title: Hyperactivation of L-type voltage-gated Ca2+ channels in Caenorhabditis elegans striated muscle can result from point mutations in the IS6 or the IIIS4 segment of the α1 subunit.
abstract: Several human diseases, including hypokalemic periodic paralysis and Timothy syndrome, are caused by mutations in voltage-gated calcium channels. The effects of these mutations are not always well understood, partially because of difficulties in expressing these channels in heterologous systems. The use of Caenorhabditis elegans could be an alternative approach to determine the effects of mutations on voltage-gated calcium channel function because all the main types of voltage-gated calcium channels are found in C. elegans, a large panel of mutations already exists and efficient genetic tools are available to engineer customized mutations in any gene. In this study, we characterize the effects of two gain-of-function mutations in egl-19, which encodes the L-type calcium channel α1 subunit. One of these mutations, ad695, leads to the replacement of a hydrophobic residue in the IIIS4 segment. The other mutation, n2368, changes a conserved glycine of IS6 segment; this mutation has been identified in patients with Timothy syndrome. We show that both egl-19 (gain-of-function) mutants have defects in locomotion and morphology that are linked to higher muscle tone. Using in situ electrophysiological approaches in striated muscle cells, we provide evidence that this high muscle tone is due to a shift of the voltage dependency towards negative potentials, associated with a decrease of the inactivation rate of the L-type Ca(2+) current. Moreover, we show that the maximal conductance of the Ca(2+) current is decreased in the strongest mutant egl-19(n2368), and that this decrease is correlated with a mislocalization of the channel.
authors.affiliation: CNRS, UMR 5534, Université Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, F-69622, France.
authors.forename: Viviane
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lainé
authors.affiliation: CNRS, UMR 5534, Université Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, F-69622, France.
authors.forename: Jean Rony
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Ségor
authors.affiliation: CNRS, UMR 5534, Université Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, F-69622, France.
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhan
authors.affiliation: CNRS, UMR 5534, Université Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, F-69622, France.
authors.forename: Jean-Louis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Bessereau
authors.affiliation: CNRS, UMR 5534, Université Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, F-69622, France Jospin@univ-lyon.fr.
authors.forename: Maelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jospin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D018014:Gene Transfer Techniques; D008124:Locomotion / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D009124:Muscle Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D054792:Muscle, Striated / Q000378:metabolism*; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D017354:Point Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D021122:Protein Subunits / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D015220:Calcium Channels; D017931:DNA Primers; C109164:Egl-19 protein, C elegans; D009124:Muscle Proteins; D021122:Protein Subunits
keywords: Ca2+ channel; Caenorhabditis elegans; L-type; Muscle; Mutation