title: Endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase pump is up-regulated in calcium-transporting dental enamel cells: a non-housekeeping role for SERCA2b.
abstract: Dental enamel-forming cells face a major challenge to avoid the cytotoxic effects of excess calcium. We have characterized sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum calcium-ATPase pumps (SERCA) in rat enamel cells to address the proposal that non-mitochondrial calcium stores play a dominant role in transcellular calcium transport. A single major isoform, SERCA2b, was detected during the protein-secretory and calcium-transport stages of enamel formation using reverse-transcriptase PCR, cDNA cloning, Northern analysis and immunoblotting. Most importantly, SERCA2b exhibited a specific 3-fold up-regulation to high expression levels during calcium transport, as determined by quantitative immunoblotting and ATPase assays. Sensitivity of the calcium-dependent ATPase to thapsigargin and three other SERCA inhibitors was characterized. These findings indicate that enamel cells are well-equipped to sequester calcium in endoplasmic reticulum stores and so protect against calcium toxicity, associate SERCA with transcellular calcium transport for the first time, and establish SERCA2b as a molecular and pharmacological target for future investigations of calcium transcytosis. The observed physiological regulation in enamel cells contradicts the widespread perception that SERCA2b is restricted to general housekeeping duties.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, PO Box 56, 710 Cumberland Street, Dunedin, New Zealand.
authors.forename: I K
authors.initials: IK
authors.lastname: Franklin
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Winz
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Hubbard
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D000252:Calcium-Transporting ATPases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000737:chemistry*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000378:metabolism; D003743:Dental Enamel / Q000737:chemistry; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D004721:Endoplasmic Reticulum / Q000737:chemistry / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000378:metabolism; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D015151:Immunoblotting; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D053498:Sarcoplasmic Reticulum Calcium-Transporting ATPases; D019284:Thapsigargin / Q000494:pharmacology; D014070:Tooth / Q000166:cytology; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D019284:Thapsigargin; D053498:Sarcoplasmic Reticulum Calcium-Transporting ATPases; D000252:Calcium-Transporting ATPases; D002118:Calcium