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Orai1, the pore subunit of Ca2+ release-activated Ca2+ channels, has four transmembrane segments (TMs). The first segment, TMI, lines the pore and plays an important role in channel activation and ion permeation. TMIII, on the other hand, does not line the pore but still regulates channel gating and permeation properties. To understand the role of TMIII, we have mutated and characterized several residues in this domain. Mutation of Trp-176 to Cys (W176C) and Gly-183 to Ala (G183A) had dramatic effects. Unlike wild-type channels, which exhibit little outward current and are activated by STIM1, W176C mutant channels exhibited a large outward current at positive potentials and were constitutively active in the absence of STIM1. G183A mutant channels also exhibited substantial outward currents but were active only in the presence of 2-aminoethoxydiphenyl borate (2-APB), irrespective of STIM1. With W176C mutant channels inward, monovalent currents were blocked by Ca2+ with a high affinity similar to the wild type, but the Ca2+-dependent blocking of outward currents differed in the two cases. Although a 50% block of the WT outward current required 250 μm Ca2+, more than 6 mm was necessary to have the same effect on W176C mutant channels. In the presence of extracellular Ca2+, W176C and G183A outward currents developed slowly in a voltage-dependent manner, whereas they developed almost instantaneously in the absence of Ca2+. These changes in permeation and gating properties mimic the changes induced by mutations of Glu-190 in TMIII and Asp-110/Asp-112 in the TMI/TMII loop. On the basis of these data, we propose that TMIII maintains negatively charged residues at or near the selectivity filter in a conformation that facilitates Ca2+ inward currents and prevents outward currents of monovalent cations. In addition, to controlling selectivity, TMIII may also stabilize channel gating in a closed state in the absence of STIM1 in a Trp-176-dependent manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) due to activation of Ca2+ release-activated Ca2+ (CRAC) channels leads to sustained elevation of cytoplasmic Ca2± and activation of lymphocytes. CRAC channels consisting of four pore-forming Orail subunits are activated by STIM1, an endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ sensor that senses intracellular store depletion and migrates to plasma membrane proximal regions to mediate SOCE. One of the fundamental properties of CRAC channels is their Ca2+-dependent fast inactivation. To identify the domains of Orail involved in fast inactivation, we have mutated residues in the Orail intracellular loop linking transmembrane segment II to III. Mutation of four residues, V151SNV154, at the center of the loop (MutA) abrogated fast inactivation, leading to increased SOCE as well as higher CRAC currents. Point mutation analysis identified five key amino acids, N153VHNL157, that increased SOCE in Orail null murine embryonic fibroblasts. Expression or direct application of a peptide comprising the entire intracellular loop or the sequence N153VHNL157 blocked CRAC currents from both wild type (WT) and MutA Orail. A peptide incorporating the MutA mutations had no blocking effect. Concatenated Orail constructs with four MutA monomers exhibited high CRAC currents lacking fast inactivation. Reintroduction of a single WT monomer (MutA-MutA-MutA-WT) was sufficient to fully restore fast inactivation, suggesting that only a single intracellular loop can block the channel. These data suggest that the intracellular loop of Orail acts as an inactivation particle, which is stabilized in the ion permeation pathway by the N153VHNL157 residues. These results along with recent reports support a model in which the N terminus and the selectivity filter of Orail as well as STIM1 act in concert to regulate the movement of the intracellular loop and evoke fast inactivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]