Analysis of the Ca2+ domain in the Arabidopsis H+/Ca2+ antiporters CAX1 and CAX3.
Ca2+ levels in plants are controlled in part by H+/Ca2+ exchangers. Structure/function analysis of the Arabidopsis H+/cation exchanger, CAX1, revealed that a nine amino acid region (87-95) is involved in CAX1-mediated Ca2+ specificity. CAX3 is 77% identical (93% similar) to CAX1, and when expressed in yeast, localizes to the vacuole but does not suppress yeast mutants defective in vacuolar Ca2+ transport. Transgenic tobacco plants expressing CAX3 containing the 9 amino acid Ca2+ domain (Cad) from CAX1 (CAX3-9) displayed altered stress sensitivities similar to CAX1-expressing plants, whereas CAX3-9-expressing plants did not have any altered stress sensitivities. A single leucine-to-isoleucine change at position 87 (CAX3-I) within the Cad of CAX3 allows this protein to weakly transport Ca2+ in yeast (less than 10% of CAX1). Site-directed mutagenesis of the leucine in the CAX3 Cad demonstrated that no amino acid change tested could confer more activity than CAX3-I. Transport studies in yeast demonstrated that the first three amino acids of the CAX1 Cad could confer twice the Ca2+ transport capability compared to CAX3-I. The entire Cad of CAX3 (87-95) inserted into CAX1 abolishes CAX1-mediated Ca2+ transport. However, single, double, or triple amino acid replacements within the native CAX1 Cad did not block CAX1 mediated Ca2+ transport. Together these findings suggest that other domains within CAX1 and CAX3 influence Ca2+ transport. This study has implications for the ability to engineer CAX-mediated transport in plants by manipulating Cad residues.
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D019943:Amino Acid Substitution; D017920:Antiporters / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D001665:Binding Sites / Q000235:genetics; D001692:Biological Transport; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D027682:Cation Transport Proteins; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014617:Vacuoles / Q000378:metabolism
D017920:Antiporters; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D027682:Cation Transport Proteins; D020033:Protein Isoforms; C027614:calcium-hydrogen antiporters; D002118:Calcium