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Commentary Open Access
Volume 3 | Issue 4 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.33696/Signaling.3.081

New Insights into the Proteolytic Regulation of the Structural Protein Junctophilin-2 by Calpain

  • 1Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, Center for Molecular Cardiology, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY 10032, USA
  • 2Department of Cardiology and Pneumology, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37075 Göttingen, Germany
  • 3Cellular Biophysics and Translational Cardiology Section, Heart Research Center Göttingen, University Medical Center Göttingen, Robert-Koch-Str. 42a, 37075 Göttingen, Germany
  • 4Collaborative Research Center SFB1190 “Compartmental Gates and Contact Sites in Cells”, University of Göttingen, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
  • 5Cluster of Excellence “Multiscale Bioimaging: from Molecular Machines to Networks of Excitable Cells” (MBExC2067), University of Göttingen, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
  • 6DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Göttingen, 37075 Göttingen, Germany
+ Affiliations - Affiliations

Corresponding Author

Stephan E. Lehnart, slehnart@med.uni-goettingen.de

Received Date: August 24, 2022

Accepted Date: September 20, 2022

Abstract

Junctophilin-2 (JP2) is a key structural protein of junctional membrane complexes (JMCs) that stabilize contacts between the sarcoplasmic reticulum and transverse tubules required for excitation-contraction (EC) coupling in cardiomyocytes. Under pathophysiological conditions, the intracellular cysteine protease Calpain activated by disturbed intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis cleaves JP2 and, hence, disturbs EC coupling. In return, the primary N-terminal JP2 cleavage fragment (NT1) translocates into the nucleus, where it accumulates in dense local spots associated with gene-rich euchromatin and proposedly acts as a cardioprotective transcriptional regulator in heart failure. Secondary cleavage events by Calpain or other proteases may further alter the function of JP2. After recently revealing the complete spectrum of JP2 cleavage fragments generated by Calpain proteolysis, we provide here an update about the position of the Calpain cleavage sites relative to the structural environment of JP2 in JMCs and how heart disease-associated gene variants of JP2 could affect the proteolytic regulation by Calpain.

Keywords

Calcium, Calpain, Cardiomyocyte, Junctophilin-2, Ryanodine Receptor

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