Role of the sequence surrounding predicted transmembrane helix M4 in membrane association and function of the Ca(2+) release channel of skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum (ryanodine receptor isoform 1).

The role of the sequence surrounding M4 in ryanodine receptors (RyR) in membrane association and function was investigated. This sequence contains a basic, 19-amino acid M3/M4 loop, a hydrophobic 44-49 amino acid sequence designated M4 (or M4a/M4b), and a hydrophilic M4/M5 loop. Enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) was inserted into RyR1 and truncated just after the basic sequence, just after M4, within the M4/M5 loop, just before M5 and just after M5. The A52 epitope was inserted into RyR2 and truncated just after M4a. Analysis of these constructs ruled out a M3/M4 transmembrane hairpin and narrowed the region of membrane association to M4a/M4b. EGFP inserted between M4a and M4b in full-length RyR2 was altered conformationally, losing fluorescence and gaining trypsin sensitivity. Although it was accessible to an antibody from the cytosolic side, tryptic fragments were membrane-bound. The expressed protein containing EGFP retained caffeine-induced Ca(2+) release channel function. These results suggest that M4a/M4b either forms a transmembrane hairpin or associates in an unorthodox fashion with the cytosolic leaflet of the membrane, possibly involving the basic M3/M4 loop. The expression of a mutant RyR1, Delta4274-4535, deleted in the sequence surrounding both M3 and M4, restored robust, voltage-gated L-type Ca(2+) currents and Ca(2+) transients in dyspedic myotubes, demonstrating that this sequence is not required for either orthograde (DHPR activation of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) release) or retrograde (RyR1 increase in DHPR Ca(2+) channel activity) signals of excitation-contraction coupling. Maximal amplitudes of L-currents and Ca(2+) transients with Delta4274-4535 were larger than with wild-type RyR1, and voltage-gated sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) release was more sensitive to activation by sarcolemmal voltage sensors. Thus, this region may act as a negative regulatory module that increases the energy barrier for Ca(2+) release channel opening.

Central core disease mutations R4892W, I4897T and G4898E in the ryanodine receptor isoform 1 reduce the Ca2+ sensitivity and amplitude of Ca2+-dependent Ca2+ release.

Three CCD (central core disease) mutants, R4892W (Arg4892-->), I4897T and G4898E, in the pore region of the skeletal-muscle Ca2+-release channel RyR1 (ryanodine receptor 1) were characterized using a newly developed assay that monitored Ca2+ release in the presence of Ca2+ uptake in microsomes isolated from HEK-293 cells (human embryonic kidney 293 cells), co-expressing each of the three mutants together with SERCA1a (sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic-reticulum Ca2+-ATPase 1a). Both Ca2+ sensitivity and peak amplitude of Ca2+ release were either absent from or sharply decreased in homotetrameric mutants. Co-expression of wild-type RyR1 with mutant RyR1 (heterotetrameric mutants) restored Ca2+ sensitivity partially, in the ratio 1:2, or fully, in the ratio 1:1. Peak amplitude was restored only partially in the ratio 1:2 or 1:1. Reduced amplitude was not correlated with maximum Ca2+ loading or the amount of expressed RyR1 protein. High-affinity [3H]ryanodine binding and caffeine-induced Ca2+ release were also absent from the three homotetrameric mutants. These results indicate that decreased Ca2+ sensitivity is one of the serious defects in these three excitation-contraction uncoupling CCD mutations. In CCD skeletal muscles, where a mixture of wild-type and mutant RyR1 is expressed, these defects are expected to decrease Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release, as well as orthograde Ca2+ release, in response to transverse tubular membrane depolarization.

Topology of the Ca2+ release channel of skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum (RyR1).

To define the topology of the skeletal muscle ryanodine receptor (RyR1), enhanced GFP (EGFP) was fused in-frame to the C terminus of RyR1, replacing a series of C-terminal deletions that started near the beginning or the end of predicted transmembrane helices M1-M10. The constructs were expressed in HEK-293 (human embryonic kidney cell line 293) or mouse embryonic fibroblast (MEF) cells, and confocal microscopy of intact and saponin-permeabilized cells was used to determine the subcellular location of the truncated fusion proteins. The fusion protein truncated after M3 exhibited uniform cytoplasmic fluorescence, which was lost after permeabilization, indicating that proposed M', M", M1, M2, and M3 sequences are not membrane-associated. The fusion protein truncated at the end of the M4-M5 loop and containing M4 was membrane-associated. All longer truncated fusion proteins were also associated with intracellular membranes. Mapping by protease digestion and extraction of isolated microsomes demonstrated that EGFP positioned after either M5, the N-terminal half of M7 (M7a), or M8 was located in the lumen, and that EGFP positioned after either M4, M6, the C-terminal half of M7 (M7b), or M10 was located in the cytoplasm. These results indicate that RyR1 contains eight transmembrane helices, organized as four hairpin loops. The first hairpin is likely to be made up of M4a-M4b. However, it could be made up from M3-M4, which might form a hairpin loop even though M3 alone is not membrane-associated. The other three hairpin loops are formed from M5-M6, M7a-M7b, and M8-M10. M9 is not a transmembrane helix, but it might form a selectivity filter between M8 and M10.