Stromal interacting molecule 1 (STIM1), reported to be an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca2+sensor controlling store-operated Ca2+entry, redistributes from a diffuse ER localization into puncta at the ...cell periphery after store depletion. STIM1 redistribution is proposed to be necessary for Ca2+release-activated Ca2+(CRAC) channel activation, but it is unclear whether redistribution is rapid enough to play a causal role. Furthermore, the location of STIM1 puncta is uncertain, with recent reports supporting retention in the ER as well as insertion into the plasma membrane (PM). Using total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy and patch-clamp recording from single Jurkat cells, we show that STIM1 puncta form several seconds before CRAC channels open, supporting a causal role in channel activation. Fluorescence quenching and electron microscopy analysis reveal that puncta correspond to STIM1 accumulation in discrete subregions of junctional ER located 10-25 nm from the PM, without detectable insertion of STlM1 into the PM. Roughly one third of these ER-PM contacts form in response to store depletion. These studies identify an ER structure underlying store-operated Ca2+entry, whose extreme proximity to the PM may enable STIM1 to interact with CRAC channels or associated proteins.
Ca2+-release-activated Ca2+ (CRAC) channels generate sustained Ca2+ signals that are essential for a range of cell functions, including antigen-stimulated T lymphocyte activation and proliferation. ...Recent studies have revealed that the depletion of Ca2+ from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) triggers the oligomerization of stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1), the ER Ca2+ sensor, and its redistribution to ER-plasma membrane (ER-PM) junctions where the CRAC channel subunit ORAI1 accumulates in the plasma membrane and CRAC channels open. However, how the loss of ER Ca2+ sets into motion these coordinated molecular rearrangements remains unclear. Here we define the relationships among Ca2+ER, STIM1 redistribution and CRAC channel activation and identify STIM1 oligomerization as the critical Ca2+ER-dependent event that drives store-operated Ca2+ entry. In human Jurkat leukaemic T cells expressing an ER-targeted Ca2+ indicator, CRAC channel activation and STIM1 redistribution follow the same function of Ca2+ER, reaching half-maximum at ∼200 µM with a Hill coefficient of ∼4. Because STIM1 binds only a single Ca2+ ion, the high apparent cooperativity suggests that STIM1 must first oligomerize to enable its accumulation at ER-PM junctions. To assess directly the causal role of STIM1 oligomerization in store-operated Ca2+ entry, we replaced the luminal Ca2+-sensing domain of STIM1 with the 12-kDa FK506- and rapamycin-binding protein (FKBP12, also known as FKBP1A) or the FKBP-rapamycin binding (FRB) domain of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR, also known as FRAP1). A rapamycin analogue oligomerizes the fusion proteins and causes them to accumulate at ER-PM junctions and activate CRAC channels without depleting Ca2+ from the ER. Thus, STIM1 oligomerization is the critical transduction event through which Ca2+ store depletion controls store-operated Ca2+ entry, acting as a switch that triggers the self-organization and activation of STIM1-ORAI1 clusters at ER-PM junctions.
Oligomerization of the ER Ca(2+) sensor STIM1 is an essential step in store-operated Ca(2+) entry. The lumenal EF-hand and SAM domains of STIM1 are believed to initiate oligomerization after Ca(2+) ...store depletion, but the contributions of STIM1 cytosolic domains (coiled-coil 1, CC1; coiled-coil 2, CC2; CRAC activation domain, CAD) to this process are not well understood. By applying coimmunoprecipitation and fluorescence photobleaching and energy transfer techniques to truncated and mutant STIM1 proteins, we find that STIM1 cytosolic domains play distinct roles in forming both "resting" oligomers in cells with replete Ca(2+) stores and higher-order oligomers in store-depleted cells. CC1 supports the formation of resting STIM1 oligomers and appears to interact with cytosolic components to slow STIM1 diffusion. On store depletion, STIM1 lacking all cytosolic domains (STIM1-DeltaC) oligomerizes through EF-SAM interactions alone, but these oligomers are unstable. Addition of CC1 + CAD, but not CC1 alone, enables the formation of stable store-dependent oligomers. Within the CAD, both CC2 and C-terminal residues contribute to oligomer formation. Our results reveal a new function for the CAD: in addition to binding and activating Orai1, it is directly involved in STIM1 oligomerization, the initial event triggering store-operated Ca(2+) entry.
The activation of store-operated Ca²⁺ entry by Ca²⁺ store depletion has long been hypothesized to occur via local interactions of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and plasma membrane, but the structure ...involved has never been identified. Store depletion causes the ER Ca²⁺ sensor stromal interacting molecule 1 (STIM1) to form puncta by accumulating in junctional ER located 10-25 nm from the plasma membrane (see Wu et al. on p. 803 of this issue). We have combined total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy and patch-clamp recording to localize STIM1 and sites of Ca²⁺ influx through open Ca²⁺ release-activated Ca²⁺ (CRAC) channels in Jurkat T cells after store depletion. CRAC channels open only in the immediate vicinity of STIM1 puncta, restricting Ca²⁺ entry to discrete sites comprising a small fraction of the cell surface. Orai1, an essential component of the CRAC channel, colocalizes with STIM1 after store depletion, providing a physical basis for the local activation of Ca²⁺ influx. These studies reveal for the first time that STIM1 and Orai1 move in a coordinated fashion to form closely apposed clusters in the ER and plasma membranes, thereby creating the elementary unit of store-operated Ca²⁺ entry.
Following endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca(2+) depletion, STIM1 and Orai1 complexes assemble autonomously at ER-plasma membrane (PM) junctions to trigger store-operated Ca(2+) influx. One hypothesis to ...explain this process is a diffusion trap in which activated STIM1 diffusing in the ER becomes trapped at junctions through interactions with the PM, and STIM1 then traps Orai1 in the PM through binding of its calcium release-activated calcium activation domain. We tested this model by analyzing STIM1 and Orai1 diffusion using single-particle tracking, photoactivation of protein ensembles, and Monte Carlo simulations. In resting cells, STIM1 diffusion is Brownian, while Orai1 is slightly subdiffusive. After store depletion, both proteins slow to the same speeds, consistent with complex formation, and are confined to a corral similar in size to ER-PM junctions. While the escape probability at high STIM:Orai expression ratios is <1%, it is significantly increased by reducing the affinity of STIM1 for Orai1 or by expressing the two proteins at comparable levels. Our results provide direct evidence that STIM-Orai complexes are trapped by their physical connections across the junctional gap, but also reveal that the complexes are surprisingly dynamic, suggesting that readily reversible binding reactions generate free STIM1 and Orai1, which engage in constant diffusional exchange with extrajunctional pools.
Iterative liver injury results in progressive fibrosis disrupting hepatic architecture, regeneration potential, and liver function. Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are a major source of pathological ...matrix during fibrosis and are thought to be a functionally homogeneous population. Here, we use single-cell RNA sequencing to deconvolve the hepatic mesenchyme in healthy and fibrotic mouse liver, revealing spatial zonation of HSCs across the hepatic lobule. Furthermore, we show that HSCs partition into topographically diametric lobule regions, designated portal vein-associated HSCs (PaHSCs) and central vein-associated HSCs (CaHSCs). Importantly we uncover functional zonation, identifying CaHSCs as the dominant pathogenic collagen-producing cells in a mouse model of centrilobular fibrosis. Finally, we identify LPAR1 as a therapeutic target on collagen-producing CaHSCs, demonstrating that blockade of LPAR1 inhibits liver fibrosis in a rodent NASH model. Taken together, our work illustrates the power of single-cell transcriptomics to resolve the key collagen-producing cells driving liver fibrosis with high precision.
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•scRNA-seq reveals spatial zonation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs)•HSCs partition into topographically diametric lobule regions•Functional zonation of HSCs during centrilobular injury-induced fibrosis is uncovered•LPAR1 is a therapeutic target on pathological central vein-associated HSC
Dobie et al. use scRNA-seq to reveal spatial and functional zonation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) across the hepatic lobule, identifying central vein-associated HSCs as the dominant pathogenic collagen-producing cells during centrilobular injury-induced fibrosis. This illustrates the power of scRNA-seq to resolve the key collagen-producing cells driving liver fibrosis.
The dimeric ER Ca
sensor STIM1 controls store-operated Ca
entry (SOCE) through the regulated binding of its CRAC activation domain (CAD) to Orai channels in the plasma membrane. In resting cells, the ...STIM1 CC1 domain interacts with CAD to suppress SOCE, but the structural basis of this interaction is unclear. Using single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer (smFRET) and protein crosslinking approaches, we show that CC1 interacts dynamically with CAD in a domain-swapped configuration with an orientation predicted to sequester its Orai-binding region adjacent to the ER membrane. Following ER Ca
depletion and release from CAD, cysteine crosslinking indicates that the two CC1 domains become closely paired along their entire length in the active Orai-bound state. These findings provide a structural basis for the dual roles of CC1: sequestering CAD to suppress SOCE in resting cells and propelling it toward the plasma membrane to activate Orai and SOCE after store depletion.
The mechanism of bulk membrane uptake at the synapse remains poorly defined, although exocytosis of synaptic vesicles is followed by compensatory membrane retrieval into both small vesicles and large ...cisternas or vacuoles. We investigated bulk retrieval in the presynaptic terminal of retinal bipolar cells. Fluorescence imaging of the membrane dye FM1-43 indicated that Ca2+-triggered exocytosis was followed by endocytosis into small vesicles and larger vacuoles that could be selectively labeled using large fluorescent dextrans. Disruption of actin filaments with cytochalasin D or latrunculin B inhibited the formation and transport of vacuoles, but exocytosis and endocytosis continued at normal rates. Bulk retrieval was linked to remodeling of the actin network, and both processes were inhibited by 2-(4-morpholinyl)-8-phenyl-4H-1-benzopyran-4-one, an inhibitor of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase). The regulation of F-actin dynamics by Ca2+ and PI 3-kinase therefore played an important role in compensatory endocytosis at this synapse, but this role was confined to bulk membrane uptake. Capacitance measurements demonstrated that fast endocytosis and refilling of the rapidly releasable pool of vesicles were not dependent on F-actin or PI 3-kinase activity. The basic properties of bulk membrane retrieval at this synapse were very similar to macropinocytosis described in non-neural cells. Bulk retrieval did not play an essential role in maintaining the vesicle cycle during maintained stimulation, but we suggest that it may play a role in the structural plasticity of this synaptic terminal.
Calcium microdomains generated by tight clusters of calcium channels regulate fusion of small vesicles at the synaptic terminal
and have also been suggested to trigger exocytosis of large dense-core ...vesicles from neuroendocrine cells. To test this idea,
we have compared sites of exocytosis and the spatial distribution of calcium channels in chromaffin cells. Fusion of individual
vesicles was visualized using interference reflection microscopy and the submembranous calcium signal was assessed using total
internal reflection fluorescence microscopy. Depolarization triggered a burst of exocytosis from up to seven sites in a membrane
area of 11 μm 2 , but these sites did not colocalize with calcium microdomains. Instead, calcium influx occurred in large patches (averaging
34 μm 2 ) containing a mixture of P/Q- and N-type channels. About 20% of fusion events occurred outside calcium channel patches. Further,
the delay between the onset of stimulation and a burst of exocytosis was prolonged for several seconds by increasing the concentration
of the slow calcium chelator EGTA from 1.5 to 5 m m . These results demonstrate that while calcium channels and release sites tend to congregate in specialized regions of the
surface membrane, these have dimensions of several micrometres. The dominant calcium signal regulating release in chromaffin
cells is generated by the cooperative action of many channels operating over distances of many micrometres rather than discrete
clusters of calcium channels generating localized microdomains.