Role of Calpain in Apoptosis

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Abstract

Apoptosis, a form of programmed cell death that occurs under physiological as well as pathological conditions, is characterized by morphological and biochemical features. While the importance of caspases in apoptosis is established, several noncaspase proteases (Ca ²⁺-dependent proteases) such as calpain may play a role in the execution of apoptosis. The calpain family consists of two major isoforms, calpain I and calpain II which require µM and mM Ca ²⁺ concentrations to initiate their activity. An increase in intracellular Ca ²⁺ level is thought to trigger a cascade of biochemical processes including calpain activation. Once activated, calpains degrade membrane, cytoplasmic and nuclear substrates, leading to the breakdown of cellular architecture and finally apoptosis. The activation of calpain has been implicated in neuronal apoptosis following spinal cord injuries and neurodegenerative diseases. This review focuses on calpain with an emphasis on its key role in the proteolysis of cellular protein substrates following apoptosis.

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The calpain system.

DARREL E. GOLL, VALERY THOMPSON, HONGQI LI … (2003)

The calpain system originally comprised three molecules: two Ca2+-dependent proteases, mu-calpain and m-calpain, and a third polypeptide, calpastatin, whose only known function is to inhibit the two calpains. Both mu- and m-calpain are heterodimers containing an identical 28-kDa subunit and an 80-kDa subunit that shares 55-65% sequence homology between the two proteases. The crystallographic structure of m-calpain reveals six "domains" in the 80-kDa subunit: 1). a 19-amino acid NH2-terminal sequence; 2). and 3). two domains that constitute the active site, IIa and IIb; 4). domain III; 5). an 18-amino acid extended sequence linking domain III to domain IV; and 6). domain IV, which resembles the penta EF-hand family of polypeptides. The single calpastatin gene can produce eight or more calpastatin polypeptides ranging from 17 to 85 kDa by use of different promoters and alternative splicing events. The physiological significance of these different calpastatins is unclear, although all bind to three different places on the calpain molecule; binding to at least two of the sites is Ca2+ dependent. Since 1989, cDNA cloning has identified 12 additional mRNAs in mammals that encode polypeptides homologous to domains IIa and IIb of the 80-kDa subunit of mu- and m-calpain, and calpain-like mRNAs have been identified in other organisms. The molecules encoded by these mRNAs have not been isolated, so little is known about their properties. How calpain activity is regulated in cells is still unclear, but the calpains ostensibly participate in a variety of cellular processes including remodeling of cytoskeletal/membrane attachments, different signal transduction pathways, and apoptosis. Deregulated calpain activity following loss of Ca2+ homeostasis results in tissue damage in response to events such as myocardial infarcts, stroke, and brain trauma.

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Apoptosis in neurodegenerative disorders.

Mark P. Mattson (2000)

Neuronal death underlies the symptoms of many human neurological disorders, including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases, stroke, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The identification of specific genetic and environmental factors responsible for these diseases has bolstered evidence for a shared pathway of neuronal death--apoptosis--involving oxidative stress, perturbed calcium homeostasis, mitochondrial dysfunction and activation of cysteine proteases called caspases. These death cascades are counteracted by survival signals, which suppress oxyradicals and stabilize calcium homeostasis and mitochondrial function. With the identification of mechanisms that either promote or prevent neuronal apoptosis come new approaches for preventing and treating neurodegenerative disorders.

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Correlation between elevated levels of amyloid beta-peptide in the brain and cognitive decline.

J. Näslund, V Haroutunian, R. Mohs … (2000)

Alzheimer disease (AD) is characterized neuropathologically by the presence of amyloid beta-peptide (Abeta)-containing plaques and neurofibrillary tangles composed of abnormal tau protein. Considerable controversy exists as to whether the extent of accumulation of Abeta correlates with dementia and whether Abeta alterations precede or follow changes in tau. To determine whether accumulation of Abeta correlates with the earliest signs of cognitive deterioration and to define the relationship between Abeta accumulation and early tau changes. Postmortem cross-sectional study of 79 nursing home residents with Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) scale scores of 0.0 to 5.0 who died between 1986 and 1997, comparing the levels of Abeta variants in the cortices of the subjects with no (CDR score, 0.0 [n = 16]), questionable (CDR score, 0.5 [n = 11]), mild (CDR score, 1.0 [n = 22]), moderate (CDR score, 2.0 [n = 15]), or severe (CDR score, 4.0 or 5.0 [n = 15]) dementia. Levels of total Abeta peptides with intact or truncated amino termini and ending in either amino acid 40 (A(beta)x-40) or 42 (A(beta)x-42) in 5 neocortical brain regions as well as levels of tau protein undergoing early conformational changes in frontal cortex, as a function of CDR score. The levels of both A(beta)x-40 and A(beta)x-42 were elevated even in cases classified as having questionable dementia (CDR score = 0.5), and increases of both peptides correlated with progression of dementia. Levels of the more fibril-prone A(beta)x-42 peptide were higher than those of A(beta)x-40 in nondemented cases and remained higher throughout progression of disease in all regions examined. Finally, increases in A(beta)x-40 and A(beta)x-42 precede significant tau pathology at least in the frontal cortex, an area chosen for examination because of the absence of neuritic changes in the absence of disease. In this study, levels of total A(beta)x-40 and A(beta)x-42 were elevated early in dementia and levels of both peptides were strongly correlated with cognitive decline. Of particular interest, in the frontal cortex, Abeta was elevated before the occurrence of significant tau pathology. These results support an important role for Abeta in mediating initial pathogenic events in AD dementia and suggest that treatment strategies targeting the formation, accumulation, or cytotoxic effects of Abeta should be pursued.

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Author and article information

Contributors

Hamid Reza Momeni

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): Cell J

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Cell J

Journal ID (publisher-id): Royan Institute

Title: Cell Journal (Yakhteh)

Publisher: Royan Institute

ISSN (Print): 2228-5806

ISSN (Electronic): 2228-5814

Publication date (Print): Summer 2011

Publication date (Electronic): 24 August 2011

Volume: 13

Issue: 2

Pages: 65-72

Affiliations

Biology Department, Faculty of Science, Arak University, Arak, Iran

Author notes

* Corresponding Address: Biology DepartmentFaculty of ScienceArak University Arak38156-8-8349 Iran Email: h-momeni@ 123456araku.ac.ir

Article

Other ID: Cell-J-13-65

PMC ID: 3584455

PubMed ID: 23507938

SO-VID: d840102a-1345-4c93-9a53-4f658aed8eb2

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This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Role of Calpain in Apoptosis

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Most cited references 64

The calpain system.

Apoptosis in neurodegenerative disorders.

Correlation between elevated levels of amyloid beta-peptide in the brain and cognitive decline.

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Contributors

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