Coexistence of two calsequestrin isoforms in rabbit slow-twitch skeletal muscle fibers

The cardiac and skeletal muscle isoforms of calsequestrin (CS), the low affinity, high capacity Ca2+ binding protein localized in the lumen of sarcoplasmic reticulum, are the products of two different genes (Fliegel, L., Leberer, E., Green, N.M. and MacLennan, D.H. (1982) FEBS Lett. 242, 297-300), and can be both purified from slow-twitch skeletal muscle of the rabbit (Damiani, E., Volpe, P. and Margreth, A. (1990) J. Muscle Res. Cell Motil. 11, 522-530). Here we show that both CS isoforms coexist in slow-twitch muscle fibers as indicated by indirect immunofluorescent staining of cryosections with affinity-purified antibodies specific for each CS isoform.