Formation of disul®de bonds, an essential step for the maturation and exit of secretory proteins from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), is controlled by speci®c ER-resident enzymes. A pivotal element in this process is Ero1a, an oxidoreductin that lacks known ER retention motifs. Here we show that ERp44 mediates Ero1a ER localization through the formation of reversible mixed disul®des. ERp44 also prevents the secretion of an unassembled cargo protein with unpaired cysteines. We conclude that ERp44 is a key element in thiol-mediated retention. It might also favour the maturation of disul®de-linked oligomeric proteins and their quality control.

The biogenesis of secretory IgM occurs stepwise under stringent quality control, formation of l 2 L 2 preceding polymerization. How is efficiency of IgM secretion coupled to fidelity? We show here that ERp44, a soluble protein involved in thiol-mediated retention, interacts with ERGIC-53. Binding to this hexameric lectin contributes to ERp44 localization in the ER-golgi intermediate compartment. ERp44 and ERGIC-53 increase during B-lymphocyte differentiation, concomitantly with the onset of IgM polymerization. Both preferentially bind l 2 L 2 and higher order intermediates. Their overexpression or silencing in nonlymphoid cells promotes or decreases secretion of IgM polymers, respectively. In IgM-secreting B-lymphoma cells, l chains interact first with BiP and later with ERp44 and ERGIC-53. Our findings suggest that ERGIC-53 provides a platform that receives l 2 L 2 subunits from the BiP-dependent checkpoint, assisting polymerization. In this process, ERp44 couples thiol-dependent assembly and quality control.

Taken together, our results indicate that the levels, subcellular localization, and activity of Ero1α coordinately regulate Ca(2+) and redox homeostasis and signaling in the early secretory compartment.

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.

In the present study we provide evidence that SRP-35, a protein we identified in rabbit skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum, is an all-trans-retinol dehydrogenase. Analysis of the primary structure and tryptic digestion revealed that its N-terminus encompasses a short hydrophobic sequence bound to the sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane, whereas its C-terminal catalytic domain faces the myoplasm. SRP-35 is also expressed in liver and adipocytes, where it appears in the post-microsomal supernatant; however, in skeletal muscle, SRP-35 is enriched in the longitudinal sarcoplasmic reticulum. Sequence comparison predicts that SRP-35 is a short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase belonging to the DHRS7C [dehydrogenase/reductase (short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase family) member 7C] subfamily. Retinol is the substrate of SRP-35, since its transient overexpression leads to an increased production of all-trans-retinaldehyde. Transfection of C2C12 myotubes with a fusion protein encoding SRP-35-EYFP (enhanced yellow fluorescent protein) causes a decrease of the maximal Ca²⁺ released via RyR (ryanodine receptor) activation induced by KCl or 4-chloro-m-chresol. The latter result could be mimicked by the addition of retinoic acid to the C2C12 cell tissue culture medium, a treatment which caused a significant reduction of RyR1 expression. We propose that in skeletal muscle SRP-35 is involved in the generation of all-trans-retinaldehyde and may play an important role in the generation of intracellular signals linking Ca2+ release (i.e. muscle activity) to metabolism.