Calcium-Activated Calpain Specifically Cleaves Glutamate Receptor IIA But Not IIB at the Drosophila Neuromuscular Junction.

ABSTRACT: Calpains are calcium-dependent, cytosolic proteinases active at neutral pH. They do not degrade but cleave substrates at limited sites. Calpains are implicated in various pathologies, such as ischemia, injuries, muscular dystrophy, and neurodegeneration. Despite so, the physiological function of calpains remains to be clearly defined. Using the neuromuscular junction of Drosophila of both sexes as a model, we performed RNAi screening and uncovered that calpains negatively regulated protein levels of the glutamate receptor GluRIIA but not GluRIIB. We then showed that calpains enrich at the postsynaptic area, and the calcium-dependent activation of calpains induced cleavage of GluRIIA at Q788 of its C terminus. Further genetic and biochemical experiments revealed that different calpai

SUBMITTER: Metwally E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6462441 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature