Plant and animal calpain functions, association with microtubules and possible medical applications

Main Article Content

Hilde Gunn Opsahl-Sorteberg Espen Evju Zhe Liang Jennifer C. Fletcher

Abstract

Calpains are calcium-activated cysteine proteases that activate a vast variety of substrates by cleavage. First reported in 1964, calpains are found in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes and display disparate multidomain architectures. The term calpainopathy was coined in 1995 when calpains were first linked to cell cycle control and cancer, and since then calpains have been implicated in many additional medical conditions including heart disease, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, sickle cell disease, and various neurological disorders. The evolution of calpains is under active investigation, but the core CysPc cysteine protease domain can be traced back to bacteria and the membrane associated MIT domain to Archaea. Here we review calpain evolution and suggest that the MIT-CysPc domain was present in the first eukaryotic common ancestor, and that this diverged into a minimum of four independent last eukaryotic common ancestors making up diverse groups from animals to land and marine plants. How calpains function at the cellular level is likewise not fully resolved. However, they are recognized to play roles in cell division, adhesion, fusion, proliferation, migration and signaling in animals and to act on stem cell functions via microtubules in land plants. Just recently calpains have also been connected to the microtubule organizing center in land plants and brown algae. We present a possible basic function of calpain domains, their connections to membranes and a possible calcium channel, supported by an updated phylogeny. Finally, we provide an overview of human calpains, potential functions and medical conditions to which they are linked and suggest possible development of calpain transcriptomic diagnostics to increase medical precision and treatment. We believe that understanding calpains has promising medical spinoffs and look forward to seeing this field unfold in the years to come.

Keywords: Calpain, calcium, cell division, microtubule, disease, cancer

Article Details

How to Cite
OPSAHL-SORTEBERG, Hilde Gunn et al. Plant and animal calpain functions, association with microtubules and possible medical applications. Medical Research Archives, [S.l.], v. 12, n. 9, sep. 2024. ISSN 2375-1924. Available at: <https://esmed.org/MRA/mra/article/view/5639>. Date accessed: 03 oct. 2024. doi: https://doi.org/10.18103/mra.v12i9.5639.
Section
Research Articles

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