Journal: Communications Biology

Article Title: A maladaptive feedback mechanism between the extracellular matrix and cytoskeleton contributes to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy pathophysiology

doi: 10.1038/s42003-022-04278-9

Figure Lengend Snippet: Immunoblot analysis of L-type calcium channel ( a , b ) and β 1 integrin ( c , d ) protein expression performed on total heart homogenate pooled from groups of 5 pre- (10–15-wk-old) or post-cardiomyopathic (30–50-week-old) cTnI-G203S mice and age-matched wt counterparts. Representative immunoblots probed with L-type calcium channel α 1C subunit (Ca V 1.2, a ) or β 1 integrin ( c ) antibody, then GAPDH monoclonal antibody. Densitometry analysis of Ca V 1.2 ( b ) or β 1 integrin ( d ) protein expression, normalized to associated GAPDH expression. n = number of technical repeats. A Browne-Forsythe and Welch ANOVA ( b ) or Kruskal-Wallis test ( d ) determined statistical significance. Densitometry analysis of relative mTOR expression (calculated as Phospho-mTOR/Total mTOR) performed on cytoplasmic ( e ) and nuclear ( f ) fractions pooled from groups of five pre- or post-cardiomyopathic cTnI-G203S mice and age-matched wt counterparts. β-tubulin and histone H2B antibodies were used as loading controls for cytoplasmic and nuclear fractions respectively. n = number of technical repeats. A Browne-Forsythe and Welch ANOVA ( e ) or Kruskal-Wallis test ( f ) determined statistical significance. g Schematic indicating structural-functional link between the L-type calcium channel, cytoskeletal network, mitochondria, integrin and the extracellular matrix in wt and cTnI-G203S cardiac myocytes. A disrupted cytoskeletal architecture in cTnI-G203S cardiac myocytes may trigger a maladaptive feedback mechanism between increased cytoskeletal and extracellular matrix stiffness, resulting in a hypermetabolic mitochondrial state.

Article Snippet: Blots were probed with the following primary antibodies: rabbit polyclonal anti-Ca V 1.2 (Alomone, ACC-003, 1:200) or rabbit monoclonal anti-β 1 integrin (D6S1W) (Cell Signaling Technology 34971, 1:1000).

Techniques: Western Blot, Expressing, Functional Assay

Journal: PLoS ONE

Article Title: The Impact of Ovariectomy on Calcium Homeostasis and Myofilament Calcium Sensitivity in the Aging Mouse Heart

doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0074719

Figure Lengend Snippet: A . Detection of ~240 kDa bands corresponding to Ca V 1.2 in ventricular tissue from sham and OVX mice. Na/K ATPase (110 kDa band) was used as a loading control (15 µg of protein were loaded in each lane). Average Ca V 1.2 band intensity was lower in OVX ventricular tissue compared to sham controls (n=3 hearts/group). B . Representative immunoblot illustrating ~116 kDa bands corresponding to NCX in sham and OVX ventricle. The loading control was Na-K ATPase as in A. Mean normalized NCX band intensity was similar in ventricular tissue from sham and OVX mice (n=3 hearts in each group). C . Detection of ~110 kDa bands corresponding to SERCA2 in the ventricles of sham and OVX mice. Amido black was used as a loading control (60 µg of protein were loaded in each lane). Average intensity of the SERCA2 bands was similar in sham and OVX ventricles (n=3 hearts in each group). In experiments where Na-K ATPase was used as a loading control, there was no significant difference in Na-K ATPase protein levels between sham and OVX (t-test, p=0.164) (*denotes p<0.05; t-test)..

Article Snippet: Antibodies used were rabbit anti- Ca v 1.2 polyclonal antibody (Alomone, ACC-003-AG; 1:2000), mouse anti-NCX monoclonal antibody (SWANT, R3F1; 1:1000), mouse anti-SERCA2 monoclonal antibody (Affinity Bioreagents, MA3-919; 1:2000) and rabbit anti-Na/KATPase polyclonal antibody (Abcam; 1:2000).

Techniques: Western Blot

Journal: PLoS ONE

Article Title: The Impact of Ovariectomy on Calcium Homeostasis and Myofilament Calcium Sensitivity in the Aging Mouse Heart

doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0074719

Figure Lengend Snippet: Comparison of Key Ca 2+ Handling Mechanisms in Hearts and Cardiomyocytes From Young Adult OVX and Aged OVX Female Mice.

Article Snippet: Antibodies used were rabbit anti- Ca v 1.2 polyclonal antibody (Alomone, ACC-003-AG; 1:2000), mouse anti-NCX monoclonal antibody (SWANT, R3F1; 1:1000), mouse anti-SERCA2 monoclonal antibody (Affinity Bioreagents, MA3-919; 1:2000) and rabbit anti-Na/KATPase polyclonal antibody (Abcam; 1:2000).

Techniques: In Vivo, Activity Assay, Expressing

Journal: Translational Psychiatry

Article Title: Identification of ultra-rare disruptive variants in voltage-gated calcium channel-encoding genes in Japanese samples of schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder

doi: 10.1038/s41398-022-01851-y

Figure Lengend Snippet: a Three-dimensional (3D) model structure of the Ca v 1.2 channel with the folded N-terminal structure. b 3D model structure of the Ca v 1.2 channel with the CaM-binding structure, shown in complex with the N-lobe of CaM. c Enlarged view around the alanine 36 (A36) residue of the folded N-terminal structure. The A36 site is highlighted by green dotted circles. The N-terminal spatial Ca 2+ -transforming element (NSCaTE) region (47–68), Ca 2+ , and CaM are indicated in yellow, orange, and magenta, respectively. Molecular graphics were created using UCSF Chimera . d A schematic illustration of the hypothesis that the A36V mutation attenuates Ca 2+ -dependent inactivation (CDI) by conformational equilibrium shift favoring the folded structure.

Article Snippet: After pretreatment, cells were incubated overnight with rabbit polyclonal anti-Ca v 1.2 antibody (1:1000, Alomone Labs) in blocking solution, and then stained for 1 hour with an AlexaFluor 488-conjugated anti-rabbit IgG goat antibody (1:1000, Thermo Fisher Scientific) and Hoechst 33342 (Thermo Fisher Scientific) in PBS.

Techniques: Binding Assay, Mutagenesis

Journal: Translational Psychiatry

Article Title: Identification of ultra-rare disruptive variants in voltage-gated calcium channel-encoding genes in Japanese samples of schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder

doi: 10.1038/s41398-022-01851-y

Figure Lengend Snippet: a Sanger sequencing results for the de novo variant p.A36V (left) and schematic illustration of the primary structure of the Ca v 1.2 channel (right). The red asterisk indicates the A36V mutation near the N-terminal spatial Ca 2+ -transforming element (NSCaTE). b The N-terminal amino acid sequences for Ca v 1.2 channels (short isoforms). The A36V mutation and the A39V Brugada mutation are indicated in red letters. c Expression of wild-type (WT) and A36V Ca v 1.2 channels in HEK293T cells as detected by anti-Ca v 1.2 antibody. d Membrane localization of WT and A36V Ca v 1.2 channels overexpressed in BHK cells. The plasma membrane was visualized by membrane-tethering red fluorescent protein (RFP-KRasCT). e The fluorescence intensity profiles of the line shown in Fig. 1d. f Plasma membrane to cytoplasm intensity ratio of Ca v 1.2. Statistical comparison was performed by two-tailed Welch’s t test (n.s., not significant). Data are presented as mean ± s.e.m.

Article Snippet: After pretreatment, cells were incubated overnight with rabbit polyclonal anti-Ca v 1.2 antibody (1:1000, Alomone Labs) in blocking solution, and then stained for 1 hour with an AlexaFluor 488-conjugated anti-rabbit IgG goat antibody (1:1000, Thermo Fisher Scientific) and Hoechst 33342 (Thermo Fisher Scientific) in PBS.

Techniques: Sequencing, Variant Assay, Mutagenesis, Expressing, Fluorescence, Two Tailed Test

Journal: Translational Psychiatry

Article Title: Identification of ultra-rare disruptive variants in voltage-gated calcium channel-encoding genes in Japanese samples of schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder

doi: 10.1038/s41398-022-01851-y

Figure Lengend Snippet: a Families of Ba 2+ currents evoked by 30-ms depolarizing pulses from −30 to 60 mV with increments of 10 mV for wild-type (WT) and A36V neuronal Ca v 1.2 channels. b Current density–voltage ( I – V ) relationships. Data are expressed as mean ± s.e.m., WT: n = 18, A36V: n = 12. The values of G, Erev, V 0.5 , and k were −0.40, 63.0 mV, 7.6 mV, and 5.6 mV for WT channels, and −0.50, 61.3 mV, 6.7 mV, and 4.9 mV for A36V Ca v 1.2 channels. c Inactivation curves for WT (○, n = 9) and A36V (●, n = 4) neuronal Ca v 1.2 channels. Data are expressed as mean ± s.e.m. The values of V 0.5 , and k were (respectively) −37.6 mV and 11.5 mV for WT channels, and −41.6 mV and 12.1 mV for A36V Ca v 1.2 channels. d , g Ca 2+ -dependent inactivation (CDI) of neuronal ( d ) and cardiac ( g ) Ca v 1.2 channels. Ba 2+ (blue) and Ca 2+ (black) currents evoked by 350-ms step depolarization to 30 mV were normalized at their peak current amplitudes for WT and A36V Ca v 1.2 channels. e , f, h, i , Ratios of current amplitude to the peak amplitude were plotted against depolarizing time in the Ba 2+ ( e, h ) and the Ca 2+ ( f, i ) external solutions. The numbers of recorded cells were 10 and 15 for WT and A36V neuronal Ca v 1.2 channels ( e , f ), and 8 and 6 for WT and A36V cardiac Ca v 1.2 channels ( h – i ), respectively. Statistical comparison was performed by two-tailed non-paired Student’s t test (* p < 0.05). Data are presented as mean ± s.e.m.

Article Snippet: After pretreatment, cells were incubated overnight with rabbit polyclonal anti-Ca v 1.2 antibody (1:1000, Alomone Labs) in blocking solution, and then stained for 1 hour with an AlexaFluor 488-conjugated anti-rabbit IgG goat antibody (1:1000, Thermo Fisher Scientific) and Hoechst 33342 (Thermo Fisher Scientific) in PBS.

Techniques: Two Tailed Test

Journal: Translational Psychiatry

Article Title: Identification of ultra-rare disruptive variants in voltage-gated calcium channel-encoding genes in Japanese samples of schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder

doi: 10.1038/s41398-022-01851-y

Figure Lengend Snippet: a Three-dimensional (3D) model structure of the Ca v 1.2 channel with the folded N-terminal structure. b 3D model structure of the Ca v 1.2 channel with the CaM-binding structure, shown in complex with the N-lobe of CaM. c Enlarged view around the alanine 36 (A36) residue of the folded N-terminal structure. The A36 site is highlighted by green dotted circles. The N-terminal spatial Ca 2+ -transforming element (NSCaTE) region (47–68), Ca 2+ , and CaM are indicated in yellow, orange, and magenta, respectively. Molecular graphics were created using UCSF Chimera . d A schematic illustration of the hypothesis that the A36V mutation attenuates Ca 2+ -dependent inactivation (CDI) by conformational equilibrium shift favoring the folded structure.

Article Snippet: The antibodies used for immunoblotting were purchased commercially as follows: a rabbit polyclonal antibody against Ca v 1.2 (ACC-003, Alomone Labs, Jerusalem, Israel), a mouse monoclonal antibody against β-actin (A5441, Merck), and secondary antibodies conjugated to HRP (ab97051 and ab97023, abcam, Cambridge, UK).

Techniques: Binding Assay, Mutagenesis

Journal: Translational Psychiatry

Article Title: Identification of ultra-rare disruptive variants in voltage-gated calcium channel-encoding genes in Japanese samples of schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder

doi: 10.1038/s41398-022-01851-y

Figure Lengend Snippet: a Sanger sequencing results for the de novo variant p.A36V (left) and schematic illustration of the primary structure of the Ca v 1.2 channel (right). The red asterisk indicates the A36V mutation near the N-terminal spatial Ca 2+ -transforming element (NSCaTE). b The N-terminal amino acid sequences for Ca v 1.2 channels (short isoforms). The A36V mutation and the A39V Brugada mutation are indicated in red letters. c Expression of wild-type (WT) and A36V Ca v 1.2 channels in HEK293T cells as detected by anti-Ca v 1.2 antibody. d Membrane localization of WT and A36V Ca v 1.2 channels overexpressed in BHK cells. The plasma membrane was visualized by membrane-tethering red fluorescent protein (RFP-KRasCT). e The fluorescence intensity profiles of the line shown in Fig. 1d. f Plasma membrane to cytoplasm intensity ratio of Ca v 1.2. Statistical comparison was performed by two-tailed Welch’s t test (n.s., not significant). Data are presented as mean ± s.e.m.

Article Snippet: The antibodies used for immunoblotting were purchased commercially as follows: a rabbit polyclonal antibody against Ca v 1.2 (ACC-003, Alomone Labs, Jerusalem, Israel), a mouse monoclonal antibody against β-actin (A5441, Merck), and secondary antibodies conjugated to HRP (ab97051 and ab97023, abcam, Cambridge, UK).

Techniques: Sequencing, Variant Assay, Mutagenesis, Expressing, Fluorescence, Two Tailed Test

Journal: Translational Psychiatry

Article Title: Identification of ultra-rare disruptive variants in voltage-gated calcium channel-encoding genes in Japanese samples of schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder

doi: 10.1038/s41398-022-01851-y

Figure Lengend Snippet: a Families of Ba 2+ currents evoked by 30-ms depolarizing pulses from −30 to 60 mV with increments of 10 mV for wild-type (WT) and A36V neuronal Ca v 1.2 channels. b Current density–voltage ( I – V ) relationships. Data are expressed as mean ± s.e.m., WT: n = 18, A36V: n = 12. The values of G, Erev, V 0.5 , and k were −0.40, 63.0 mV, 7.6 mV, and 5.6 mV for WT channels, and −0.50, 61.3 mV, 6.7 mV, and 4.9 mV for A36V Ca v 1.2 channels. c Inactivation curves for WT (○, n = 9) and A36V (●, n = 4) neuronal Ca v 1.2 channels. Data are expressed as mean ± s.e.m. The values of V 0.5 , and k were (respectively) −37.6 mV and 11.5 mV for WT channels, and −41.6 mV and 12.1 mV for A36V Ca v 1.2 channels. d , g Ca 2+ -dependent inactivation (CDI) of neuronal ( d ) and cardiac ( g ) Ca v 1.2 channels. Ba 2+ (blue) and Ca 2+ (black) currents evoked by 350-ms step depolarization to 30 mV were normalized at their peak current amplitudes for WT and A36V Ca v 1.2 channels. e , f, h, i , Ratios of current amplitude to the peak amplitude were plotted against depolarizing time in the Ba 2+ ( e, h ) and the Ca 2+ ( f, i ) external solutions. The numbers of recorded cells were 10 and 15 for WT and A36V neuronal Ca v 1.2 channels ( e , f ), and 8 and 6 for WT and A36V cardiac Ca v 1.2 channels ( h – i ), respectively. Statistical comparison was performed by two-tailed non-paired Student’s t test (* p < 0.05). Data are presented as mean ± s.e.m.

Article Snippet: The antibodies used for immunoblotting were purchased commercially as follows: a rabbit polyclonal antibody against Ca v 1.2 (ACC-003, Alomone Labs, Jerusalem, Israel), a mouse monoclonal antibody against β-actin (A5441, Merck), and secondary antibodies conjugated to HRP (ab97051 and ab97023, abcam, Cambridge, UK).

Techniques: Two Tailed Test