A recently studied endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress regulator, Bax inhibitor-1 (BI-1) plays a regulatory role in mitochondrial Ca(2+) levels. In this study, we identified ER-resident and mitochondria-associated ER membrane (MAM)-resident populations of BI-1. ER stress increased mitochondrial Ca(2+) to a lesser extent in BI-1-overexpressing cells (HT1080/BI-1) than in control cells, most likely...

The C2 domain of protein kinase Cα (PKCα) controls the translocation of this kinase from the cytoplasm to the plasma membrane during cytoplasmic Ca signals. The present study uses intracellular co-imaging of fluorescent fusion proteins and an in vitro FRET membranebinding assay to further investigate the nature of this translocation. We find that Caactivated PKCα and its isolated C2 domain loca...

Calcium (Ca(2+)) release through inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors (IP(3)Rs) regulates the function of virtually every mammalian cell. Unlike ryanodine receptors, which generate local Ca(2+) events ("sparks") that transmit signals to the juxtaposed cell membrane, a similar functional architecture has not been reported for IP(3)Rs. Here, we have identified spatially fixed, local Ca(2+) rele...

The discovery of the START family of abscisic acid (ABA) receptors places these proteins at the front of a protein kinase/phosphatase signal cascade that promotes stomatal closure. The connection of these receptors to Ca(2+) signals evoked by ABA has proven more difficult to resolve, although it has been implicated by studies of the pyrbactin-insensitive pyr1/pyl1/pyl2/pyl4 quadruple mutant. On...

Effects of the organochlorine insecticides chlordecone, mirex, 1-(2-chlorophenyl)-1-(4-chlorophenyl)-2,2,2-trichloroethane and 1,1-bis(4-chlorophenyl)-2,2,2-trichloroethane on free intrasynaptosomal Ca2+ [( Ca++]i), synaptosomal 45Ca uptake and synaptosomal plasma and mitochondrial membrane potentials in vitro were studied. Chlordecone (10-50 microM) increased [Ca++]i from the resting level of ...