B associates with inositol trisphosphate receptors on the ER in a Bcl-xL-dependent fashion and, in so doing, blocks the ability of Bcl-xL to potentiate the InsP3 regulated flux of calcium from ER to mitochondria that is required for efficient respiration, inhibition of autophagy, and cell survival. Thus, we have identified inositol trisphosphate receptors as unique effectors of K-Ras4B that antagonize the prosurvival signals of other K-Ras effectors.

Patch-clamp electrophysiology of intracellular Ca2+ channels.

The modulation of cytoplasmic free Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)]i) is a universal intracellular signaling pathway that regulates numerous cellular physiological processes. Ubiquitous intracellular Ca(2+)-release channels localized to the endoplasmic/sarcoplasmic reticulum-inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (InsP3R) and ryanodine receptor (RyR) channels-play a central role in [Ca(2+)]i signaling in all animal cells. Despite their intracellular localization, electrophysiological studies of the single-channel permeation and gating properties of these Ca(2+)-release channels using the powerful patch-clamp approach have been possible by application of this technique to isolated nuclei because the channels are present in membranes of the nuclear envelope. Here we provide a concise description of how nuclear patch-clamp experiments have been used to study single-channel properties of different InsP3R channels in the outer nuclear membrane. We compare this with other methods for studying intracellular Ca(2+) release. We also briefly describe application of the technique to InsP3R channels in the inner nuclear membrane and to channels in the outer nuclear membrane of HEK293 cells expressing recombinant RyR.

Isolating nuclei from cultured cells for patch-clamp electrophysiology of intracellular Ca(2+) channels.

Nuclear patch-clamp experiments can be performed with intact nuclei or with nuclei from which the outer nuclear membrane has been removed. This protocol presents procedures for harvesting different types of cultured cells, isolating nuclei, and exposing the inner nuclear membrane by agitating in the presence of sodium citrate. Particulars about obtaining and maintaining the cells of interest in culture are not described here. However, care should be taken not to allow the cells to grow beyond a density of 2-3 × 10(6) cells/mL because this may decrease both the cell viability and the success rate of detecting active inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (InsP3R) channels in nuclear patches.

Nuclear patch-clamp electrophysiology of Ca2+ channels.

Patch-clamping the outer or inner nuclear membrane of isolated nuclei is very similar to patch-clamping the plasma membrane of isolated cells. This protocol describes in detail all the steps required to successfully obtain nuclear membrane patches, in various configurations, from both the outer and inner nuclear membranes of isolated nuclei.

Permeant calcium ion feed-through regulation of single inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor channel gating.

The ubiquitous inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (InsP(3)) receptor (InsP(3)R) Ca(2+) release channel plays a central role in the generation and modulation of intracellular Ca(2+) signals, and is intricately regulated by multiple mechanisms including cytoplasmic ligand (InsP(3), free Ca(2+), free ATP(4-)) binding, posttranslational modifications, and interactions with cytoplasmic and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) luminal proteins. However, regulation of InsP(3)R channel activity by free Ca(2+) in the ER lumen ([Ca(2+)](ER)) remains poorly understood because of limitations of Ca(2+) flux measurements and imaging techniques. Here, we used nuclear patch-clamp experiments in excised luminal-side-out configuration with perfusion solution exchange to study the effects of [Ca(2+)](ER) on homotetrameric rat type 3 InsP(3)R channel activity. In optimal [Ca(2+)](i) and subsaturating [InsP(3)], jumps of [Ca(2+)](ER) from 70 nM to 300 µM reduced channel activity significantly. This inhibition was abrogated by saturating InsP(3) but restored when [Ca(2+)](ER) was raised to 1.1 mM. In suboptimal [Ca(2+)](i), jumps of [Ca(2+)](ER) (70 nM to 300 µM) enhanced channel activity. Thus, [Ca(2+)](ER) effects on channel activity exhibited a biphasic dependence on [Ca(2+)](i). In addition, the effect of high [Ca(2+)](ER) was attenuated when a voltage was applied to oppose Ca(2+) flux through the channel. These observations can be accounted for by Ca(2+) flux driven through the open InsP(3)R channel by [Ca(2+)](ER), raising local [Ca(2+)](i) around the channel to regulate its activity through its cytoplasmic regulatory Ca(2+)-binding sites. Importantly, [Ca(2+)](ER) regulation of InsP(3)R channel activity depended on cytoplasmic Ca(2+)-buffering conditions: it was more pronounced when [Ca(2+)](i) was weakly buffered but completely abolished in strong Ca(2+)-buffering conditions. With strong cytoplasmic buffering and Ca(2+) flux sufficiently reduced by applied voltage, both activation and inhibition of InsP(3)R channel gating by physiological levels of [Ca(2+)](ER) were completely abolished. Collectively, these results rule out Ca(2+) regulation of channel activity by direct binding to the luminal aspect of the channel.

Calpain-cleaved type 1 inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (InsP(3)R1) has InsP(3)-independent gating and disrupts intracellular Ca(2+) homeostasis.

The type 1 inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (InsP(3)R1) is a ubiquitous intracellular Ca(2+) release channel that is vital to intracellular Ca(2+) signaling. InsP(3)R1 is a proteolytic target of calpain, which cleaves the channel to form a 95-kDa carboxyl-terminal fragment that includes the transmembrane domains, which contain the ion pore. However, the functional consequences of calpain proteolysis on channel behavior and Ca(2+) homeostasis are unknown. In the present study we have identified a unique calpain cleavage site in InsP(3)R1 and utilized a recombinant truncated form of the channel (capn-InsP(3)R1) corresponding to the stable, carboxyl-terminal fragment to examine the functional consequences of channel proteolysis. Single-channel recordings of capn-InsP(3)R1 revealed InsP(3)-independent gating and high open probability (P(o)) under optimal cytoplasmic Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) conditions. However, some [Ca(2+)](i) regulation of the cleaved channel remained, with a lower P(o) in suboptimal and inhibitory [Ca(2+)](i). Expression of capn-InsP(3)R1 in N2a cells reduced the Ca(2+) content of ionomycin-releasable intracellular stores and decreased endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) loading compared with control cells expressing full-length InsP(3)R1. Using a cleavage-specific antibody, we identified calpain-cleaved InsP(3)R1 in selectively vulnerable cerebellar Purkinje neurons after in vivo cardiac arrest. These findings indicate that calpain proteolysis of InsP(3)R1 generates a dysregulated channel that disrupts cellular Ca(2+) homeostasis. Furthermore, our results demonstrate that calpain cleaves InsP(3)R1 in a clinically relevant injury model, suggesting that Ca(2+) leak through the proteolyzed channel may act as a feed-forward mechanism to enhance cell death.

Unitary Ca(2+) current through recombinant type 3 InsP(3) receptor channels under physiological ionic conditions.

The ubiquitous inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (InsP(3)) receptor (InsP(3)R) channel, localized primarily in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane, releases Ca(2+) into the cytoplasm upon binding InsP(3), generating and modulating intracellular Ca(2+) signals that regulate numerous physiological processes. Together with the number of channels activated and the open probability of the active channels, the size of the unitary Ca(2+) current (i(Ca)) passing through an open InsP(3)R channel determines the amount of Ca(2+) released from the ER store, and thus the amplitude and the spatial and temporal nature of Ca(2+) signals generated in response to extracellular stimuli. Despite its significance, i(Ca) for InsP(3)R channels in physiological ionic conditions has not been directly measured. Here, we report the first measurement of i(Ca) through an InsP(3)R channel in its native membrane environment under physiological ionic conditions. Nuclear patch clamp electrophysiology with rapid perfusion solution exchanges was used to study the conductance properties of recombinant homotetrameric rat type 3 InsP(3)R channels. Within physiological ranges of free Ca(2+) concentrations in the ER lumen ([Ca(2+)](ER)), free cytoplasmic [Ca(2+)] ([Ca(2+)](i)), and symmetric free [Mg(2+)] ([Mg(2+)](f)), the i(Ca)-[Ca(2+)](ER) relation was linear, with no detectable dependence on [Mg(2+)](f). i(Ca) was 0.15 +/- 0.01 pA for a filled ER store with 500 microM [Ca(2+)](ER). The i(Ca)-[Ca(2+)](ER) relation suggests that Ca(2+) released by an InsP(3)R channel raises [Ca(2+)](i) near the open channel to approximately 13-70 microM, depending on [Ca(2+)](ER). These measurements have implications for the activities of nearby InsP(3)-liganded InsP(3)R channels, and they confirm that Ca(2+) released by an open InsP(3)R channel is sufficient to activate neighboring channels at appropriate distances away, promoting Ca(2+)-induced Ca(2+) release.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa Homoserine lactone activates store-operated cAMP and cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator-dependent Cl- secretion by human airway epithelia.

The ubiquitous bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa frequently causes hospital-acquired infections. P. aeruginosa also infects the lungs of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients and secretes N-(3-oxo-dodecanoyl)-S-homoserine lactone (3O-C12) to regulate bacterial gene expression critical for P. aeruginosa persistence. In addition to its effects as a quorum-sensing gene regulator in P. aeruginosa, 3O-C12 elicits cross-kingdom effects on host cell signaling leading to both pro- or anti-inflammatory effects. We find that in addition to these slow effects mediated through changes in gene expression, 3O-C12 also rapidly increases Cl(-) and fluid secretion in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator (CFTR)-expressing airway epithelia. 3O-C12 does not stimulate Cl(-) secretion in CF cells, suggesting that lactone activates the CFTR. 3O-C12 also appears to directly activate the inositol trisphosphate receptor and release Ca(2+) from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), lowering [Ca(2+)] in the ER and thereby activating the Ca(2+)-sensitive ER signaling protein STIM1. 3O-C12 increases cytosolic [Ca(2+)] and, strikingly, also cytosolic [cAMP], the known activator of CFTR. Activation of Cl(-) current by 3O-C12 was inhibited by a cAMP antagonist and increased by a phosphodiesterase inhibitor. Finally, a Ca(2+) buffer that lowers [Ca(2+)] in the ER similar to the effect of 3O-C12 also increased cAMP and I(Cl). The results suggest that 3O-C12 stimulates CFTR-dependent Cl(-) and fluid secretion in airway epithelial cells by activating the inositol trisphosphate receptor, thus lowering [Ca(2+)] in the ER and activating STIM1 and store-operated cAMP production. In CF airways, where CFTR is absent, the adaptive ability to rapidly flush the bacteria away is compromised because the lactone cannot affect Cl(-) and fluid secretion.

Essential regulation of cell bioenergetics by constitutive InsP3 receptor Ca2+ transfer to mitochondria.

Mechanisms that regulate cellular metabolism are a fundamental requirement of all cells. Most eukaryotic cells rely on aerobic mitochondrial metabolism to generate ATP. Nevertheless, regulation of mitochondrial activity is incompletely understood. Here we identified an unexpected and essential role for constitutive InsP(3)R-mediated Ca(2+) release in maintaining cellular bioenergetics. Macroautophagy provides eukaryotes with an adaptive response to nutrient deprivation that prolongs survival. Constitutive InsP(3)R Ca(2+) signaling is required for macroautophagy suppression in cells in nutrient-replete media. In its absence, cells become metabolically compromised due to diminished mitochondrial Ca(2+) uptake. Mitochondrial uptake of InsP(3)R-released Ca(2+) is fundamentally required to provide optimal bioenergetics by providing sufficient reducing equivalents to support oxidative phosphorylation. Absence of this Ca(2+) transfer results in enhanced phosphorylation of pyruvate dehydrogenase and activation of AMPK, which activates prosurvival macroautophagy. Thus, constitutive InsP(3)R Ca(2+) release to mitochondria is an essential cellular process that is required for efficient mitochondrial respiration and maintenance of normal cell bioenergetics.

Redox-regulated heterogeneous thresholds for ligand recruitment among InsP3R Ca2+-release channels.

To clarify the molecular mechanisms behind quantal Ca2+ release, the graded Ca2+ release from intracellular stores through inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (InsP3R) channels responding to incremental ligand stimulation, single-channel patch-clamp electrophysiology was used to continuously monitor the number and open probability of InsP3R channels in the same excised cytoplasmic-side-out nuclear membrane patches exposed alternately to optimal and suboptimal cytoplasmic ligand conditions. Progressively more channels were activated by more favorable conditions in patches from insect cells with only one InsP3R gene or from cells solely expressing one recombinant InsP3R isoform, demonstrating that channels with identical primary sequence have different ligand recruitment thresholds. Such heterogeneity was largely abrogated, in a fully reversible manner, by treatment of the channels with sulfhydryl reducing agents, suggesting that it was mostly regulated by different levels of posttranslational redox modifications of the channels. In contrast, sulfhydryl reduction had limited effects on channel open probability. Thus, sulfhydryl redox modification can regulate various aspects of intracellular Ca2+ signaling, including quantal Ca2+ release, by tuning ligand sensitivities of InsP3R channels. No intrinsic termination of channel activity with a timescale comparable to that for quantal Ca2+ release was observed under any steady ligand conditions, indicating that this process is unlikely to contribute.

A polymorphism in CALHM1 influences Ca2+ homeostasis, Abeta levels, and Alzheimer's disease risk.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a genetically heterogeneous disorder characterized by early hippocampal atrophy and cerebral amyloid-beta (Abeta) peptide deposition. Using TissueInfo to screen for genes preferentially expressed in the hippocampus and located in AD linkage regions, we identified a gene on 10q24.33 that we call CALHM1. We show that CALHM1 encodes a multipass transmembrane glycoprotein that controls cytosolic Ca(2+) concentrations and Abeta levels. CALHM1 homomultimerizes, shares strong sequence similarities with the selectivity filter of the NMDA receptor, and generates a large Ca(2+) conductance across the plasma membrane. Importantly, we determined that the CALHM1 P86L polymorphism (rs2986017) is significantly associated with AD in independent case-control studies of 3404 participants (allele-specific OR = 1.44, p = 2 x 10(-10)). We further found that the P86L polymorphism increases Abeta levels by interfering with CALHM1-mediated Ca(2+) permeability. We propose that CALHM1 encodes an essential component of a previously uncharacterized cerebral Ca(2+) channel that controls Abeta levels and susceptibility to late-onset AD.

Apoptosis regulation by Bcl-x(L) modulation of mammalian inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor channel isoform gating.

Members of the Bcl-2 family of proteins regulate apoptosis, with some of their physiological effects mediated by their modulation of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca(2+) homeostasis. Antiapoptotic Bcl-x(L) binds to the inositol trisphosphate receptor (InsP(3)R) Ca(2+) release channel to enhance Ca(2+)- and InsP(3)-dependent regulation of channel gating, resulting in reduced ER [Ca(2+)], increased oscillations of cytoplasmic Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)), and apoptosis resistance. However, it is controversial which InsP(3)R isoforms mediate these effects and whether reduced ER [Ca(2+)] or enhanced [Ca(2+)](i) signaling is most relevant for apoptosis protection. DT40 cell lines engineered to express each of the three mammalian InsP(3)R isoforms individually displayed enhanced apoptosis sensitivity compared with cells lacking InsP(3)R. In contrast, coexpression of each isoform with Bcl-x(L) conferred enhanced apoptosis resistance. In single-channel recordings of channel gating in native ER membranes, Bcl-x(L) increased the apparent sensitivity of all three InsP(3)R isoforms to subsaturating levels of InsP(3). Expression of Bcl-x(L) reduced ER [Ca(2+)] in type 3 but not type 1 or 2 InsP(3)R-expressing cells. In contrast, Bcl-x(L) enhanced spontaneous [Ca(2+)](i) signaling in all three InsP(3)R isoform-expressing cell lines. These results demonstrate a redundancy among InsP(3)R isoforms in their ability to sensitize cells to apoptotic insults and to interact with Bcl-x(L) to modulate their activities that result in enhanced apoptosis resistance. Furthermore, these data suggest that modulation of ER [Ca(2+)] is not a specific requirement for ER-dependent antiapoptotic effects of Bcl-x(L). Rather, apoptosis protection is conferred by enhanced spontaneous [Ca(2+)](i) signaling by Bcl-x(L) interaction with all isoforms of the InsP(3)R.