Ca2+-dependent conformational changes in bovine GCAP-2

Protein Sci. 1998 Dec;7(12):2675-80. doi: 10.1002/pro.5560071222.

Abstract

GCAP-2, a mammalian photoreceptor-specific protein, is a Ca2+-dependent regulator of the retinal membrane guanylyl cyclases (Ret-GCs). Sensing the fall in intracellular free Ca2+ after photo-excitation, GCAP-2 stimulates the activity of Ret-GC leading to cGMP production. Like other members of the recoverin superfamily, GCAP-2 is a small N-myristoylated protein containing four EF-hand consensus motifs. In this study, we demonstrate that like recoverin and neurocalcin, GCAP-2 alters its conformation in response to Ca2+-binding as measured by a Ca2+-dependent change in its far UV CD spectrum. Differences in the conformation of the Ca2+-bound and Ca2+-free forms of GCAP-2 were also observed by examining their relative susceptibility to V8 protease. In contrast to recoverin, we do not observe proteolytic cleavage of the myristoylated N-terminus of Ca2+-bound GCAP-2. NMR spectra also show that, in contrast to recoverin, the chemical environment of the N-terminus of GCAP-2 is not dramatically altered by Ca2+ binding. Despite the similarity of GCAP-2 and recoverin, the structural consequences of Ca2+-binding for these two proteins are significantly dissimilar.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Calcium / metabolism*
  • Calcium-Binding Proteins / chemistry*
  • Calcium-Binding Proteins / metabolism*
  • Cattle
  • Circular Dichroism
  • Eye Proteins*
  • Guanylate Cyclase-Activating Proteins
  • Hippocalcin
  • Lipoproteins*
  • Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Myristates / metabolism
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins*
  • Photoreceptor Cells / chemistry*
  • Photoreceptor Cells / metabolism*
  • Protein Conformation
  • Recoverin
  • Serine Endopeptidases / chemistry
  • Serine Endopeptidases / metabolism
  • Solvents

Substances

  • Calcium-Binding Proteins
  • Eye Proteins
  • Guanylate Cyclase-Activating Proteins
  • Lipoproteins
  • Myristates
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins
  • Solvents
  • Recoverin
  • Hippocalcin
  • Serine Endopeptidases
  • glutamyl endopeptidase
  • Calcium