title: Selective activation and inhibition of calmodulin-dependent enzymes by a calmodulin-like protein found in human epithelial cells.
abstract: A calmodulin-like protein, which is identical in size and 85% identical to vertebrate calmodulin, was recently identified by 'subtractive hybridization' comparison of transcripts expressed in normal versus transformed human mammary epithelial cells. Unlike the ubiquitous distribution of calmodulin, calmodulin-like protein expression is restricted to certain epithelial cells, and appears to be modulated during differentiation. In addition, calmodulin-like protein levels are often significantly reduced in malignant tumor cells as compared to corresponding normal epithelial cells. The current studies compare calmodulin-like protein functions with those of calmodulin. We find that calmodulin-like protein activation of multifunctional Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (calmodulin kinase II) is equivalent to activation by calmodulin, but that four other calmodulin-dependent enzymes, cGMP phosphodiesterase, calcineurin, nitric-oxide synthase, and myosin-light-chain kinase, display much weaker activation by calmodulin-like protein than by calmodulin. In the case of myosin-light-chain kinase, calmodulin-like protein competitively inhibits calmodulin activation of the enzyme with a Ki value of 170 nM. Thus, calmodulin-like protein may have evolved to function as a specific agonist of certain calmodulin-dependent enzymes, and/or as a specific competitive antagonist of other calmodulin-dependent enzymes.
authors.affiliation: Life Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, CA 94720.
authors.forename: C F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Edman
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: George
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Means
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schulman
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Yaswen
mesh_terms: D015106:3',5'-Cyclic-GMP Phosphodiesterases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D000594:Amino Acid Oxidoreductases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001667:Binding, Competitive; D001940:Breast; D019703:Calcineurin; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D054732:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase Type 2; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D002147:Calmodulin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002148:Calmodulin-Binding Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002846:Chromatography, Affinity; D004789:Enzyme Activation / Q000187:drug effects*; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D004848:Epithelium / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009219:Myosin-Light-Chain Kinase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D010749:Phosphoprotein Phosphatases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D002147:Calmodulin; D002148:Calmodulin-Binding Proteins; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D000594:Amino Acid Oxidoreductases; D054732:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase Type 2; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases; D009219:Myosin-Light-Chain Kinase; D019703:Calcineurin; D010749:Phosphoprotein Phosphatases; D015106:3',5'-Cyclic-GMP Phosphodiesterases