title: Calcineurin, a calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein phosphatase, is involved in movement, fertility, egg laying, and growth in Caenorhabditis elegans.
abstract: Calcineurin is a Ca(2+)-calmodulin-dependent serine/threonine protein phosphatase that has been implicated in various signaling pathways. Here we report the identification and characterization of calcineurin genes in Caenorhabditis elegans (cna-1 and cnb-1), which share high homology with Drosophila and mammalian calcineurin genes. C. elegans calcineurin binds calcium and functions as a heterodimeric protein phosphatase establishing its biochemical conservation in the nematode. Calcineurin is expressed in hypodermal seam cells, body-wall muscle, vulva muscle, neuronal cells, and in sperm and the spermatheca. cnb-1 mutants showed pleiotropic defects including lethargic movement and delayed egg-laying. Interestingly, these characteristic defects resembled phenotypes observed in gain-of-function mutants of unc-43/Ca(2+)-calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) and goa-1/G(o)-protein alpha-subunit. Double mutants of cnb-1 and unc-43(gf) displayed an apparent synergistic severity of movement and egg-laying defects, suggesting that calcineurin may have an antagonistic role in CaMKII-regulated phosphorylation signaling pathways in C. elegans.
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Science, Kwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Korea.
authors.forename: Jaya
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bandyopadhyay
authors.forename: Jiyeon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Jungsoo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Jin Il
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Jae-Ran
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Changhoon
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jee
authors.forename: Jeong-Hoon
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Sunki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Myon Hee
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zannoni
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Singson
authors.forename: Do Han
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hyeon-Sook
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Koo
authors.forename: Joohong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ahnn
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000378:metabolism*; D019703:Calcineurin / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D002455:Cell Division; D002465:Cell Movement; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000378:metabolism; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D017353:Gene Deletion; D015723:Gene Library; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008164:Luminescent Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D008957:Models, Genetic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D010641:Phenotype; D010744:Phosphoric Monoester Hydrolases / Q000378:metabolism; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D015398:Signal Transduction; D020798:Two-Hybrid System Techniques
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D008164:Luminescent Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D019703:Calcineurin; D010744:Phosphoric Monoester Hydrolases