The Arrhythmogenic Calmodulin p.Phe142Leu Mutation Impairs C-domain Ca2+-binding but not Calmodulin-dependent Inhibition of the Cardiac Ryanodine Receptor

A number of point mutations in the intracellular Ca(2+)-sensing protein calmodulin (CaM) are arrhythmogenic, yet their underlying mechanisms are not clear. These mutations generally decrease Ca(2+) binding to CaM and impair inhibition of CaM-regulated Ca(2+) channels like the cardiac Ca(2+) release channel (ryanodine receptor, RyR2), and it appears that attenuated CaM Ca(2+) binding correlates with impaired CaM-dependent RyR2 inhibition. Here, we investigated the RyR2 inhibitory action of the CaM p.Phe142Leu mutation (F142L; numbered including the start-Met), which markedly reduces CaM Ca(2+) binding. Surprisingly, CaM-F142L had little to no aberrant effect on RyR2-mediated store overload-induced Ca(2+) release in HEK293 cells compared with CaM-WT. Furthermore, CaM-F142L enhanced CaM-dependent RyR2 inhibition at the single channel level compared with CaM-WT. This is in stark contrast to the actions of arrhythmogenic CaM mutations N54I, D96V, N98S, and D130G, which all diminish CaM-dependent RyR2 inhibition. Thermodynamic analysis showed that apoCaM-F142L converts an endothermal interaction between CaM and the CaM-binding domain (CaMBD) of RyR2 into an exothermal one. Moreover, NMR spectra revealed that the CaM-F142L-CaMBD interaction is structurally different from that of CaM-WT at low Ca(2+). These data indicate a distinct interaction between CaM-F142L and the RyR2 CaMBD, which may explain the stronger CaM-dependent RyR2 inhibition by CaM-F142L, despite its reduced Ca(2+) binding. Collectively, these results add to our understanding of CaM-dependent regulation of RyR2 as well as the mechanistic effects of arrhythmogenic CaM mutations. The unique properties of the CaM-F142L mutation may provide novel clues on how to suppress excessive RyR2 Ca(2+) release by manipulating the CaM-RyR2 interaction

Expression of Fap amyloids in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, P. fluorescens, and P. putida results in aggregation and increased biofilm formation

The fap operon, encoding functional amyloids in Pseudomonas (Fap), is present in most pseudomonads, but so far the expression and importance for biofilm formation has only been investigated for P. fluorescens strain UK4. In this study, we demonstrate the capacity of P. aeruginosa PAO1, P. fluorescens Pf-5, and P. putida F1 to express Fap fibrils, and investigated the effect of Fap expression on aggregation and biofilm formation. The fap operon in all three Pseudomonas species conferred the ability to express Fap fibrils as shown using a recombinant approach. This Fap overexpression consistently resulted in highly aggregative phenotypes and in increased biofilm formation. Detailed biophysical investigations of purified fibrils confirmed FapC as the main fibril monomer and supported the role of FapB as a minor, nucleating constituent as also indicated by bioinformatic analysis. Bioinformatics analysis suggested FapF and FapD as a potential β-barrel membrane pore and protease, respectively. Manipulation of the fap operon showed that FapA affects monomer composition of the final amyloid fibril, and that FapB is an amyloid protein, probably a nucleator for FapC polymerization. Our study highlights the fap operon as a molecular machine for functional amyloid formation