title: Expression of Orai genes and I(CRAC) activation in the human retinal pigment epithelium.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) fulfills a large variety of tasks that are important for visual function. Many of these tasks, such as phagocytosis, growth factor secretion, or transepithelial ion transport, are regulated by increases in intracellular Ca²(+) as second-messenger. Despite the multitude of Ca²(+)-dependently regulated functions, only few Ca²(+) channels have been described so far in the RPE to couple Ca²(+) conductance and Ca²(+) signaling.
  
  
  METHODS
  RT-PCR experiments with mRNA of freshly isolated RPE cells as well as from the RPE cell line ARPE-19 and measurements of the intracellular free Ca²(+) concentration were performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The RT-PCR experiments revealed the expression of the I(CRAC) channel proteins Orai 1, 2, and 3 and their stimulators Stim-1 and Stim-2. The classic maneuver to stimulate capacitive Ca²(+) entry (depletion of Ca²(+) stores by 1 μM thapsigargin under extracellular Ca²(+)-free conditions and then re-adding extracellular Ca²(+)) led to an increase in intracellular free Ca²(+), which could be blocked by application of a high concentration of 2-APB (75 μM) either before or during induction of capacitive Ca²(+) entry. On the other hand, application of a low concentration of 2-APB (2 μM) led to enhancement of the Ca²(+) increase induced by capacitive Ca²(+) entry. Depletion of cytosolic Ca²(+) stores by administration of an extracellular divalent cation-free solution led to an increase in the whole-cell conductance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  With these data we show a new Ca²(+) entry pathway linked to the Ca²(+)/inositolphosphate second-messenger system in RPE cells which help to further understand regulatory pathways of agonists. The expression of Orai channels enables the RPE cells to generate sustained or repetitive Ca²(+) signals as they are known to be induced by different stimuli like ATP, bFGF, and the stimulation with photoreceptor outer segments.
authors.affiliation: Experimentelle Ophthalmologie, Klinik und Poliklinik für Augenheilkunde, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Sönke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cordeiro
authors.forename: Olaf
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Strauss
mesh_terms: D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000235:genetics*; D020013:Calcium Signaling / Q000502:physiology; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000235:genetics; D002460:Cell Line; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D000071740:ORAI1 Protein; D000071741:ORAI2 Protein; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D055213:Retinal Pigment Epithelium / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D000071737:Stromal Interaction Molecule 1; D000071738:Stromal Interaction Molecule 2; D019284:Thapsigargin / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D015220:Calcium Channels; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D000071740:ORAI1 Protein; C510746:ORAI1 protein, human; D000071741:ORAI2 Protein; C514506:ORAI2 protein, human; C522867:Orai3 protein, human; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C103530:STIM1 protein, human; C513279:STIM2 protein, human; D000071737:Stromal Interaction Molecule 1; D000071738:Stromal Interaction Molecule 2; D019284:Thapsigargin; D002118:Calcium