CGC Bibliography Paper 5483

Calcineurin, a calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein phosphatase, is involved in movement, fertility, egg laying, and growth in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Bandyopadhyay J, Lee J, Lee J, Lee JI, Yu JR, Jee C, Cho JH, Jung S, Lee MH, Zannoni S, Singson A, Kim DH, Koo HS, Ahnn J

Medline:

12221132

Citation:

Molecular Biology of the Cell 13: 3281-3293 2002

Type:

ARTICLE

Genes:

cna-1 cnb-1 goa-1 sma-6 tax-6 unc-43

Abstract:

Calcineurin is a Ca2+-calmodulin-dependent serine/threonine protein phosphatase that has been implicated in various signaling pathways. Here we report the identification and characterization of calcineurin genes in Caenorhabditis elegans (cna-1 and cnb-1), which share high homology with Drosophila and mammalian calcineurin genes. C. elegans calcineurin binds calcium and functions as a heterodimeric protein phosphatase establishing its biochemical conservation in the nematode. Calcineurin is expressed in hypodermal seam cells, body-wall muscle, vulva muscle, neuronal cells, and in sperm and the spermatheca. cnb-1 mutants showed pleiotropic defects including lethargic movement and delayed egg-laying. Interestingly, these characteristic defects resembled phenotypes observed in gain-of-function mutants of unc-43/Ca2+-calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) and goa-1/Go-protein alpha-subunit. Double mutants of cnb-1 and unc-43(gf) displayed an apparent synergistic severity of movement and egg-laying defects, suggesting that calcineurin may have an antagonistic role in CaMKII-regulated phosphorylation signaling pathways in C.