Ser-261 phospho-regulation is involved in pS256 and pS269-mediated aquaporin-2 apical translocation

Insight into the Mammalian Aquaporin Interactome

Aquaporins (AQPs) are a family of transmembrane water channels expressed in all living organisms. AQPs facilitate osmotically driven water flux across biological membranes and, in some cases, the movement of small molecules (such as glycerol, urea, CO₂, NH₃, H₂O₂). Protein-protein interactions play essential roles in protein regulation and function. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge of the AQP interactomes and addresses the molecular basis and functional significance of these protein-protein interactions in health and diseases. Targeting AQP interactomes may offer new therapeutic avenues as targeting individual AQPs remains challenging despite intense efforts.

Updates and Perspectives on Aquaporin-2 and Water Balance Disorders

Ensuring the proper amount of water inside the body is essential for survival. One of the key factors in the maintenance of body water balance is water reabsorption in the collecting ducts of the kidney, a process that is regulated by aquaporin-2 (AQP2). AQP2 is a channel that is exclusively selective for water molecules and impermeable to ions or other small molecules. Impairments of AQP2 result in various water balance disorders, including nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI), which is a disease characterized by a massive loss of water through the kidney and consequent severe dehydration. Dysregulation of AQP2 is also a cause of water retention with hyponatremia in heart failure, hepatic cirrhosis, and syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH). Antidiuretic hormone vasopressin is an upstream regulator of AQP2. Its binding to the vasopressin V2 receptor promotes AQP2 targeting to the apical membrane and thus enables water reabsorption. Tolvaptan, a vasopressin V2 receptor antagonist, is effective and widely used for water retention with hyponatremia. However, there are no studies showing improvement in hard outcomes or long-term prognosis. A possible reason is that vasopressin receptors have many downstream effects other than AQP2 function. It is expected that the development of drugs that directly target AQP2 may result in increased treatment specificity and effectiveness for water balance disorders. This review summarizes recent progress in studies of AQP2 and drug development challenges for water balance disorders.

Activation of AQP2 water channels by protein kinase A: therapeutic strategies for congenital nephrogenic diabetes insipidus

Background

Congenital nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI) is primarily caused by loss-of-function mutations in the vasopressin type 2 receptor (V2R). Renal unresponsiveness to the antidiuretic hormone vasopressin impairs aquaporin-2 (AQP2) water channel activity and water reabsorption from urine, resulting in polyuria. Currently available symptomatic treatments inadequately reduce patients’ excessive amounts of urine excretion, threatening their quality of life. In the past 25 years, vasopressin/cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)/protein kinase A (PKA) has been believed to be the most important signaling pathway for AQP2 activation. Although cAMP production without vasopressin is the reasonable therapeutic strategy for congenital NDI caused by V2R mutations, the efficacy of candidate drugs on AQP2 activation is far less than that of vasopressin.

Results

Intracellular distribution and activity of PKA are largely controlled by its scaffold proteins, A-kinase anchoring proteins (AKAPs). Dissociating the binding of AKAPs and PKA significantly increased PKA activity in the renal collecting ducts and activated AQP2 phosphorylation and trafficking. Remarkably, the AKAPs–PKA disruptor FMP-API-1 increased transcellular water permeability in isolated renal collecting ducts to the same extent as vasopressin. Moreover, derivatives of FMP-API-1 possessed much more high potency. FMP-API-1/27 is the first low-molecular-weight compound to be discovered that can phosphorylate AQP2 more effectively than preexisting drug candidates.

Conclusion

AKAP-PKA disruptors are a promising therapeutic target for congenital NDI. In this article, we shall discuss the pathophysiological roles of PKA and novel strategies to activate PKA in renal collecting ducts.

Intracellular location of aquaporin-2 serine 269 phosphorylation and dephosphorylation in kidney collecting duct cells

Aquaporin-2 (AQP2) is a vasopressin-regulated water channel protein responsible for water reabsorption by the kidney collecting ducts. Under control conditions, most AQP2 resides in the recycling endosomes of principal cells, where it answers to vasopressin with trafficking to the apical plasma membrane to increase water reabsorption. Upon vasopressin withdrawal, apical AQP2 retreats to the early endosomes before joining the recycling endosomes for the next vasopressin stimulation. Prior studies have demonstrated a role of AQP2 S269 phosphorylation in reducing AQP2 endocytosis, thereby prolonging apical AQP2 retention. Here, we studied where in the cells S269 was phosphorylated and dephosphorylated in response to vasopressin versus withdrawal. In mpkCCD collecting cells, vacuolar protein sorting 35 knockdown slowed vasopressin-induced apical AQP2 trafficking, resulting in AQP2 accumulation in the recycling endosomes where S269 was phosphorylated. Rab7 knockdown, which impaired AQP2 trafficking from the early to recycling endosomes, reduced vasopressin-induced S269 phosphorylation. Rab5 knockdown, which impaired AQP2 endocytosis, did not affect vasopressin-induced S269 phosphorylation. Upon vasopressin withdrawal, S269 was not dephosphorylated in Rab5 knockdown cells. In contrast, S269 dephosphorylation upon vasopressin withdrawal was completed in Rab7 or vacuolar protein sorting 35 knockdown cells. We conclude that S269 is dephosphorylated during Rab5-mediated AQP2 endocytosis before AQP2 joins the recycling endosomes upon vasopressin withdrawal. While in the recycling endosomes, AQP2 can be phosphorylated at S269 in response to vasopressin before apical trafficking.

Phosphorylation profile of human AQP2 in urinary exosomes by LC-MS/MS phosphoproteomic analysis

Background

Aquaporin-2 (AQP2) is a key water channel protein which determines the water permeability of the collecting duct. Multiple phosphorylation sites are present at the C-terminal of AQP2 including S256 (serine at 256 residue), S261, S264 and S/T269, which are regulated by vasopressin (VP) to modulate AQP2 trafficking. As the dynamics of these phosphorylations have been studied mostly in rodents, little is known about the phosphorylation of human AQP2 which has unique T269 in the place of S269 of rodent AQP2. Because AQP2 is excreted in urinary exosomes, the phosphoprotein profile of human AQP2 can be easily examined through urinary exosomes without any intervention.

Methods

Human urinary exosomes digested with trypsin or glutamyl endopeptidase (Glu-C) were examined by the liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) phosphoproteomic analysis.

Results

The most dominant phosphorylated AQP2 peptide identified was S256 phosphorylated form (pS256), followed by pS261 with less pS264 and far less pT269, which was confirmed by the western blot analyses using phosphorylated AQP2-specific antibodies. In a patient lacking circulating VP, administration of a VP analogue showed a transient increase (peak at 30–60 min) in excretion of exosomes with pS261 AQP2.

Conclusion

These data suggest that all phosphorylation sites of human AQP2 including T269 are phosphorylated and phosphorylations at S256 and S261 may play a dominant role in the urinary exosomal excretion of AQP2.

Direct effect of protein kinase A on four putative phosphorylation sites of aquaporin 2 in vitro

The water channel aquaporin 2 (AQP2) has four phosphorylation sites at Ser256, Ser261, Ser264, and Ser269 in the C-terminus and these sites are important for AQP2 bioactivity. However, the exact role of each phosphorylation site still remains unclear. In this study, we generated unique AQP2 mutants in which we eliminated three phosphorylation sites but maintained only one site at the C-terminal end. The AQP2 phosphorylation of each single site by protein kinase A (PKA) was examined by in vitro translation and 32P incorporation. The ability of AQP2 trafficking to the cell membrane was evaluated by cell surface biotinylation. Among the four phosphorylation sites, AQP2 mutant with only S256 preserved the most ability of AQP2 to cell membrane expression. The AQP2 water permeability was measured in oocyte. Ser256 is the most important site for AQP2 function. Interestingly, Ser261 and Ser264 significantly inhibit AQP2 activity. Ser269 slightly but not statistically reduced AQP2 activity. Our data suggest that the four phosphorylation sites execute differential roles in concert in AQP2 functional regulation. AQP2 activity regulated by phosphorylation at Ser256 can be counterbalanced by phosphorylation at Ser261 and Ser264.

Chlorpromazine Induces Basolateral Aquaporin-2 Accumulation via F-Actin Depolymerization and Blockade of Endocytosis in Renal Epithelial Cells

We previously showed that in polarized Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells, aquaporin-2 (AQP2) is continuously targeted to the basolateral plasma membrane from which it is rapidly retrieved by clathrin-mediated endocytosis. It then undertakes microtubule-dependent transcytosis toward the apical plasma membrane. In this study, we found that treatment with chlorpromazine (CPZ, an inhibitor of clathrin-mediated endocytosis) results in AQP2 accumulation in the basolateral, but not the apical plasma membrane of epithelial cells. In MDCK cells, both AQP2 and clathrin were concentrated in the basolateral plasma membrane after CPZ treatment (100 µM for 15 min), and endocytosis was reduced. Then, using rhodamine phalloidin staining, we found that basolateral, but not apical, F-actin was selectively reduced by CPZ treatment. After incubation of rat kidney slices in situ with CPZ (200 µM for 15 min), basolateral AQP2 and clathrin were increased in principal cells, which simultaneously showed a significant decrease of basolateral compared to apical F-actin staining. These results indicate that clathrin-dependent transcytosis of AQP2 is an essential part of its trafficking pathway in renal epithelial cells and that this process can be inhibited by selectively depolymerizing the basolateral actin pool using CPZ.

Rab7 involves Vps35 to mediate AQP2 sorting and apical trafficking in collecting duct cells

Aquaporin-2 (AQP2) is a vasopressin-regulated water channel protein responsible for osmotic water reabsorption by kidney collecting ducts. In response to vasopressin, AQP2 traffics from intracellular vesicles to the apical plasma membrane of collecting duct principal cells, where it increases water permeability and, hence, water reabsorption. Despite continuing efforts, gaps remain in our knowledge of vasopressin-regulated AQP2 trafficking. Here, we studied the functions of two retromer complex proteins, small GTPase Rab7 and vacuolar protein sorting 35 (Vps35), in vasopressin-induced AQP2 trafficking in a collecting duct cell model (mpkCCD cells). We showed that upon vasopressin removal, apical AQP2 returned to Rab5-positive early endosomes before joining Rab11-positive recycling endosomes. In response to vasopressin, Rab11-associated AQP2 trafficked to the apical plasma membrane before Rab5-associated AQP2 did so. Rab7 knockdown resulted in AQP2 accumulation in early endosomes and impaired vasopressin-induced apical AQP2 trafficking. In response to vasopressin, Rab7 transiently colocalized with Rab5, indicative of a role of Rab7 in AQP2 sorting in early endosomes before trafficking to the apical membrane. Rab7-mediated apical AQP2 trafficking in response to vasopressin required GTPase activity. When Vps35 was knocked down, AQP2 accumulated in recycling endosomes under vehicle conditions and did not traffic to the apical plasma membrane in response to vasopressin. We conclude that Rab7 and Vps35 participate in AQP2 sorting in early endosomes under vehicle conditions and apical membrane trafficking in response to vasopressin.

From Molecules to Mechanisms: Functional Proteomics and Its Application to Renal Tubule Physiology

Classical physiological studies using electrophysiological, biophysical, biochemical, and molecular techniques have created a detailed picture of molecular transport, bioenergetics, contractility and movement, and growth, as well as the regulation of these processes by external stimuli in cells and organisms. Newer systems biology approaches are beginning to provide deeper and broader understanding of these complex biological processes and their dynamic responses to a variety of environmental cues. In the past decade, advances in mass spectrometry-based proteomic technologies have provided invaluable tools to further elucidate these complex cellular processes, thereby confirming, complementing, and advancing common views of physiology. As one notable example, the application of proteomics to study the regulation of kidney function has yielded novel insights into the chemical and physical processes that tightly control body fluids, electrolytes, and metabolites to provide optimal microenvironments for various cellular and organ functions. Here, we systematically review, summarize, and discuss the most significant key findings from functional proteomic studies in renal epithelial physiology. We also identify further improvements in technological and bioinformatics methods that will be essential to advance precision medicine in nephrology.

AKAPs-PKA disruptors increase AQP2 activity independently of vasopressin in a model of nephrogenic diabetes insipidus

Congenital nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI) is characterized by the inability of the kidney to concentrate urine. Congenital NDI is mainly caused by loss-of-function mutations in the vasopressin type 2 receptor (V2R), leading to impaired aquaporin-2 (AQP2) water channel activity. So far, treatment options of congenital NDI either by rescuing mutant V2R with chemical chaperones or by elevating cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) levels have failed to yield effective therapies. Here we show that inhibition of A-kinase anchoring proteins (AKAPs) binding to PKA increases PKA activity and activates AQP2 channels in cortical collecting duct cells. In vivo, the low molecular weight compound 3,3′-diamino-4,4′-dihydroxydiphenylmethane (FMP-API-1) and its derivatives increase AQP2 activity to the same extent as vasopressin, and increase urine osmolality in the context of V2R inhibition. We therefore suggest that FMP-API-1 may constitute a promising lead compound for the treatment of congenital NDI caused by V2R mutations.

Patients suffering from congenital nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI) fail to concentrate urine due to mutations in vasopressin type 2 receptor (V2R). Here Ando et al. show that agents disrupting the interaction between PKA and AKAPs restore aquaporin-2 activity downstream of V2R, offering a therapeutic approach for the treatment of NDI.

Activation of AQP2 water channels without vasopressin: therapeutic strategies for congenital nephrogenic diabetes insipidus

Congenital nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI) is characterized by defective urine concentrating ability. Symptomatic polyuria is present from birth, even with normal release of the antidiuretic hormone vasopressin by the pituitary. Over the last two decades, the aquaporin-2 (AQP2) gene has been cloned and the molecular mechanisms of urine concentration have been gradually elucidated. Vasopressin binds to the vasopressin type II receptor (V2R) in the renal collecting ducts and then activates AQP2 phosphorylation and trafficking to increase water reabsorption from urine. Most cases of congenital NDI are caused by loss-of-function mutations to V2R, resulting in unresponsiveness to vasopressin. In this article, we provide an overview of novel therapeutic molecules of congenital NDI that can activate AQP2 by bypassing defective V2R signaling with a particular focus on the activators of the calcium and cAMP signaling pathways.

The underlying physiological basis of the desert rodent Meriones shawi's survival to prolonged water deprivation: Central vasopressin regulation on peripheral kidney water channels AQPs-2

Meriones shawi (M. shawi) is a particular semi-desert rodent known by its resistance to long periods of thirst. The aim of the present investigation is to clarify the underlying mechanisms allowing M. shawi to resist to hard conditions of dehydration. For this reason we used two different approaches: i) a morphometric study, which consists in measuring the effect of dehydration on body and kidneys weights as well as the report kidney weight/body weight, ii) By immunohistochemistry, we proceed to study the effect of dehydration on the immunoreactivity of central vasopressin (AVP) and the kidney aquaporin-2 (AQP-2) which is a channel protein that allows water to permeate across cell membranes. Our results showed both a body mass decrease accompanied by a remarkable kidneys hypertrophy. The immunohistochemical study showed a significant increase of AQP-2 immunoreactivity in the medullar part of Meriones kidneys allowing probably to Meriones a great ability to water retention. Consistently, we demonstrate that the increased AQP-2 expression occurred together with an increase in vasopressin (AVP) expression in both hypothalamic supraoptic (SON) and paraventricular nucleus (PVN), which are a major hub in the osmotic control circuitry. These various changes seen either in body weight and kidneys or at the cellular level might be the basis of peripheral control of body water homeostasis, providing to M. shawia strong resistance against chronic dehydration.