Calcium current modulation by the γ1 subunit depends on alternative splicing of Cav1.1

The skeletal muscle voltage-gated calcium channel (CaV1.1) primarily functions as voltage sensor for excitation-contraction coupling. Conversely, its ion-conducting function is modulated by multiple mechanisms within the pore-forming α1S subunit and the auxiliary α2δ-1 and γ1 subunits. Particularly, developmentally regulated alternative splicing of exon 29, which inserts 19 amino acids in the extracellular IVS3-S4 loop of CaV1.1a, greatly reduces the current density and shifts the voltage-dependence of activation to positive potentials outside the physiological range. We generated a new HEK293-cell line stably expressing α2δ-1, β3, and STAC3. When the adult (CaV1.1a) and the embryonic (CaV1.1e) splice variants were expressed in these cells, the difference in the voltage-dependence of activation observed in muscle cells was reproduced, but not the reduced current density of CaV1.1a. Only when we further co-expressed the γ1 subunit, the current density of CaV1.1a, but not of CaV1.1e, was reduced by >50 %. In addition, γ1 caused a shift of the voltage-dependence of inactivation to negative voltages in both variants. Thus, the current-reducing effect of γ1, but not its effect on inactivation, is specifically dependent on the inclusion of exon 29 in CaV1.1a. Molecular structure modeling revealed several direct ionic interactions between oppositely charged residues in the IVS3-S4 loop and the γ1 subunit. However, substitution of these residues by alanine, individually or in combination, did not abolish the γ1-dependent reduction of current density, suggesting that structural rearrangements of CaV1.1a induced by inclusion of exon 29 allosterically empower the γ1 subunit to exert its inhibitory action on CaV1.1 calcium currents. Summary El Ghaleb et al. analyzed the effects of the γ1 subunit on current properties and expression of the adult (CaV1.1a) and embryonic (CaV1.1e) calcium channel splice variants, demonstrating that γ1 reduces the current amplitude in a splicing-dependent manner.