Abstract
Human CLCA2 regulates store-operated calcium entry (SOCE) by interacting with Orai1 and STIM1. It is expressed as a 943aa type I transmembrane protein that is cleaved at amino acid 708 to produce a diffusible 100 kDa product. The N-terminal ectodomain contains a hydrolase-like subdomain with a conserved HEXXH zinc-binding motif that is proposed to cleave the precursor autoproteolytically. Here, we tested this hypothesis and its link to SOCE. We first studied the conditions for autocleavage in isolated membranes and then in a purified protein system. Cleavage was zinc-dependent and abolished by mutation of the E in the HEXXH motif to Q, E165Q. Cleavage efficiency increased with CLCA2 concentration, implying that it occurs in trans. Accordingly, the E165Q mutant was cleaved by co-transfected wildtype CLCA2. Moreover, CLCA2 precursors with different epitope tags co-immunoprecipitated. In a membrane-free system utilizing immunopurified protease and target, no cleavage occurred unless the target was first denatured, implying that membranes provide essential structural or conformational cues. Unexpectedly, cleavage caused a conformational shift: an N-terminal antibody that immunoprecipitated the precursor failed to precipitate the N-terminal product unless the product was first denatured with an ionic detergent. The E165Q mutation abolished the stimulation of SOCE caused by wildtype CLCA2, establishing that the metalloprotease activity is required for this regulatory function.