Calbindin D28k is a highly conserved
Ca2+-binding protein abundant in brain and sensory
neurons. The 261-residue protein contains six EF-hands
packed into one globular domain. In this study, we have
reconstituted calbindin D28k from two fragments
containing three EF-hands each (residues 1–132 and
133–261, respectively), and from other combinations
of small and large fragments. Complex formation is studied
by ion-exchange and size-exclusion chromatography, electrophoresis,
surface plasmon resonance, as well as circular dichroism
(CD), fluorescence, and NMR spectroscopy. Similar chromatographic
behavior to the native protein is observed for reconstituted
complexes formed by mixing different sets of complementary
fragments, produced by introducing a cut between EF-hands
1, 2, 3, or 4. The C-terminal half (residues 133–261)
appears to have a lower intrinsic stability compared to
the N-terminal half (residues 1–132). In the presence
of Ca2+, NMR spectroscopy reveals a high degree
of structural similarity between the intact protein and
the protein reconstituted from the 1–132 and 133–261
fragments. The affinity between these two fragments is
2 × 107 M−1, with association
and dissociation rate constants of 2.7 × 104
M−1 s−1 and 1.4 ×
10−3 s−1, respectively.
The complex formed in the presence of Ca2+ is
remarkably stable towards unfolding by urea and heat. Both
the complex and intact protein display cold and heat denaturation,
although residual α-helical structure is seen in the
urea denatured state at high temperature. In the absence
of Ca2+, the fragments do not recombine to yield
a complex resembling the intact apo protein. Thus, calbindin
D28k is an example of a protein that can only
be reconstituted in the presence of bound ligand. The α-helical
CD signal is increased by 26% after addition of Ca2+
to each half of the protein. This suggests that Ca2+-induced
folding of the fragments is important for successful reconstitution
of calbindin D28k.