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Calcium-Binding Protein Protocols Calcium-Binding Protein Protocols

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Monitoring Ca 2+ -Calmodulin Concentration 365<br />

28<br />

Monitoring the Intracellular Free Ca 2+ -Calmodulin<br />

Concentration with Genetically-Encoded<br />

Fluorescent Indicator <strong>Protein</strong>s<br />

Anthony Persechini<br />

1. Introduction<br />

Calmodulin (CaM) is probably the single most important Ca 2+ -binding<br />

protein in the cell by virtue of its central role in converting Ca 2+ signals into<br />

biochemical events. It accomplishes this conversion primarily by controlling in<br />

a Ca 2+ -dependent manner the activities of a number of different target proteins.<br />

Particularly well-studied examples include the myosin light-chain kinases,<br />

CaM kinases I, II, and IV, calcineurin, the constitutive nitric oxide synthases,<br />

adenylyl cyclases I and VIII, and the cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases (1–6).<br />

In general, CaM is thought to remain dissociated from its targets at resting<br />

free-Ca 2+ concentrations. The protein contains four EF-hand Ca 2+ -binding<br />

domains, and it must bind three to four Ca 2+ ions before activating a typical<br />

target protein, such as myosin light-chain kinase or phosphodiesterase (7,8).<br />

There are several exceptions to this overall picture: proteins containing<br />

IQ-motifs, such as neuromodulin or unconventional myosins (9–11), bind<br />

Ca 2+ -free CaM as well or better than Ca 2+ -liganded CaM, and CaM is an<br />

integral subunit in several proteins, including ryanodine receptors, small<br />

conductance potassium channels, inducible nitric oxide synthase, and phosphorylase<br />

b kinase (12–15).<br />

In spite of these exceptions, it is clear that for many critically important<br />

targets, the free concentration of Ca 2+ –CaM ([Ca 2+ –CaM] i) is a crucial<br />

determinant of activity. The [Ca 2+ –CaM] i produced at a particular intracellular<br />

free-Ca 2+ ion concentration is not easily inferred from in vitro data. It is<br />

determined by the amounts and distributions of targets and CaM, the affinities<br />

From: Methods in Molecular Biology, vol. 173:<br />

<strong>Calcium</strong>-<strong>Binding</strong> <strong>Protein</strong> <strong>Protocols</strong>, Vol. 2: Methods and Techniques<br />

Edited by: H. J. Vogel © Humana Press Inc., Totowa, NJ<br />

365

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