Polymorphism in high-affinity calcium-binding proteins from crustacean sarcoplasm.

The sarcoplasmic calcium-binding proteins (SCP) from crayfish, lobster and shrimp myogen have been purified to homogeneity. These proteins exist as dimers and dissociate in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate or urea in subunits of 22000 molecular weight. During the last step of purification (DEAE-cellulose chromatography), SCP emerges in three peaks in the ratio of 14:1.5:1 for crayfish, of 7:2:1 for lobster and of 3:2:1 for shrimp. Gel electrophoresis and isoelectrofocusing experiments, under native and denaturing conditions, indicate that among the three SCP isotypes there are only two different polypeptide chains, alpha and beta, which appear in the form of three dimers: alpha 2, alpha beta and beta 2. The alpha and beta subunits differ slightly in polypeptide chain composition as found by amino acid analyses of the crayfish and lobster SCPs, and also by comparison of tryptic peptides for crayfish SCPs. The polymorphism observed in crustacean SCPs, which is increased by their ability to form dimers, contrasts with the situation prevailing among other invertebrate SCPs and vertebrate parvalbumins where only monomeric isotypes are found. Equilibrium binding studies show that all three SCP isotypes from both crayfish and lobster display the same metal-binding properties. They have in their dimeric form six Ca2+-binding sites: two calcium-specific sites, two Ca/Mg sites that interact with positive cooperativity and two Ca/Mg sites that interact with negative cooperativity. Interactions between the two subunits of SCP seem to result in cooperative binding of Ca2+, which in turn may control more efficiently Ca2+ fluxes in crustacean muscle.