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Functional properties of recombinant calpain I and of mutants lacking domains III and IV of the catalytic subunit.

Abstract
The catalytic subunit (L-microCANP) of human calpain I (muCANP, the high Ca2+ affinity form) and two of its mutants were expressed in Escherichia coli or using the baculovirus Sf9 system. The mutants lacked domain III (L-mu CANPDelta3) and the calmodulin-like domain IV (L-mu CANPDelta4), respectively. The bacterially expressed proteins were solubilized from the inclusion bodies and refolded with polyethylene glycol. In Sf9 cells, co-expression of the inhibitor calpastatin was necessary to prevent autolysis of L-muCANP, whereas co-expression of the regulatory subunit enhanced it. Only very low levels of mRNA of the truncated form L-mu CANPDelta4 were found in bacmid-transfected Sf9 cells, and it proved impossible to isolate this mutant using the baculovirus expression system. While the apparent Km(Ca2+) of freshly isolated human erythrocyte muCANP was about 60 microM, the recombinant monomeric forms L-mu CANP and L-mu CANPDelta3 required 65-215 and 400-530 microM Ca2+, respectively. Bacterially expressed L-mu CANPDelta4 was Ca2+-independent; the presence of inhibitors during its renaturation was necessary to prevent its autolysis. A chimeric form (L-mu mCANP) composed by domains I-III of muCANP and domain IV of calpain II (mCANP, the low Ca2+ affinity form) was also expressed in Sf9 cells. This mutant required less Ca2+ (about 50 microM) than native erythrocyte calpain for half-maximal activity and had the highest specific activity of all calpains tested. Domain III proved unnecessary for the activity of the recombinant catalytic subunit, but its absence raised the Km(Ca2+) and removed its inactivation at high Ca2+ concentrations. All recombinant proteins were active as monomers in polyethylene glycol-containing buffers; the in vitro association with the regulatory subunit enhanced only slightly the Vmax and the Ca2+ dependence of the expressed proteins. Activation by Ca2+ promoted the separation of the two subunits of the expressed recombinant proteins.
AuthorsE M Vilei, S Calderara, J Anagli, S Berardi, K Hitomi, M Maki, E Carafoli
JournalThe Journal of biological chemistry (J Biol Chem) Vol. 272 Issue 41 Pg. 25802-8 (Oct 10 1997) ISSN: 0021-9258 [Print] United States
PMID9325309 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
Chemical References
  • DNA, Complementary
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • Calpain
  • Calcium
Topics
  • Animals
  • Binding Sites (genetics)
  • Calcium (metabolism)
  • Calpain (genetics, metabolism)
  • Catalysis
  • DNA, Complementary (chemistry)
  • Humans
  • Kinetics
  • Mutagenesis, Site-Directed
  • Protein Conformation
  • Recombinant Proteins (metabolism)
  • Spodoptera

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