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In voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels, the beta subunit interacts with the alpha 1 subunit via a cytoplasmic site. A biochemical assay has been developed to quantitatively describe the interaction between both subunits. In vitro synthesized 35S-labeled beta subunits specifically bind to a glutathione S-transferase (GST) fusion protein containing the alpha 1A interaction domain (AIDA, located between the amino-acids 383 and 400 of the cytoplasmic loop between the hydrophobic domains I and II). Kinetic analysis demonstrates that the association of 35S-labeled beta 1b subunit to the AIDA GST fusion protein occurs with a fast rate constant at 4 degrees C. The binding is almost irreversible as demonstrated by the absence of dissociation observed after an 8-h incubation with an 18-amino acid synthetic AIDA peptide. The alpha 1-beta binding site does not seem to be a target for cytoplasmic regulation. The interaction is mostly unaffected by changes in ionic strength, pH, and Ca2+ concentration or by protein kinase C phosphorylation. The specificity of subunit interaction in voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels was also followed by saturation analyses. The data obtained show that the AIDA GST fusion protein binds to a single site on the beta 1b with an apparent Kd of 5 nM. The affinities of AIDA GST fusion protein for various beta subunits was measured and demonstrate that beta subunits associate with different affinities to each alpha 1 interaction domain. The rank order of AIDA affinity for each beta subunit is as follows: beta 4 > beta 2a > beta 1b >> beta 3. The binding of the beta subunit to alpha 1 subunit can be inhibited in vitro by the AIDA synthetic peptide with an apparent Ki of 285 nM. This interaction can also be prevented in heterologous Ca2+ channels by the injection of the AIDA GST fusion protein into Xenopus oocytes. Our results demonstrate that the site of interaction between AID and beta subunit is responsible for anchoring the beta subunit to the alpha 1 subunit and thus allowing the beta subunit to modify Ca2+ channel activity.
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