Apocalmodulin and Ca2؉ calmodulin bind to overlapping sites on the ryanodine receptor skeletal form, RYR1, but have opposite functional effects on channel activity. Suramin, a polysulfonated napthylurea, displaces both forms of calmodulin, leading to an inhibition of activity at low Ca 2؉ The skeletal muscle ryanodine receptor (RYR1) functions as a sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) 1 Ca 2ϩ release channel that plays a central role in excitation-contraction coupling. Two distinct mechanisms are postulated to contribute to the release of Ca 2ϩ from the SR in skeletal muscle. After sarcolemmal depolarization, SR Ca 2ϩ release channels are initially activated via mechanical coupling with DHPRs (or L-type Ca 2ϩ channels) located in the surface membrane (2). However, morphological data indicate that only every other SR Ca 2ϩ release channel is directly coupled with sarcolemmal DHPRs (3). Adjacent, non-DHPR-coupled release channels (4) are thought to be activated either by Ca 2ϩ released via the mechanically coupled channels (3) or by a coordinated or "coupled-gating" mechanism of activation (5).RYR1 and DHPR proteins bind CaM in both its Ca 2ϩ -bound and Ca 2ϩ -free forms (6 -9). Overlapping binding sites for apoCaM and Ca 2ϩ -CaM are located between amino acids 3614 and 3643 of RYR1 (10, 11). The carboxyl-terminal tail of the DHPR ␣ 1 -subunit (12, 13) appears to have binding sites for both forms of CaM. C3635, located within the putative CaM binding region of RYR1, has been postulated to contribute to oxidation-induced intersubunit cross-linking (14) and was recently demonstrated to be the site of CaM-dependent NO modulation of RYR1 (15).Studies of the interaction of both the DHPR and RYR1 with apoCaM and Ca 2ϩ CaM have been primarily carried out with uncoupled channels, raising the question of whether CaM interacts with either channel when the two proteins are mechanically coupled in intact skeletal muscle. Slavik et al. (12) provided evidence that a sequence within the carboxyl terminus of the DHPR ␣ 1 -subunit interacts strongly with RYR1. This sequence was later shown to also be a CaM binding motif (13). More recently, Sencer et al. (1) demonstrated that the CaM binding site on RYR1 binds directly to the carboxyl-terminal tail of the DHPR ␣ 1 -subunit. These findings suggest that the CaM binding motifs on the DHPR and RYR1 proteins may actually function as protein-protein interaction motifs rather than strictly as CaM binding domains. However, the functionally relevant binding partners for these motifs have not yet been identified. If the DHPR and RYR1 proteins utilize CaM binding motifs for binding to one another, then CaM could potentially uncouple the mechanical link formed between the CaM binding site of RYR1 and the carboxyl-terminal tail of the DHPR ␣ 1 -subunit. However, the functional consequences of such CaM-mediated uncoupling have yet to be evaluated.Suramin, a polysulfonated napthylurea is a potent, reversible activator of the RYR, increasing both conductance and P 0 of the channel (16). Klinger et a...