Conditional fast expression and function of multimeric TRPV5 channels using Shield-1

Am J Physiol Renal Physiol. 2009 Jan;296(1):F204-11. doi: 10.1152/ajprenal.90473.2008. Epub 2008 Oct 8.

Abstract

A recently described novel controllable method to regulate protein expression is based on a mutated FK506-binding protein-12 (mtFKBP) that is unstable and rapidly degraded in mammalian cells. This instability can be conferred to other proteins directly fused to mtFKBP. Binding of a synthetic cell-permeant ligand (Shield-1) to mtFKBP reverses the instability, allowing conditional expression of mtFKBP-fused proteins. We adapted this strategy to study multimeric plasma membrane proteins using the ion channel TRPV5 as model protein. mtFKBP-TRPV5 forms functional ion channels and its expression can be controlled in a time- and dose-dependent fashion using Shield-1. Moreover, in the presence of Shield-1, mtFKBP-TRPV5 formed heteromultimeric channels with untagged TRPV5, which were codegraded upon washout of Shield-1, providing a strategy to study multimeric plasma membrane protein complexes without the need to destabilize all individual subunits.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Calcium Channels / genetics
  • Calcium Channels / metabolism
  • Cell Line
  • Cell Membrane / metabolism
  • Gene Expression Regulation / physiology*
  • Humans
  • Kidney / cytology
  • Kidney / embryology
  • Kidney / metabolism*
  • Ligands
  • Protein Engineering / methods*
  • Protein Multimerization*
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary
  • Small Molecule Libraries / metabolism*
  • TRPV Cation Channels / genetics
  • TRPV Cation Channels / metabolism*
  • Tacrolimus Binding Protein 1A / metabolism*

Substances

  • Calcium Channels
  • Ligands
  • Small Molecule Libraries
  • TRPV Cation Channels
  • TRPV5 protein, human
  • TRPV6 protein, human
  • Tacrolimus Binding Protein 1A