The coupling of plasma membrane calcium entry to calcium uptake by endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria

Abstract

Cross-talk between organelles and plasma membrane Ca(2+) channels is essential for modulation of the cytosolic Ca(2+) ([Ca(2+)]C) signals, but such modulation may differ among cells. In chromaffin cells Ca(2+) entry through voltage-operated channels induces calcium release from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) that amplifies the signal. [Ca(2+)]C microdomains as high as 20-50 μm are sensed by subplasmalemmal mitochondria, which accumulate large amounts of Ca(2+) through the mitochondrial Ca(2+) uniporter (MCU). Mitochondria confine the high-Ca(2+) microdomains (HCMDs) to beneath the plasma membrane, where exocytosis of secretory vesicles happens. Cell core [Ca(2+)]C is much smaller (1-2 μm). By acting as a Ca(2+) sink, mitochondria stabilise the HCMD in space and time. In non-excitable HEK293 cells, activation of store-operated Ca(2+) entry, triggered by ER Ca(2+) emptying, also generated subplasmalemmal HCMDs, but, in this case, most of the Ca(2+) was taken up by the ER rather than by mitochondria. The smaller size of the [Ca(2+)]C peak in this case (about 2 μm) may contribute to this outcome, as the sarco-endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) ATPase has much higher Ca(2+) affinity than MCU. It is also possible that the relative positioning of organelles, channels and effectors, as well as cytoskeleton and accessory proteins plays an important role.