Regulator of Calcineurin (RCAN): Beyond Down
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Molecules and Cells Minireview Regulator of Calcineurin (RCAN): Beyond Down Syndrome Critical Region Sun-Kyung Lee1,2,* and Joohong Ahnn1,2,* 1Department of Life Science, 2Research Institute for Natural Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Korea *Correspondence: [email protected] (SKL); [email protected] (JA) https://doi.org/10.14348/molcells.2020.0060 www.molcells.org The regulator of calcineurin (RCAN) was first reported as RCAN3 a novel gene called DSCR1, encoded in a region termed the Down syndrome critical region (DSCR) of human chromosome 21. Genome sequence comparisons across INTRODUCTION species using bioinformatics revealed three members of the RCAN gene family, RCAN1, RCAN2, and RCAN3, present in The regulator of calcineurin (RCAN) was first reported as a most jawed vertebrates, with one member observed in most Down syndrome critical region 1 (DSCR1), which is encoded invertebrates and fungi. RCAN is most highly expressed in in a region that at that time was thought to participate in the brain and striated muscles, but expression has been reported onset of Down syndrome (DS) (Antonarakis, 2017; Fuentes in many other tissues, as well, including the heart and et al., 1995). Soon after, evidence showed that RCAN binds kidneys. Expression levels of RCAN homologs are responsive to and regulates the Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent serine/thre- to external stressors such as reactive oxygen species, Ca2+, onine phosphatase calcineurin, whose substrates include nu- amyloid β, and hormonal changes and upregulated in clear factor of activated T cells (NFAT), the transcription factor pathological conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease, that regulates gene expression in many cell types, including cardiac hypertrophy, diabetes, and degenerative neuropathy. immune cells (Kingsbury and Cunningham, 2000; Wu et al., RCAN binding to calcineurin, a Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent 2007). In this context, RCANs are reported to either facilitate phosphatase, inhibits calcineurin activity, thereby regulating or inhibit calcineurin, depending on RCAN protein amount different physiological events via dephosphorylation of and calcineurin affinity (Li et al., 2016; Martínez-Høyer et important substrates. Novel functions of RCANs have al., 2013; Mehta et al., 2009; Shin et al., 2006; Vega et al., recently emerged, indicating involvement in mitochondria 2003). Although most invertebrates, protozoa, and fungi en- homeostasis, RNA binding, circadian rhythms, obesity, and code a single RCAN, three RCAN genes, RCAN1, RCAN2, and thermogenesis, some of which are calcineurin-independent. RCAN3, are reported in Gnathostomata, each of which codes These developments suggest that besides significant multiple transcriptional and translational products (Serra- contributions to DS pathologies and calcineurin regulation, no-Candelas et al., 2014) (Table 1, Fig. 1). Because of RCAN’s RCAN is an important participant across physiological broad and inducible expression under stress-related circum- systems, suggesting it as a favorable therapeutic target. stances across tissues, and complex gene expression patterns due to multiple RCAN genes, RCAN was originally associated Keywords: calcineurin, Down syndrome, RCAN1, RCAN2, with a suite of different names according to function and Received 6 March, 2020; revised 23 May, 2020; accepted 25 May, 2020; published online 24 June, 2020 eISSN: 0219-1032 ©The Korean Society for Molecular and Cellular Biology. All rights reserved. cc This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/. Mol. Cells 2020; 43(8): 671-685 671 RCAN: Beyond Down Syndrome Critical Region Sun-Kyung Lee and Joohong Ahnn Table 1. Human RCANs (Serrano-Candelas et al., 2014) RCAN1 RCAN2 RCAN3 Gene Chromosome 21 Chromosome 6 Chromosome 1 location ACD 21 cluster ACD 6 cluster ACD 1 cluster 21q22.12 6p12-21 1p35 Other names DSCR1 ZAKI-4 DSCR1L2 (protein) MCIP Transcriptsa RCAN1-1 RCAN1-4 RCAN2-1 RCAN2-2 RCAN2-4 RCAN3-1 RCAN3-2 RCAN3-3 Translation RCAN1-1Lb RCAN1-1Sb RCAN1-4 RCAN2L/ RCAN2S/ RCAN3/RCAN3-4c products 252 aa 197 aa 197 aa RCAN2-3/ RCAN2-4/ 241 aa RCAN2βc RCAN2α 243 aa 197 aa References (Fuentes et al., 1995; (Cao et al., 2002; Miyazaki et al., 1996) (Facchin et al., 2011; Rothermel et al., 2001) Strippoli et al., 2000) aOnly most-studied products are shown. bAlternative translation products. cOnly one protein product is produced from the multiple transcripts. RCAN1-1 RCAN1-1L • Pro-apoptotic activity in mitochondria • Hypoxia-induced cell apoptosis • Rat primary neurons • Mitophagy regulation • (Sun et al., 2011a) • Human cells • (Sun et al., 2014) RCAN2 • Obesity & Appetite control • Hypothalamus RCAN1-4 Brain • Mice KO model • Axon outgrowth • (Sun et al., 2011b) • Mice hippocampal neurons • (Seo et al., 2019) RCAN1-4 Skeletal • Activity-dependent muscle RCAN1-4 Muscle development • Cardiovascular circadian rhythm • Human muscle & Mice model • Human & Mice Heartt • (Dolmetsch et al., 1997; Macarthur et al., • (Bray and Young, 2008; Bray et al., 2008; 2007; 2008; North et al., 1999; Durgan et al., 2010; Manfredini et al., 2013; Papadimitriou et al., 2019; Seto et al., Martino and Sole, 2009; Rakowski- Liver 2013) Anderson et al., 2012; Rotter et al., 2014; Sachan et al., 2011) Kidney RCAN1-1S White • HDAC acetylation RCAN1 adipose • mRNA stability in nucleus tissue • Hyperglycemia • Mitochondrial dysfunction • Human diabetic β-cells & Mice • Human neuroblastoma cell line • (Peiris and Keating, 2018; Peiris • Human embryonic kidney cell line et al., 2012; 2016) • (Han et al., 2014; Jiang et al., 2017) RCAN1 RCAN1 & RCAN1-4 • • Nephropathy & Kidney diseases Thermorigenesis & Obesity • Human podocytes & Mice model • Human & Mice KO model • (Grabner et al., 2015; Leifheit-Nestler et al., • (Heisel et al., 2004; Lopez-Vilella et al., 2018; Li et al., 2018; Liu et al., 2018) 2015; Pisani et al., 2018; Ramos et al., 2014; Rotter et al., 2018; Sebio et al., 2015) RCAN3 • Anti-tumor RCAN2 • Anti-inflammatory • Cancer association • T cell development • Ciliogenesis • Reading capacity • Skeletal Growth • Human & Mice model • Human, zebrafish, and Mice KO Model • (Canaider et al., 2010; Martínez-Høyer et al., • (Bassett et al., 2012; Hattori et al., 2019; 2015; Meijsen et al., 2019; Park et al., 2017; Niitsu et al., 2016; Stevenson et al., 2018) Serrano-Candelas et al., 2015) Fig. 1. RCAN functions (see Table 1 and Fig. 3). RCANs are expressed in various tissues and organs and participate in specialized roles in gene expression, development, metabolism, and behaviors. RCANs are detected not only in cytoplasm but also in subcellular organelles including mitochondria and nucleus. 672 Mol. Cells 2020; 43(8): 671-685 RCAN: Beyond Down Syndrome Critical Region Sun-Kyung Lee and Joohong Ahnn context, including ZAKI, MCIP, and Adapt78 (Crawford et et al., 1996). Follow-up studies revealed that ZAKI-4 is one al., 1997; Kingsbury and Cunningham, 2000; Miyazaki et al., of a family of RCAN proteins, and it was later confirmed as 1996; Yang et al., 2000). Moreover, different nomenclature RCAN2, the homolog encoded in chromosome 6 (Cao et al., for RCANs, including Sarah, Nebula, Rcn, CBP, and calcipres- 2002; Siddiq et al., 2001). Subsequent studies revealed that sin, apply to different invertebrate model systems (Chang et Adapt78, a factor strongly upregulated by hydrogen peroxide al., 2003; Ejima et al., 2004; Görlach et al., 2000; Lee et al., treatment in hamster ovarian fibroblasts, was also RCAN1, 2003). RCAN was thereby proposed as a root name to pre- suggesting that RCAN1 protects cells from oxidative damage clude confusion and facilitate research across organisms and (Crawford et al., 1997). fields (Davies et al., 2007). Despite this effort, DSCR1 is still Concurrent studies were conducted to identify inhibitory frequently used to emphasize RCAN’s importance in DS. regulators of calcineurin, taking advantage of fungi as a mod- Among the three human RCAN genes, RCAN1 is located el because of their versatile molecular genetics. Kingsbury on chromosome 21, trisomy of which (T21) causes DS (Fuen- and Cunningham screened a genomic library for genes that tes et al., 1995). Although neither ubiquitous nor constitu- confer Ca2+ tolerance and uncovered a null mutant of Pmc1, tive, RCAN1 is nonetheless highly expressed in many different a P-type Ca2+-ATPase, in Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Kingsbury tissues, including the brain and heart (Fuentes et al., 2000). and Cunningham, 2000). The restoration of Ca2+ tolerance RCAN1 overexpression due to triple copies of the gene con- in pmc1Δ with a plasmid containing the open reading frame tributes to mental retardation and congenital cardiac defects, for Rcn1, a yeast RCAN1, was found to link to Vcx1p, a vac- the hallmarks of DS, hindering dephosphorylation of many uolar H+/Ca2+ exchanger. Vcx1p is inactivated by calcineurin different important physiological substrates of calcineurin blockers, such as FK506 and cyclosporine A (Cunningham such as ion channels and transporters, mitochondrial func- and Fink, 1994; 1996). Two-hybrid screening in Cryptococcus tion regulators, and NFATs (Harris et al., 2005; Roy and Cyert, neoformans, an opportunistic pathogenic fungus, also indi- 2019). Besides DS, the expression of RCAN1 is increased in cated that RCAN1 was CBP1/calcipressin and strongly bound other clinical conditions,