Depletion of intracellular calcium (Ca 2؉ ) stores induces storeoperated Ca 2؉ (SOC) entry across the plasma membrane (PM). STIM1, a putative Ca 2؉ sensor in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), has been recently shown to be necessary for SOC channel activation. Here we show that STIM1 dynamically moves in tubulovesicular shape on the ER and its subcompartment in resting living cells, whereas, upon Ca 2؉ store depletion, it is rapidly redistributed into discrete puncta that are located underneath, but not inserted into the PM. Normal constitutive movement of STIM1 is mediated through the coiled-coil and Ser͞Thr-rich C-terminal domains in the cytoplasmic region of STIM1, whereas subsequent inducible puncta formation further requires the sterile ␣ motif domain protruding into the ER lumen. Each of these three domains (coiled-coil, Ser͞Thr-rich, and sterile ␣ motif) was essential for activating SOC channels. Hence, our findings based on structure-function experiments suggest that constitutive dynamic movement of STIM1 in the ER and its subcompartment is obligatory for subsequent depletion-dependent redistribution of STIM1 into puncta underneath the PM and activation of SOC channels.B cell receptor ͉ calcium signaling ͉ DT40 ͉ store-operated calcium C ytosolic Ca 2ϩ signals are a key to the regulation of various physiological events (1, 2). Two stages of calcium mobilization have been distinguished in lymphocytes and other nonexcitable cells (3-5). The first stage involves activation of phospholipase C by trimeric G protein-or tyrosine kinase-coupled receptors. This enzyme hydrolyzes phosphatidylinositol bisphosphate to release the second messenger inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate, which binds to its receptor in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane, thereby causing rapid but transient release of Ca 2ϩ from ER stores. The second stage involves a sustained influx of extracellular Ca 2ϩ across the plasma membrane (PM) in a process termed store-operated Ca 2ϩ (SOC) entry. In this process, depletion of Ca 2ϩ within the ER lumen serves as the primary trigger to open SOC channels residing in the PM.STIM1 has recently emerged to play a critical role in coupling the first and second stages of calcium mobilization (6, 7). The STIM1 protein is thought to function primarily as a sensor of Ca 2ϩ within the ER stores, because a single N-terminal EF-hand Ca 2ϩ binding motif is located within the ER lumen (7,8). The activation mechanism of STIM1, however, has remained elusive. For instance, Zhang and colleagues (9, 10) proposed that insertion of STIM1 from the ER to the PM, presumably through vesicular transport, would be a prerequisite for subsequent SOC channel activation. Furthermore, STIM1 in the PM has been reported to play a role for SOC activation (11). But others have shown that STIM1 redistributed into puncta near the PM without inserting into the PM and proposed that this aggregated STIM1 might activate SOC channels (7, 12).To elucidate the mechanisms by which STIM1 activates SOC channels, we have constructed STIM1 mutants and ...

Capacitative Ca2+ entry (CCE) activated by release/depletion of Ca2+ from internal stores represents a major Ca2+ influx mechanism in lymphocytes and other nonexcitable cells. Despite the importance of CCE in antigen-mediated lymphocyte activation, molecular components constituting this mechanism remain elusive. Here we demonstrate that genetic disruption of transient receptor potential (TRP)1 significantly attenuates both Ca2+ release-activated Ca2+ currents and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3)-mediated Ca2+ release from endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in DT40 B cells. As a consequence, B cell antigen receptor–mediated Ca2+ oscillations and NF-AT activation are reduced in TRP1-deficient cells. Thus, our results suggest that CCE channels, whose formation involves TRP1 as an important component, modulate IP3 receptor function, thereby enhancing functional coupling between the ER and plasma membrane in transduction of intracellular Ca2+ signaling in B lymphocytes.

Many important cell functions are controlled by Ca 2+ release from intracellular stores via the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (IP 3 R), which requires both IP 3 and Ca 2+ for its activity. Due to the Ca 2+ requirement, the IP 3 R and the cytoplasmic Ca 2+ concentration form a positive feedback loop, which has been assumed to confer regenerativity on the IP 3 -induced Ca 2+ release and to play an important role in the generation of spatiotemporal patterns of Ca 2+ signals such as Ca 2+ waves and oscillations. Here we show that glutamate 2100 of rat type 1 IP 3 R (IP 3 R1) is a key residue for the Ca 2+ requirement. Substitution of this residue by aspartate (E2100D) results in a 10-fold decrease in the Ca 2+ sensitivity without other effects on the properties of the IP 3 R1. Agonist-induced Ca 2+ responses are greatly diminished in cells expressing the E2100D mutant IP 3 R1, particularly the rate of rise of initial Ca 2+ spike is markedly reduced and the subsequent Ca 2+ oscillations are abolished. These results demonstrate that the Ca 2+ sensitivity of the IP 3 R is functionally indispensable for the determination of Ca 2+ signaling patterns.

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