Characterization of the interaction of calcyclin (S100A6) and calcyclin-binding protein

Calcyclin (S100A6) is an S100 calcium-binding protein whose expression is up-regulated in proliferating and differentiating cells. A novel 30-kDa protein exhibiting calcium dependent calcyclin-binding (calcyclin-binding protein, CacyBP) had been identified, purified, and cloned previously (Filipek, A, and Kuznicki, J, (1998) J. Neurochem. 70, 1793-1798). Here, we have defined the calcyclin binding region using limited proteolysis and a set of deletion mutants of CacyBP. A fragment encompassing residues 178-229 (CacyBP-(178-229)) was capable of full binding to calcyclin, CacyBP-(178-229) was expressed in Escherichia coli as a glutathione S-transferase fusion protein and purified. The protein fragment cleaved from the glutathione S-transferase fusion protein was shown by CD to contain 5% alpha-helix, 15% beta-sheet, and 81% random coil. Fluorescence spectroscopy was used to determine calcyclin dissociation constants of 0.96 and 1.2 mu M for intact CacyBP and CacyBP-(178-229), respectively, indicating that the fragment can be used for characterization of calcyclin-CacyBP interactions. NMR analysis of CacyBP-(178-229) binding-induced changes in the chemical shifts of N-15-enriched calcyclin revealed that CacyBP binding occurs at a discrete site on calcyclin with micromolar affinity.