Functional analysis of SERCA1b, a highly expressed SERCA1 variant in myotonic dystrophy type 1 muscle

Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is a genetic disorder in which multiple genes are aberrantly spliced. Sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca²⁺-ATPase 1 (SERCA1) is one of these genes, and it encodes a P-type ATPase. SERCA1 transports Ca²⁺ from the cytosol to the lumen, and is involved in muscular relaxation. It has two splice variants (SERCA1a and SERCA1b) that differ in the last eight amino acids, and the contribution of these variants to DM1 pathology is unclear. Here, we show that SERCA1b protein is highly expressed in DM1 muscle tissue, mainly localised at fast twitch fibres. Additionally, when SERCA1a and SERCA1b were overexpressed in cells, we found that the ATPase and Ca²⁺ uptake activity of SERCA1a was almost double that of SERCA1b. Although the affinity for both ATP and Ca²⁺ was similar between the two variants, SERCA1b was more sensitive to the inner microsomal environment. Thus, we hypothesise that aberrant expression of SERCA1b in DM1 patients is the cause of abnormal intracellular Ca²⁺ homeostasis.