beta2.gif" BORDER=0 ALIGN="middle">m, a muscle-specific protein, is structurally closely related to the X,K-ATPase
beta2.gif" BORDER=0 ALIGN="middle"> su
bunits,
but its intrinsic function is not known. In this study, we have expressed
beta2.gif" BORDER=0 ALIGN="middle">m in
Xenopus oocytes and haveinvestigated its
biosynthesis and processing as well as its putative role as a chaperone of X,K-ATPase
su
bunits, as a regulator of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca
2+-ATPase (SERCA), or as a Ca
2+-sensing protein.Our results show that
beta2.gif" BORDER=0 ALIGN="middle">m is sta
bly expressed in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in its core glycosylated,partially trimmed form. Both full-length
beta2.gif" BORDER=0 ALIGN="middle">m, initiated at Met
1, and short
beta2.gif" BORDER=0 ALIGN="middle">m species, initiated at Met
89,are detected in in vitro translations as well as in
Xenopus oocytes.
beta2.gif" BORDER=0 ALIGN="middle">m cannot associate with and sta
bilizeNa,K-ATPase (NK), or gastric and nongastric H,K-ATPase (HK)
isoforms.
beta2.gif" BORDER=0 ALIGN="middle">m neither assem
bles sta
blywith SERCA nor is its trypsin sensitivity or electrophoretic mo
bility influenced
by Ca
2+. A mutant, inwhich the distinctive Glu-rich regions in the
beta2.gif" BORDER=0 ALIGN="middle">m N-terminus are deleted, remains sta
bly expressed in theER and can associate with,
but not sta
bilize X,K-ATPase
su
bunits. On the other hand, a chimera inwhich the ectodomain of
beta2.gif" BORDER=0 ALIGN="middle">m is replaced with that of
beta2.gif" BORDER=0 ALIGN="middle">1 NK associates efficiently with
NK isoformsand produces functional Na,K-pumps at the plasma mem
brane. In conclusion, our results indicate that
beta2.gif" BORDER=0 ALIGN="middle">m exhi
bits a cellular location and functional role clearly distinct from the typical X,K-ATPase
beta2.gif" BORDER=0 ALIGN="middle"> su
bunits.