Calmodulin expression during proliferative activation of human T lymphocytes.

We have investigated the levels of calmodulin mRNA species and calmodulin protein during proliferation of human T lymphocytes. Quiescent lymphocytes expressed the 1.7 kb transcript of CaM I, the 1.4 kb of CaM II and the 2.3 kb of CaM III. Phytohaemagglutinin added to peripheral blood lymphocytes induced DNA replication which started at 48 h and reached a maximum at 72 h after activation. All the species of calmodulin mRNAs, including the 4.0 kb transcript of CaM I and the 0.8 kb of CaM III which were not detected in quiescent cells, increased during lymphocyte proliferation. At 72 h after activation, the increase of CaM I and CaM II transcripts were found to be 2-fold whereas CaM III mRNAs increased 9-fold. The cellular content of calmodulin protein was also found to increase during proliferation and calmodulin accumulations in cytosol and nuclei of activated cells were observed. Two calmodulin binding proteins of 180 and 170 kD were found to increase in the nuclei of proliferating lymphocytes, whereas on the contrary 3 other calmodulin binding proteins of 110, 62 and 60 kD decreased during proliferation.