The calcium release channel of sarcoplasmic reticulum is modulated by FK-506 binding protein: effect of FKBP-12 on single channel activity of the skeletal muscle ryanodine receptor.

The calcium release channel/ryanodine receptor of rabbit skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum is tightly associated with the immunophilin FK-506 binding protein (FKBP-12). The immunosuppressant drug FK-506 effectively dissociates FKBP-12 from the calcium release channel of terminal cisternae (TC) vesicles. Furthermore, calcium flux measurements of TC indicate that FKBP-12 stabilizes the closed conformation of the calcium release channel of TC [Timerman AP, Ogunbunmi E, Freund EA, Wiederrecht G, Marks AM, Fleischer S. (1993) J. Biol. Chem., 268, 22992-22999]. In this report, the effect of FKBP on single channel recordings of the calcium release channel/ryanodine receptor of TC is measured directly. Single channel recordings of the ryanodine receptor were obtained by fusion of TC vesicles into planar bilayers. The channel devoid of FKBP, retains key diagnostic features. That is, activation by Ca2+ and ryanodine, inhibition by Mg2+ (mM) and ruthenium red (microM), and its unitary conductance remain the same. Recordings of the calcium release channel obtained from the FKBP-deficient TC vesicles, as compared with control TC, have greater open probability and longer mean open times in a free calcium concentration range of 70 nM to 1.2 microM. The sensitivity of the channel to caffeine is also enhanced by the removal of FKBP. The enhanced channel activation of FKBP-deficient TC is reversed by rebinding recombinant FKBP-12 in a cyclical fashion. We conclude that FKBP modifies the channel behavior of the calcium release channel of skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum.