In striated muscle, activation of contraction is initiated by membrane depolarisation caused by an action potential, which triggers the release of Ca 2+ stored in the sarcoplasmic reticulum by a process called excitation-contraction coupling. Excitation-contraction coupling occurs via a highly sophisticated supramolecular signalling complex at the junction between the sarcoplasmic reticulum and the transverse tubules. It is generally accepted that the core components of the excitation-contraction coupling machinery are the dihydropyridine receptors, ryanodine receptors and calsequestrin, which serve as voltage sensor, Ca 2+ release channel, and Ca 2+ storage protein, respectively. Nevertheless, a number of additional proteins have been shown to be essential both for the structural formation of the machinery involved in excitation-contraction coupling and for its fine tuning. In this review we discuss the functional role of minor sarcoplasmic reticulum protein components. The definition of their roles in excitation-contraction coupling is important in order to understand how mutations in genes involved in Ca 2+ signalling cause neuromuscular disorders.

Congenital myopathies are genetically and clinically heterogeneous conditions causing severe muscle weakness, and mutations in the ryanodine receptor gene (RYR1) represent the most frequent cause of these conditions. A common feature of diseases caused by recessive RYR1 mutations is a decrease of ryanodine receptor 1 protein content in muscle. The aim of the present investigation was to gain mechanistic insight into the causes of this reduced ryanodine receptor 1. We found that muscle biopsies of patients with recessive RYR1 mutations exhibit decreased expression of muscle-specific microRNAs, increased DNA methylation and increased expression of class II histone deacetylases. Transgenic mouse muscle fibres over-expressing HDAC-4/HDAC-5 exhibited decreased expression of RYR1 and of muscle-specific miRNAs, whereas acute knock-down of RYR1 in mouse muscle fibres by siRNA caused up-regulation of HDAC-4/HDAC-5. Intriguingly, increased class II HDAC expression and decreased ryanodine receptor protein and miRNAs expression were also observed in muscles of patients with nemaline myopathy, another congenital neuromuscular disorder. Our results indicate that a common pathophysiological pathway caused by epigenetic changes is activated in some forms of congenital neuromuscular disorders.

Summary The precise spatiotemporal characteristics of subcellular calcium (Ca 2+ ) transients are critical for the physiological processes. Here we report a green Ca 2+ sensor called “G-CatchER + ” using a protein design to report rapid local ER Ca 2+ dynamics with significantly improved folding properties. G-CatchER + exhibits a superior Ca 2+ on rate to G-CEPIA1er and has a Ca 2+ -induced fluorescence lifetimes increase. G-CatchER + also reports agonist/antagonist triggered Ca 2+ dynamics in several cell types including primary neurons that are orchestrated by IP 3 Rs, RyRs, and SERCAs with an ability to differentiate expression. Upon localization to the lumen of the RyR channel (G-CatchER + -JP45), we report a rapid local Ca 2+ release that is likely due to calsequestrin. Transgenic expression of G-CatchER + in Drosophila muscle demonstrates its utility as an in vivo reporter of stimulus-evoked SR local Ca 2+ dynamics. G-CatchER + will be an invaluable tool to examine local ER/SR Ca 2+ dynamics and facilitate drug development associated with ER dysfunction.

Regular endurance exercise remodels skeletal muscle, largely through the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α). PGC-1α promotes fiber type switching and resistance to fatigue. Intracellular calcium levels might play a role in both adaptive phenomena, yet a role for PGC-1α in the adaptation of calcium handling in skeletal muscle remains unknown. Using mice with transgenic overexpression of PGC-1α, we now investigated the effect of PGC-1α on calcium handling in skeletal muscle. We demonstrate that PGC-1α induces a quantitative reduction in calcium release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum by diminishing the expression of calcium-releasing molecules. Concomitantly, maximal muscle force is reduced in vivo and ex vivo. In addition, PGC-1α overexpression delays calcium clearance from the myoplasm by interfering with multiple mechanisms involved in calcium removal, leading to higher myoplasmic calcium levels following contraction. During prolonged muscle activity, the delayed calcium clearance might facilitate force production in mice overexpressing PGC-1α. Our results reveal a novel role of PGC-1α in altering the contractile properties of skeletal muscle by modulating calcium handling. Importantly, our findings indicate PGC-1α to be both down- as well as upstream of calcium signaling in this tissue. Overall, our findings suggest that in the adaptation to chronic exercise, PGC-1α reduces maximal force, increases resistance to fatigue, and drives fiber type switching partly through remodeling of calcium transients, in addition to promoting slow-type myofibrillar protein expression and adequate energy supply.

Muscle strength declines with age in part due to a decline of Ca2+ release from sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium stores. Skeletal muscle dihydropyridine receptors (Cav1.1) initiate muscle contraction by activating ryanodine receptors in the sarcoplasmic reticulum. Cav1.1 channel activity is enhanced by a retrograde stimulatory signal delivered by the ryanodine receptor. JP45 is a membrane protein interacting with Cav1.1 and the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ storage protein calsequestrin (CASQ1). Here we show that JP45 and CASQ1 strengthen skeletal muscle contraction by modulating Cav1.1 channel activity. Using muscle fibres from JP45 and CASQ1 double knockout mice, we demonstrate that Ca2+ transients evoked by tetanic stimulation are the result of massive Ca2+ influx due to enhanced Cav1.1 channel activity, which restores muscle strength in JP45/CASQ1 double knockout mice. We envision that JP45 and CASQ1 may be candidate targets for the development of new therapeutic strategies against decay of skeletal muscle strength caused by a decrease in sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ content.