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Fairweather SJ, Shah N, Brӧer S. Heteromeric Solute Carriers: Function, Structure, Pathology and Pharmacology. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2021; 21:13-127. [PMID: 33052588 DOI: 10.1007/5584_2020_584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Solute carriers form one of three major superfamilies of membrane transporters in humans, and include uniporters, exchangers and symporters. Following several decades of molecular characterisation, multiple solute carriers that form obligatory heteromers with unrelated subunits are emerging as a distinctive principle of membrane transporter assembly. Here we comprehensively review experimentally established heteromeric solute carriers: SLC3-SLC7 amino acid exchangers, SLC16 monocarboxylate/H+ symporters and basigin/embigin, SLC4A1 (AE1) and glycophorin A exchanger, SLC51 heteromer Ost α-Ost β uniporter, and SLC6 heteromeric symporters. The review covers the history of the heteromer discovery, transporter physiology, structure, disease associations and pharmacology - all with a focus on the heteromeric assembly. The cellular locations, requirements for complex formation, and the functional role of dimerization are extensively detailed, including analysis of the first complete heteromer structures, the SLC7-SLC3 family transporters LAT1-4F2hc, b0,+AT-rBAT and the SLC6 family heteromer B0AT1-ACE2. We present a systematic analysis of the structural and functional aspects of heteromeric solute carriers and conclude with common principles of their functional roles and structural architecture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen J Fairweather
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia. .,Resarch School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia.
| | - Nishank Shah
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Stefan Brӧer
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia.
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Fairweather SJ, Bröer A, Subramanian N, Tumer E, Cheng Q, Schmoll D, O'Mara ML, Bröer S. Molecular basis for the interaction of the mammalian amino acid transporters B0AT1 and B0AT3 with their ancillary protein collectrin. J Biol Chem 2015; 290:24308-25. [PMID: 26240152 PMCID: PMC4591816 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m115.648519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2015] [Revised: 07/19/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Many solute carrier 6 (SLC6) family transporters require ancillary subunits to modify their expression and activity. The main apical membrane neutral amino acid transporters in mouse intestine and kidney, B(0)AT1 and B(0)AT3, require the ancillary protein collectrin or ACE2 for plasma membrane expression. Expression and activity of SLC6 neurotransmitter transporters are modulated by interaction with syntaxin 1A. Utilizing monocarboxylate-B(0)AT1/3 fusion constructs, we discovered that collectrin is also necessary for B(0)AT1 and B(0)AT3 catalytic function. Syntaxin 1A and syntaxin 3 inhibit the membrane expression of B(0)AT1 by competing with collectrin for access. A mutagenesis screening approach identified residues on trans-membrane domains 1α, 5, and 7 on one face of B(0)AT3 as a key region involved in interaction with collectrin. Mutant analysis established residues that were involved in collectrin-dependent functions as follows: plasma membrane expression of B(0)AT3, catalytic activation, or both. These results identify a potential binding site for collectrin and other SLC6 ancillary proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Nandhitha Subramanian
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia and
| | | | - Qi Cheng
- From the Research School of Biology and
| | - Dieter Schmoll
- the Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GmbH, Industriepark Hoechst, Frankfurt am Main 65926, Germany
| | - Megan L O'Mara
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia and
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Butterworth MB. Regulation of the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) by membrane trafficking. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis 2010; 1802:1166-77. [PMID: 20347969 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2010.03.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2009] [Revised: 03/15/2010] [Accepted: 03/20/2010] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The epithelial Na(+) channel (ENaC) is a major regulator of salt and water reabsorption in a number of epithelial tissues. Abnormalities in ENaC function have been directly linked to several human disease states including Liddle syndrome, psuedohypoaldosteronism, and cystic fibrosis and may be implicated in salt-sensitive hypertension. ENaC activity in epithelial cells is regulated both by open probability and channel number. This review focuses on the regulation of ENaC in the cells of the kidney cortical collecting duct by trafficking and recycling. The trafficking of ENaC is discussed in the broader context of epithelial cell vesicle trafficking. Well-characterized pathways and protein interactions elucidated using epithelial model cells are discussed, and the known overlap with ENaC regulation is highlighted. In following the life of ENaC in CCD epithelial cells the apical delivery, internalization, recycling, and destruction of the channel will be discussed. While a number of pathways presented still need to be linked to ENaC regulation and many details of the regulation of ENaC trafficking remain to be elucidated, knowledge of these mechanisms may provide further insights into ENaC activity in normal and disease states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael B Butterworth
- Department Cell Biology and Physiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA.
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Hoehenwarter W, Tang Y, Ackermann R, Pleissner KP, Schmid M, Stein R, Zimny-Arndt U, Kumar NM, Jungblut PR. Identification of proteins that modify cataract of mouse eye lens. Proteomics 2009; 8:5011-24. [PMID: 19003866 DOI: 10.1002/pmic.200800380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
The occurrence of a nuclear cataract in the eye lens due to disruption of the alpha3Cx46 connexin gene, Gja3, is dependent on strain background in a mouse model, implicating factors that modify the pathology. The differences upon cataractogenesis in the urea soluble proteins of the lens of two mouse strains, C57BL/6J and 129/SvJ, were analyzed by a comparative proteomics approach. Determination of the complete proteome of an organ offers the opportunity to characterize at a molecular level, differences in gene expression and PTMs occurring during pathology and between individuals. The abundance of 63 protein species was altered between the strains. A unique aspect of this study is the identification of chaperonin subunit 6A, mortalin, ERp29, and syntaxin-binding protein 6 in the eye lens. DNA polymorphisms resulting in nonconservative amino acid changes that led to altered physicochemical properties of the proteins were detected for mortalin, chaperonin subunit 6A, annexin A1, and possibly gamma-N crystallin. The results show HSP27/25 and/or ERp29 are the likely major modifying factors for cataractogenesis. Extension of the results suggests that small heat-shock proteins have a major role for influencing cataract formation in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wolfgang Hoehenwarter
- Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, Core Facility Protein Analysis, Berlin, Germany
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Syntaxin 5 regulates the endoplasmic reticulum channel-release properties of polycystin-2. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2008; 105:15920-5. [PMID: 18836075 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0805062105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Polycystin-2 (PC2), the gene product of one of two genes mutated in dominant polycystic kidney disease, is a member of the transient receptor potential cation channel family and can function as intracellular calcium (Ca(2+)) release channel. We performed a yeast two-hybrid screen by using the NH(2) terminus of PC2 and identified syntaxin-5 (Stx5) as a putative interacting partner. Coimmunoprecipitation studies in cell lines and kidney tissues confirmed interaction of PC2 with Stx5 in vivo. In vitro binding assays showed that the interaction between Stx5 and PC2 is direct and defined the respective interaction domains as the t-SNARE region of Stx5 and amino acids 5 to 72 of PC2. Single channel studies showed that interaction with Stx5 specifically reduces PC2 channel activity. Epithelial cells overexpressing mutant PC2 that does not bind Stx5 had increased baseline cytosolic Ca(2+) levels, decreased endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca(2+) stores, and reduced Ca(2+) release from ER stores in response to vasopressin stimulation. Cells lacking PC2 altogether had reduced cytosolic Ca(2+) levels. Our data suggest that PC2 in the ER plays a role in cellular Ca(2+) homeostasis and that Stx5 functions to inactivate PC2 and prevent leaking of Ca(2+) from ER stores. Modulation of the PC2/Stx5 interaction may be a useful target for impacting dysregulated intracellular Ca(2+) signaling associated with polycystic kidney disease.
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Martel JA, Michael D, Fejes-Tóth G, Náray-Fejes-Tóth A. Melanophilin, a novel aldosterone-induced gene in mouse cortical collecting duct cells. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 2007; 293:F904-13. [PMID: 17609287 DOI: 10.1152/ajprenal.00365.2006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The molecular mechanisms of aldosterone-regulated Na+ transport are not entirely clear. The goal of this study was to identify aldosterone-induced genes potentially involved in the trafficking of the epithelial Na+ channel (ENaC). We report that the transcript levels of melanophilin (MLPH), a protein involved in vesicular trafficking in melanocytes, are rapidly increased by aldosterone in cortical collecting duct (CCD) cells. This effect was near maximal at physiological aldosterone concentrations, indicating that it is mediated by the mineralocorticoid receptor. De novo protein synthesis is not required for the induction of MLPH mRNA by aldosterone. To determine whether this induction has functional consequences on transepithelial Na+ current, we generated clonal CCD cell lines that express a tetracycline-inducible MLPH. Induction of MLPH in these cells led to a relatively modest, but statistically significant, increase in amiloride-sensitive Na+ current, suggesting the MLPH may be involved in ENaC trafficking. MyosinVc, the epithelial-specific class V myosin that is highly homologous to MyosinVa, another component of the melanosome trafficking complex, has putative consensus sites for serum and glucocorticoid-induced kinase 1 (SGK1), an early aldosterone-induced kinase that mediates some of aldosterone's effects on Na+ transport. Our results indicate that MyosinVc is phosphorylated by endogenous SGK1, suggesting that this complex may be involved in the aldosterone-regulated trafficking of ENaC in the CCD. These results suggest potential mechanisms by which aldosterone may regulate Na+ transport both directly, by increasing the abundance of MLPH, and indirectly by increasing the transcription of SGK1, which in turn regulates the activity of MyosinVc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica A Martel
- Dartmouth Medical School, 1 Medical Center Drive, Lebanon, NH 03756, USA
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Saxena SK, Kaur S. Regulation of epithelial ion channels by Rab GTPases. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2006; 351:582-7. [PMID: 17084813 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2006.10.087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2006] [Accepted: 10/19/2006] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Epithelial ion channels are crucial to many of life's processes and disruption of their functions can lead to several disorders. Cystic fibrosis, an autosomal recessive disorder, is caused by defects in the biosynthesis or function of the CFTR chloride channel. Similarly, mutations in certain ENaC genes leading to increased or reduced channel activity cause diseases such as Liddle's syndrome or PHA. In order for ion channel proteins to be functional they need to be expressed on the plasma membrane. Thus, molecules that modulate the trafficking of ion channels to and from the membrane are of utmost significance. Among the numerous factors that regulate their functioning is a family of small GTPases known as Rab proteins. While Rabs have always played a pivotal role in membrane trafficking, their diversity of functions and plethora of interacting partners have lately been brought to light. Recent studies reveal that multiple Rab isoforms physically interact with and/or modulate the activity of several ion channels. Rab proteins have the ability to serve as molecular switches and many of the ion channels are regulated differentially by the GTP- or GDP-bound Rab isoforms. This review examines the role of Rab GTPases in the trafficking of ion channels, including CFTR, ENaC, TRPV5/6, and aquaporins, based on recent evidence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sunil K Saxena
- Center for Cell and Molecular Biology, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ 07030, USA.
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Saxena SK, George CM, Pinskiy V, McConnell B. Epithelial sodium channel is regulated by SNAP-23/syntaxin 1A interplay. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2006; 343:1279-85. [PMID: 16581026 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2006.03.093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2006] [Accepted: 03/16/2006] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Sodium-selective amiloride-sensitive epithelial channel (ENaC) located in the apical membrane is involved in the reabsorption of sodium in tight epithelia. The soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive attachment receptors (SNAREs) mediate vesicle trafficking in a variety of cell systems. Syntaxin (a t-SNARE) has been shown to interact with and functionally regulate a number of ion channels including ENaC. In this study, we investigated the role of SNAP-23, another SNARE protein, on ENaC activity in the HT-29 colonic epithelial cell system and Xenopus oocytes. Recording of amiloride-sensitive currents in both systems suggest that SNAP-23 modulates channel function, though a much higher concentration is required to inhibit ENaC in Xenopus oocytes. The introduction of Botulinum toxin A (a neurotoxin which cleaves SNAP-23), but not Botulinum toxin B or heat-inactivated Botulinum toxin A, reversed the inhibitory effect of SNAP-23 on amiloride-sensitive currents. However, syntaxin 1A and SNAP-23 combined portray a complex scenario that suggests that this channel interacts within a quaternary complex. Synaptotagmin expression neither interacts with, nor showed any effect on amiloride-sensitive currents when co-expressed with ENaC. Pull down assays suggest mild interaction between ENaC and SNAP-23, which gets stronger in the presence of syntaxin 1A. Data further suggest that SNAP-23 possibly interacts with the N-terminal alphaENaC. These functional and biochemical approaches provide evidence for a complex relationship between ENaC and the exocytotic machinery. Our data suggest that SNARE protein interplay defines the fine regulation of sodium channel function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sunil K Saxena
- Center for Cell and Molecular Biology, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ 07030, USA.
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Quigley R, Chu PY, Huang CL. Botulinum Toxins Inhibit the Antidiuretic Hormone (ADH)-Stimulated Increase in Rabbit Cortical Collecting-Tubule Water Permeability. J Membr Biol 2005; 204:109-16. [PMID: 16245033 DOI: 10.1007/s00232-005-0754-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2005] [Revised: 06/03/2005] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
The mammalian renal collecting duct increases its water permeability in response to antidiuretic hormone (ADH). ADH causes cytoplasmic endosomes containing the water channel, aquaporin 2 (AQP 2), to fuse with the apical membrane so that the water permeability of the tubule increases many times above baseline. SNARE proteins are involved in the docking and fusion of vesicles with the cell membrane in neuron synapses. Whether these proteins are involved in the fusion of vesicles to the cell membrane in other tissues is not entirely clear. In the present study, we examined the role of SNARE proteins in the insertion of water channels in the collecting-duct response to ADH by using botulinum toxins A, B and C. Toxins isolated from clostridium botulinum are specific proteases that cleave different SNARE proteins and inactivate them. Tubules were perfused in vitro with botulinum toxin in the perfusate (50 nM for A and B and 15 nM for C). ADH (200 pM) was then added to the bath after baseline measurements of osmotic water permeability (P(f)) and the change in P(f) was followed for one hour. Botulinum toxins significantly inhibited the maximum P(f) by approximately 50%. Botulinum toxins A and C also decreased the rate of rise of P(f). Thus, SNARE proteins are involved in the insertion of the water channels in the collecting duct.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Quigley
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, Texas 75235-9063, USA.
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Chang CT, Bens M, Hummler E, Boulkroun S, Schild L, Teulon J, Rossier BC, Vandewalle A. Vasopressin-stimulated CFTR Cl- currents are increased in the renal collecting duct cells of a mouse model of Liddle's syndrome. J Physiol 2004; 562:271-84. [PMID: 15513933 PMCID: PMC1665473 DOI: 10.1113/jphysiol.2004.077933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Liddle's syndrome is a genetic form of hypertension linked to Na(+) retention caused by activating mutations in the COOH terminus of the beta or gamma subunit of the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC). In this study, we used the short-circuit current (I(sc)) method to investigate the effects of deamino-8-d-arginine vasopressin (dDAVP) on Na(+) and Cl(-) fluxes in primary cultures of cortical collecting ducts (CCDs) microdissected from the kidneys of mice with Liddle's syndrome carrying a stop codon mutation, corresponding to the beta-ENaC R(566) stop mutation (L) found in the original pedigree. Compared to wild-type (+/+) CCD cells, untreated L/+ and L/L CCD cells exhibited 2.7- and 4.2-fold increases, respectively, in amiloride-sensitive (Ams) I(sc), reflecting ENaC-dependent Na(+) absorption. Short-term incubation with dDAVP caused a rapid and significant increase (approximately 2-fold) in Ams I(sc) in +/+, but not in L/+ or L/L CCD cells. In sharp contrast, dDAVP induced a greater increase in 5-nitro-2-(3-phenylpropamino)benzoate (NPPB)-inhibited apical Cl(-) currents in amiloride-treated L/L and L/+ cells than in their +/+ counterparts. I(sc) recordings performed under apical ion substituted conditions revealed that the dDAVP-stimulated apical secretion of Cl(-), which was absent in cultured CCDs lacking CFTR, was 1.8-fold greater in L/+ and 3.7-fold greater in L/L CCD cells than in their +/+ CCD counterparts. After the basal membrane had been permeabilized with nystatin and a basal-to-apical Cl(-) gradient had been imposed, dDAVP also stimulated larger Cl(-) currents across L/L and L/+ CCD layers than +/+ CCD layers. These findings demonstrate that vasopressin stimulates greater apical CFTR Cl(-) conductance in the renal CCD cells of mice with Liddle's syndrome than in wild-type mice. This effect could contribute to the enhanced NaCl reabsorption observed in the distal nephron of patients with Liddle's syndrome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiz-Tzung Chang
- INSERM U478, Faculté de Médecine Xavier Bichat, 16 rue Henri Huchard, BP 416, 75870 Paris Cedex 18, France
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Berdiev BK, Jovov B, Tucker WC, Naren AP, Fuller CM, Chapman ER, Benos DJ. ENaC subunit-subunit interactions and inhibition by syntaxin 1A. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 2004; 286:F1100-6. [PMID: 14996668 DOI: 10.1152/ajprenal.00344.2003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Amiloride-sensitive epithelial Na+ channels (ENaCs) are subject to modulation by many factors. Recent data have also linked the N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) machinery to this regulation of ENaC, but the molecular mechanisms that underlie this modulation are poorly understood. In this study, we demonstrate that syntaxin 1A physically interacts with ENaC and functionally regulates ENaC activity. Syntaxin 1A was able to coimmunoprecipitate in vitro-translated γ-ENaC, but not α- or β-ENaC. Also, using antibodies raised against α-, β-, or γ-ENaC, we detected syntaxin 1A in immunoprecipitates from Madin-Darby canine kidney cells stably transfected with αβγ-ENaC. In bilayers, syntaxin 1A inhibited ENaC, and this syntaxin 1A modulation of ENaC activity was eliminated by truncations of cytoplasmic domains of the ENaC subunits. Our findings provide evidence for a direct physical interaction between ENaC and syntaxin 1A and suggest involvement of ENaC's cytoplasmic domains in functional modulation of ENaC activity by syntaxin 1A.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bakhrom K Berdiev
- Univ. of Alabama at Birmingham, 1918 University Blvd., MCLM 704, Birmingham, AL 35294-0005, USA
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Abstract
In order to carry out their physiological functions, ion transport proteins must be targeted to the appropriate domains of cell membranes. Regulation of ion transport activity frequently involves the tightly controlled delivery of intracellular populations of transport proteins to the plasma membrane or the endocytic retrieval of transport proteins from the cell surface. Transport proteins carry signals embedded within their structures that specify their subcellular distributions and endow them with the capacity to participate in regulated membrane trafficking processes. Recently, a great deal has been learned about the biochemical nature of these signals, as well as about the cellular machinery that interprets them and acts upon their messages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theodore R Muth
- Department of Biology, CUNY Brooklyn College, 2900 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11231, USA.
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Ling S, Sheng JZ, Braun JEA, Braun AP. Syntaxin 1A co-associates with native rat brain and cloned large conductance, calcium-activated potassium channels in situ. J Physiol 2003; 553:65-81. [PMID: 12949219 PMCID: PMC2343475 DOI: 10.1113/jphysiol.2003.051631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Large conductance, calcium-activated potassium channels (BKCa channels) are regulated by several distinct mechanisms, including phosphorylation/dephosphorylation events and protein-protein interactions. In this study, we have examined the interaction between BKCa channels and syntaxin 1A, a soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) that is reported to modulate the activity and/or localization of different classes of ion channels. Using a reciprocal co-immunoprecipitation strategy, we observed that native BKCa channels in rat hippocampus co-associate with syntaxin 1A, but not the closely related homologue syntaxin 3. This BKCa channel-syntaxin 1A interaction could be further demonstrated in a non-neuronal cell line (human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells) following co-expression of rat syntaxin 1A and BKCa channels cloned from either mouse brain or bovine aorta. However, co-expression of these same channels with syntaxin 3 did not lead to a detectable protein-protein interaction. Immunofluorescent co-staining of HEK 293 cells expressing BKCa channels and syntaxin 1A demonstrated overlapping distribution of these two proteins in situ. Functionally, co-expression of BKCa channels with syntaxin 1A, but not syntaxin 3, was observed to enhance channel gating and kinetics at low concentrations (1-4 microM) of free cytosolic calcium, but not at higher concentrations (< or = 10 microM), as judged by macroscopic current recordings in excised membrane patches. Interactions between BKCa channels and neighbouring membrane proteins may thus play important roles in regulating the activity and/or distribution of these channels within specialized cellular compartments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shizhang Ling
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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