Intracellular calmodulin availability accessed with two-photon cross-correlation

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Sally A. Kim - (Author)
  • Katrin G. Heinzet - , TUD Dresden University of Technology (Author)
  • M. Neal Waxham - (Author)
  • Petra Schwille - , Chair of Biophysics (Author)

Abstract

The availability and interactions of signaling proteins are tightly regulated in time and space to produce specific and localized effects. For calmodulin (CaM), a key transducer of intracellular Ca2+ signaling, binding to its variety of targets initiates signaling cascades and regulates its subcellular localization, thereby making it unavailable for subsequent binding interactions. Among CaM's numerous targets, Ca 2+/CaM-dependent protein kinase II is one of the most striking due to its unique ability to increase its affinity for CaM by autophosphorylation and to translocate when bound to Ca2+/CaM. Two-photon fluorescence correlation spectroscopy and cross-correlation spectroscopy were utilized to compare mobility and molecular interactions between CaM and Ca 2+/CaM-dependent protein kinase II in solution and in living cells. These techniques revealed that CaM availability in cells could be altered by a change in intracellular conditions. Two-photon fluorescence cross-correlation spectroscopy exemplifies a generally applicable approach for studying protein-protein interactions in living cells that allows access to the behavior of signaling molecules within their native environment to probe for heterogeneities in signaling pathways in different cellular compartments.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)105-110
Number of pages6
JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America : PNAS
Volume101
Issue number1
Publication statusPublished - Jan 2004
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMed 14695888

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas