Calfacilitin is a calcium channel modulator essential for initiation of neural plate development

Costis Papanayotou (), Irene De Almeida, Ping Liao, Nidia M. M. Oliveira, Song-Qing Lu, Eleni Kougioumtzidou, Lei Zhu, Alex Shaw, Guojun Sheng, Andrea Streit, Dejie Yu, Tuck Wah Soong and Claudio D. Stern ()
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Costis Papanayotou: University College London
Irene De Almeida: University College London
Ping Liao: Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore
Nidia M. M. Oliveira: University College London
Song-Qing Lu: National Neuroscience Institute, Jalan Tan Tock Seng
Eleni Kougioumtzidou: University College London
Lei Zhu: Present address: Crystal BioScience, 1450 Rollins Road, Burlingame, California 94010, USA
Alex Shaw: University College London
Guojun Sheng: University College London
Andrea Streit: King’s College London
Dejie Yu: Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore
Tuck Wah Soong: Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore
Claudio D. Stern: University College London

Nature Communications, 2013, vol. 4, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract Calcium fluxes have been implicated in the specification of the vertebrate embryonic nervous system for some time, but how these fluxes are regulated and how they relate to the rest of the neural induction cascade is unknown. Here we describe Calfacilitin, a transmembrane calcium channel facilitator that increases calcium flux by generating a larger window current and slowing inactivation of the L-type CaV1.2 channel. Calfacilitin binds to this channel and is co-expressed with it in the embryo. Regulation of intracellular calcium by Calfacilitin is required for expression of the neural plate specifiers Geminin and Sox2 and for neural plate formation. Loss-of-function of Calfacilitin can be rescued by ionomycin, which increases intracellular calcium. Our results elucidate the role of calcium fluxes in early neural development and uncover a new factor in the modulation of calcium signalling.

Date: 2013
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms2864

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