Calcium Binding Proteins: Structure, Properties, Functions

A special issue of Biomolecules (ISSN 2218-273X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2018) | Viewed by 14445

Special Issue Editors

Institute for Biological Instrumentation, Russian Academy of Sciences, 142290 Pushchino, Russia
Interests: protein physics; luminescence (fluorescence, phosphorescence) spectroscopy of proteins; scanning and titration calorimetry of proteins; metal binding proteins; calcium binding proteins
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Department of Molecular Medicine, USF Health Byrd Alzheimer’s Research Institute, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, 12901 Bruce B. Downs Blvd, MDC07, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
Interests: intrinsically disordered proteins; protein folding; protein misfolding; partially folded proteins; protein aggregation; protein structure; protein function; protein stability; protein biophysics; protein bioinformatics; conformational diseases; protein–ligand interactions; protein–protein interactions; liquid-liquid phase transitions
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

Calcium regulates all important aspects of cell activity, beginning with fertilization and ending with the apoptotic suicide at the end of the life cycle. Calcium binding proteins play important roles in practically all biological processes. Now we know several large families of calcium binding proteins and three-dimensional structures of their main representatives are well known. Nevertheless, each year brings us many new structures. Analysis of these structures allows revealing general principles of their design, which can be used in protein engineering. Most calcium binding proteins play regulatory roles activating or deactivating various biological systems. Calcium-binding proteins of cytosol and membrane calcium-binding proteins directed to cytosol are called calcium modulated proteins as they take part in generation of calcium gradient across cells and/or transfer external impulse information. At the same time, there exist calcium binding proteins, which modulate calcium flows inside cells. In spite of the knowledge of three-dimensional structures of many calcium binding proteins, the exact physiological function of many of them is still unknown or known only hypothetically.

It is useful from time to time to collect our new knowledge on calcium binding proteins in several good reviews to draw some generalizations for further success of our future academic studies and applied developments. This is the main goal of the present Special Issue of Biomolecules.

Prof. Dr. Eugene Permyakov
Dr. Vladimir N. Uversky
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • calcium binding proteins
  • metal binding proteins
  • structure
  • function
  • regulation

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Review

9 pages, 8814 KiB  
Review
Calmodulin: A Multitasking Protein in Kv7.2 Potassium Channel Functions
by Alessandro Alaimo and Alvaro Villarroel
Biomolecules 2018, 8(3), 57; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom8030057 - 18 Jul 2018
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 5444
Abstract
The ubiquitous calcium transducer calmodulin (CaM) plays a pivotal role in many cellular processes, regulating a myriad of structurally different target proteins. Indeed, it is unquestionable that CaM is the most relevant transductor of calcium signals in eukaryotic cells. During the last two [...] Read more.
The ubiquitous calcium transducer calmodulin (CaM) plays a pivotal role in many cellular processes, regulating a myriad of structurally different target proteins. Indeed, it is unquestionable that CaM is the most relevant transductor of calcium signals in eukaryotic cells. During the last two decades, different studies have demonstrated that CaM mediates the modulation of several ion channels. Among others, it has been indicated that Kv7.2 channels, one of the members of the voltage gated potassium channel family that plays a critical role in brain excitability, requires CaM binding to regulate the different mechanisms that govern its functions. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the most recent advances in structure–function studies on the role of CaM regulation of Kv7.2 and the other members of the Kv7 family. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Calcium Binding Proteins: Structure, Properties, Functions)
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10 pages, 646 KiB  
Review
Calcium-Binding Proteins with Disordered Structure and Their Role in Secretion, Storage, and Cellular Signaling
by Ewa A. Grzybowska
Biomolecules 2018, 8(2), 42; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom8020042 - 19 Jun 2018
Cited by 25 | Viewed by 7517
Abstract
Calcium is one of the most important second messengers and its intracellular signaling regulates many aspects of cell physiology. Calcium ions, like phosphate ions, are highly charged and thus are able to alter protein conformation upon binding; thereby they constitute key factors in [...] Read more.
Calcium is one of the most important second messengers and its intracellular signaling regulates many aspects of cell physiology. Calcium ions, like phosphate ions, are highly charged and thus are able to alter protein conformation upon binding; thereby they constitute key factors in signal transduction. One of the most common calcium-binding structural motifs is the EF-hand, a well-defined helix-loop-helix structural domain, present in many calcium-binding proteins (CBPs). Nonetheless, some CBPs contain non-canonical, disordered motifs, which usually bind calcium with high capacity and low affinity, and which represent a subset of proteins with specific functions, but these functions rarely involve signaling. When compared with phosphorylation-mediated signal transduction, the role of intrinsic disorder in calcium signaling is significantly less prominent and not direct. The list of known examples of intrinsically disordered CBPs is relatively short and the disorder in these examples seems to be linked to secretion and storage. Calcium-sensitive phosphatase calcineurin is an exception, but it represents an example of transient disorder, which is, nevertheless, vital to the functioning of this protein. The underlying reason for the different role of disordered proteins in the two main cellular signaling systems appears to be linked to the gradient of calcium concentration, present in all living cells. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Calcium Binding Proteins: Structure, Properties, Functions)
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