Recent studies by our group and others demonstrated a required and conserved role of Stim in store-operated Ca ²⁺ influx and Ca ²⁺ release-activated Ca ²⁺ (CRAC) channel activity. By using an unbiased genome-wide RNA interference screen in Drosophila S2 cells, we now identify 75 hits that strongly inhibited Ca ²⁺ influx upon store emptying by thapsigargin. Among these hits are 11 predicted transmembrane proteins, including Stim , and one, olf186-F , that upon RNA interference-mediated knockdown exhibited a profound reduction of thapsigargin-evoked Ca ²⁺ entry and CRAC current, and upon overexpression a 3-fold augmentation of CRAC current. CRAC currents were further increased to 8-fold higher than control and developed more rapidly when olf186-F was cotransfected with Stim . olf186-F is a member of a highly conserved family of four-transmembrane spanning proteins with homologs from Caenorhabditis elegans to human. The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca ²⁺ pump sarco-/ER calcium ATPase (SERCA) and the single transmembrane-soluble N -ethylmaleimide-sensitive (NSF) attachment receptor (SNARE) protein Syntaxin5 also were required for CRAC channel activity, consistent with a signaling pathway in which Stim senses Ca ²⁺ depletion within the ER, translocates to the plasma membrane, and interacts with olf186-F to trigger CRAC channel activity.

The mechanism underlying activation of Ca2+ release-activated Ca2+ channels, in response to depletion of intracellular Ca2+ stores, has generated much interest. Recently, it was shown that Stim forms the relay between the Ca2+ store and the plasma membrane, where it activates the ion-channel forming protein Orai. Here, Penna et al. show that Orai is a dimer at rest and a tetramer when activated by Stim, raising the interesting possibility that dimerization is the trigger for channel activation. Ca2+-release-activated Ca2+ (CRAC) channels underlie sustained Ca2+ signalling in lymphocytes and numerous other cells after Ca2+ liberation from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). RNA interference screening approaches identified two proteins, Stim1,2 and Orai3,4,5, that together form the molecular basis for CRAC channel activity6,7. Stim senses depletion of the ER Ca2+ store and physically relays this information by translocating from the ER to junctions adjacent to the plasma membrane1,8,9, and Orai embodies the pore of the plasma membrane calcium channel10,11,12. A close interaction between Stim and Orai, identified by co-immunoprecipitation12 and by Förster resonance energy transfer13, is involved in the opening of the Ca2+ channel formed by Orai subunits. Most ion channels are multimers of pore-forming subunits surrounding a central channel, which are preassembled in the ER and transported in their final stoichiometry to the plasma membrane. Here we show, by biochemical analysis after cross-linking in cell lysates and intact cells and by using non-denaturing gel electrophoresis without cross-linking, that Orai is predominantly a dimer in the plasma membrane under resting conditions. Moreover, single-molecule imaging of green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged Orai expressed in Xenopus oocytes showed predominantly two-step photobleaching, again consistent with a dimeric basal state. In contrast, co-expression of GFP-tagged Orai with the carboxy terminus of Stim as a cytosolic protein to activate the Orai channel without inducing Ca2+ store depletion or clustering of Orai into punctae yielded mostly four-step photobleaching, consistent with a tetrameric stoichiometry of the active Orai channel. Interaction with the C terminus of Stim thus induces Orai dimers to dimerize, forming tetramers that constitute the Ca2+-selective pore. This represents a new mechanism in which assembly and activation of the functional ion channel are mediated by the same triggering molecule.

For efficient development of an immune response, T lymphocytes require long-lasting calcium influx through calcium release-activated calcium (CRAC) channels and the formation of a stable immunological synapse (IS) with the antigen-presenting cell (APC). Recent RNAi screens have identified Stim and Orai in Drosophila cells, and their corresponding mammalian homologs STIM1 and Orai1 in T cells, as essential for CRAC channel activation. Here, we show that STIM1 and Orai1 are recruited to the immunological synapse between primary human T cells and autologous dendritic cells. Both STIM1 and Orai1 accumulated in the area of contact between either resting or super-antigen (SEB)-pretreated T cells and SEB-pulsed dendritic cells, where they were colocalized with T cell receptor (TCR) and costimulatory molecules. In addition, imaging of intracellular calcium signaling in T cells loaded with EGTA revealed significantly higher Ca ²⁺ concentration near the interface, indicating Ca ²⁺ influx localized at the T cell/dendritic cell contact area. Expression of a dominant-negative Orai1 mutant blocked T cell Ca ²⁺ signaling but did not interfere with the initial accumulation of STIM1, Orai1, and CD3 in the contact zone. In activated T cell blasts, mRNA expression for endogenous STIM1 and all three human homologs of Orai was up-regulated, accompanied by a marked increase in Ca ²⁺ influx through CRAC channels. These results imply a positive feedback loop in which an initial TCR signal favors up-regulation of STIM1 and Orai proteins that would augment Ca ²⁺ signaling during subsequent antigen encounter.

We evaluated currents induced by expression of human homologs of Orai together with STIM1 in human embryonic kidney cells. When co-expressed with STIM1, Orai1 induced a large inwardly rectifying Ca²⁺-selective current with Ca²⁺-induced slow inactivation. A point mutation of Orai1 (E106D) altered the ion selectivity of the induced Ca²⁺ release-activated Ca²⁺ (CRAC)-like current while retaining an inwardly rectifying I-V characteristic. Expression of the C-terminal portion of STIM1 with Orai1 was sufficient to generate CRAC current without store depletion. 2-APB activated a large relatively nonselective current in STIM1 and Orai3 co-expressing cells. 2-APB also induced Ca²⁺ influx in Orai3-expressing cells without store depletion or co-expression of STIM1. The Orai3 current induced by 2-APB exhibited outward rectification and an inward component representing a mixed calcium and monovalent current. A pore mutant of Orai3 inhibited store-operated Ca²⁺ entry and did not carry significant current in response to either store depletion or addition of 2-APB. Analysis of a series of Orai1-3 chimeras revealed the structural determinant responsible for 2-APB-induced current within the sequence from the second to third transmembrane segment of Orai3. The Orai3 current induced by 2-APB may reflect a store-independent mode of CRAC channel activation that opens a relatively nonselective cation pore.

We applied single-molecule photobleaching to investigate the stoichiometry of human Orai1 and Orai3 channels tagged with eGFP and expressed in mammalian cells. Orai1 was detected predominantly as dimers under resting conditions and as tetramers when coexpressed with C-STIM1 to activate Ca ²⁺ influx. Orai1 was also found to be tetrameric when coexpressed with STIM1 and evaluated following fixation. We show that fixation rapidly causes release of Ca ²⁺ , redistribution of STIM1 to the plasma membrane, and STIM1/Orai1 puncta formation, and may cause the channel to be in the activated state. Consistent with this possibility, Orai1 was found predominantly as a dimer when coexpressed with STIM1 in living cells under resting conditions. We further show that Orai3, like Orai1, is dimeric under resting conditions and is predominantly tetrameric when activated by C-STIM1. Interestingly, a dimeric Orai3 stoichiometry was found both before and during application of 2-aminoethyldiphenyl borate (2-APB) to activate a nonselective cation conductance in its STIM1-independent mode. We conclude that the human Orai1 and Orai3 channels undergo a dimer-to-tetramer transition to form a Ca ²⁺ -selective pore during store-operated activation and that Orai3 forms a dimeric nonselective cation pore upon activation by 2-APB.