[Ca-inhibited binding of melittin with parvalbumin. A new role for parvalbumins?]

It was found that pike parvalbumins pI 4.2 and 5.0 bind amphiphilic peptide melittin extracted from bee venom in an extraordinary Ca-dependent manner: in apo-state the protein forms a tight equimolar complex with melittin (Ka = 10(6) M-1 at 18 degrees C); in Ca- (and Mg-) loaded state it does not take place. Heating of the protein up to temperatures above the denaturation temperature of apo-parvalbumin does not change the stoichiometry of the complex but increases its association constant by an order of magnitude (Ka = 1.2.10(7) M-1 at 44 degrees C). Isolated Ca-binding domain of parvalbumin, 38-108, retains the ability for Ca-inhibited binding of equimolar quantities of melittin. The possible function of parvalbumin in vivo is suggested: Ca-inhibited interactions with some intracellular components.