Polyamines regulate intestinal epithelial restitution through TRPC1-mediated Ca2+ signaling by differentially modulating STIM1 and STIM2

Rao JN, Rathor N, Zhuang R, Zou T, Liu L, Xiao L, Turner DJ, Wang JY. Polyamines regulate intestinal epithelial restitution through TRPC1-mediated Ca2+ signaling by differentially modulating STIM1 and STIM2. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 303: C308-C317, 2012. First published May 16, 2012; doi:10.1152/ajpcell.00120.2012.-Early epithelial restitution occurs as a consequence of intestinal epithelial cell (IEC) migration after wounding, and its defective regulation is implicated in various critical pathological conditions. Polyamines stimulate intestinal epithelial restitution, but their exact mechanism remains unclear. Canonical transient receptor potential-1 (TRPC1)-mediated Ca2+ signaling is crucial for stimulation of IEC migration after wounding, and induced translocation of stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1) to the plasma membrane activates TRPC1-mediated Ca2+ influx and thus enhanced restitution. Here, we show that polyamines regulate intestinal epithelial restitution through TRPC1-mediated Ca2+ signaling by altering the ratio of STIM1 to STIM2. Increasing cellular polyamines by ectopic overexpression of the ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) gene stimulated STIM1 but inhibited STIM2 expression, whereas depletion of cellular polyamines by inhibiting ODC activity decreased STIM1 but increased STIM2 levels. Induced STIM1/TRPC1 association by increasing polyamines enhanced Ca2+ influx and stimulated epithelial restitution, while decreased formation of the STIM1/TRPC1 complex by polyamine depletion decreased Ca2+ influx and repressed cell migration. Induced STIM1/STIM2 heteromers by polyamine depletion or STIM2 overexpression suppressed STIM1 membrane translocation and inhibited Ca2+ influx and epithelial restitution. These results indicate that polyamines differentially modulate cellular STIM1 and STIM2 levels in IECs, in turn controlling TRPC1-mediated Ca2+ signaling and influencing cell migration after wounding.