The PDZ domain protein CAL interacts with mGluR5a and modulates receptor expression

In this study, we investigated the association of metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype-5a (mGluR5a) with cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator-associated ligand (CAL). Using glutathione-S-transferase pull-down techniques, we found that mGluR5a directly interacted with CAL, with the C-terminus of the receptor binding to the PSD95/Discslarge/ZO-1 homology domain of CAL. The last four amino acids (S-S-S-L) of the C-terminus of the receptor were essential determinants for the interaction. Co-immunoprecipitation experiments and immunofluorescence assays revealed that full-length mGluR5a also associated with intact CAL in vivo, an observation consistent with the results from studies on fragment interactions in vitro. Functionally, upon co-expression with mGluR5a, CAL profoundly inhibited the ubiquitination of mGluR5a and enhanced receptor expression at the protein level but not at the mRNA level. These findings reveal that mGluR5a protein expression is physiologically regulated via its interaction with CAL. These results also suggest a molecular mechanism by which mGluR5a protein expression may be regulated at the post-translational level by the CAL protein, possibly by blocking ubiquitination-dependent receptor degradation.