Abstract
The protein-mediated formation of membrane contacts is a crucial event in many cellular processes ranging from the establishment of organelle contacts to the docking of vesicles to a target membrane. Annexins are Ca2+ regulated membrane-binding proteins implicated in providing such membrane contacts; however, the molecular basis of membrane bridging by annexins is not fully understood. We addressed this central question using annexin A2 (AnxA2) that functions in secretory vesicle exocytosis possibly by providing membrane bridges. By quantitatively analyzing membrane contact formation using a novel assay based on quartz crystal microbalance recordings, we show that monomeric AnxA2 can bridge membrane surfaces Ca2+ dependently. However, this activity depends on an oxidative crosslink involving a cysteine residue in the N-terminal domain and thus formation of disulfide-linked dimers. Alkylated AnxA2 in which this cysteine residue has been modified and AnxA2 mutants lacking the N-terminal domain are not capable of bridging membrane surfaces. In contrast, a heterotetrameric complex comprising two membrane binding AnxA2 subunits linked by a S100A10 dimer can provide membrane contacts irrespective of oxidation status. Thus, monomeric AnxA2 only contains one lipid binding site and AnxA2-mediated linking of membrane surfaces under non-oxidative intracellular conditions most likely requires AnxA2-S100 complex formation.