Aims: In cardiomyocytes, protein kinase D1 (PKD1) plays a central role in the response to stress signals. From a yeast two-hybrid assay, we have identified Enigma Homolog 1 (ENH1) as a new binding partner of PKD1. Since in neurons, ENH1, associated with protein kinase Cepsilon, was shown to modulate the activity of N-type calcium channels, and the pore-forming subunit of the cardiac L-type voltage-gated calcium channel, alpha1C, possesses a potential phosphorylation site for PKD1, we studied here a possible role of ENH1 and PKD1 in the regulation of the cardiac L-type voltage-gated calcium channel.
Methods and results: PKD1-interacting proteins were searched by yeast two-hybrid screening. In vivo protein interactions in cardiomyocytes isolated from heart ventricles of newborn rats were tested by co-immunoprecipitation. Small interfering RNA and a dominant negative mutant of PKD1 were delivered into cardiomyocytes by use of an adenovirus. Calcium currents were measured by the patch-clamp technique. Both ENH1 and PKD1 interact with alpha1C in cardiomyocytes. This interaction is increased upon stimulation. Silencing of ENH1 prevented the binding of PKD1 to alpha1C. Moreover, a dominant negative mutant of PKD1 or the silencing of ENH1 inhibited the alpha-adrenergic-induced increase of L-type calcium currents.
Conclusion: We found a new binding partner, ENH1, and a new target, alpha1C, for PKD1 in neonatal rat cardiomyocytes. We propose a model where ENH1 scaffolds PKD1 to alpha1C in order to form a signalling complex that regulates the activity of cardiac L-type voltage-gated Ca(2+) channels.