Inhibition of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase stimulates activity of the small-conductance K channel in the CCD

Protein kinase D2 regulates epithelial sodium channel activity and aldosterone non-genomic responses in renal cortical collecting duct cells

Protein kinase D2 (PKD2) is a serine/threonine protein kinase which plays an important role in vesicle fission at the trans-Golgi network (TGN) to coordinate subcellular trafficking with gene expression. We found that in the rat kidney, PKD2 is specifically expressed in collecting duct principal cells predominantly at the apical membrane and with lower basal expression in cytosolic compartments. When rats were maintained on a Na⁺ depleted diet (<0.87 mmol Na⁺/kg) to increase plasma aldosterone levels, PKD2 became internalized to a cytoplasmic compartment. Treatment of murine M1 cortical collecting duct (M1-CCD) cells with aldosterone (10 nM) promoted PKD2 co-localization with the trans-Golgi network within 30 min. PKD2 underwent autophosphorylation at Ser876 within 10 min of aldosterone treatment and remained phosphorylated (active) for at least 24 h. A stable PKD2 shRNA knock-down (PKD2 KD) M1-CCD cell line was developed to study the role of PKD2 in epithelial Na⁺ channel (ENaC) trafficking and transepithelial Na⁺ transport (SCC) in epithelial monolayers grown in Ussing chambers. The PKD2 KD cells developed transepithelial resistance with kinetics equivalent to wild-type cells, however the transepithelial voltage and Na⁺ current were significantly elevated in PKD2 knock-down CCD epithelia. The higher basal SCC was due to increased ENaC activity. Aldosterone treatment for 24 h resulted in a decline in ENaC activity in the PKD2 KD cells as opposed to the increase observed in the wild-type cells. The paradoxical inhibition of SCC by aldosterone in PKD2 KD epithelium was attributed to a reduction in ENaC current and lower membrane abundance of ENaC, demonstrating that PKD2 plays a critical tonic role in ENaC trafficking and channel subunit stability. The rapid activation of PKD2 by aldosterone is synergistic with the transcriptional activity of MR and contributes to increased ENaC activity.

Activation of PI3-kinase stimulates endocytosis of ROMK via Akt1/SGK1-dependent phosphorylation of WNK1

WNK kinases stimulate endocytosis of ROMK channels to regulate renal K+ handling. Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-activating hormones, such as insulin and IGF 1, phosphorylate WNK1, but how this affects the regulation of ROMK abundance is unknown. Here, serum starvation of ROMK-transfected HEK cells led to an increase of ROMK current density; subsequent addition of insulin or IGF1 inhibited ROMK currents in a PI3K-dependent manner. Serum and insulin also increased phosphorylation of the downstream kinases Akt1 and SGK1 as well as WNK1. A biotinylation assay suggested that insulin and IGF1 inhibit ROMK by enhancing its endocytosis, a process that WNK1 may mediate. Knockdown of WNK1 with siRNA or expression of a phospho-deficient WNK1 mutant (T58A) both prevented insulin-induced inhibition of ROMK currents, suggesting that phosphorylation at Threonine-58 of WNK1 is important to mediate the inhibition of ROMK by PI3K-activating hormones or growth factors. In vitro and in vivo kinase assays supported the notion that Akt1 and SGK1 can phosphorylate WNK1 at this site, and we established that Akt1 and SGK1 synergistically inhibit ROMK through WNK1. We used dominant-negative intersectin and dynamin constructs to show that SGK1-mediated phosphorylation of WNK1 inhibits ROMK by promoting its endocytosis. Taken together, these results suggest that PI3K-activating hormones inhibit ROMK by enhancing its endocytosis via a mechanism that involves phosphorylation of WNK1 by Akt1 and SGK1.

Thiazolidinedione-induced fluid retention is independent of collecting duct alphaENaC activity

Thiazolidinediones are agonists of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) that can induce fluid retention and weight gain through unclear mechanisms. To test a proposed role for the epithelial sodium channel ENaC in thiazolidinedione-induced fluid retention, we used mice with conditionally inactivated alphaENaC in the collecting duct (Scnn1a(loxloxCre) mice). In control mice, rosiglitazone did not alter plasma aldosterone levels or protein expression of ENaC subunits in the kidney, but did increase body weight, plasma volume, and the fluid content of abdominal fat pads, and decreased hematocrit. Scnn1a(loxloxCre) mice provided functional evidence for blunted Na+ uptake in the collecting duct, but still exhibited rosiglitazone-induced fluid retention. Moreover, treatment with rosiglitazone or pioglitazone did not significantly alter the open probability or number of ENaC channels per patch in isolated, split-open cortical collecting ducts of wild-type mice. Finally, patch-clamp studies in primary mouse inner medullary collecting duct cells did not detect ENaC activity but did detect a nonselective cation channel upregulated by pioglitazone. These data argue against a primary and critical role of ENaC in thiazolidinedione-induced fluid retention.

Paracrine regulation of the epithelial Na+ channel in the mammalian collecting duct by purinergic P2Y2 receptor tone

Growing evidence implicates a key role for extracellular nucleotides in cellular regulation, including of ion channels and renal function, but the mechanisms for such actions are inadequately defined. We investigated purinergic regulation of the epithelial Na+ channel (ENaC) in mammalian collecting duct. We find that ATP decreases ENaC activity in both mouse and rat collecting duct principal cells. ATP and other nucleotides, including UTP, decrease ENaC activity via apical P2Y2 receptors. ENaC in collecting ducts isolated from mice lacking this receptor have blunted responses to ATP. P2Y2 couples to ENaC via PLC; direct activation of PLC mimics ATP action. Tonic regulation of ENaC in the collecting duct occurs via locally released ATP; scavenging endogenous ATP and inhibiting P2 receptors, in the absence of other stimuli, rapidly increases ENaC activity. Moreover, ENaC has greater resting activity in collecting ducts from P2Y2-/- mice. Loss of collecting duct P2Y2 receptors in the knock-out mouse is the primary defect leading to increased ENaC activity based on the ability of direct PLC stimulation to decrease ENaC activity in collecting ducts from P2Y2-/- mice in a manner similar to ATP in collecting ducts from wild-type mice. These findings demonstrate that locally released ATP acts in an autocrine/paracrine manner to tonically regulate ENaC in mammalian collecting duct. Loss of this intrinsic regulation leads to ENaC hyperactivity and contributes to hypertension that occurs in P2Y2 receptor-/- mice. P2Y2 receptor activation by nucleotides thus provides physiologically important regulation of ENaC and electrolyte handling in mammalian kidney.

Delayed and acute effects of interferon-gamma on activity of an inwardly rectifying K+ channel in cultured human proximal tubule cells

The activity of an inwardly rectifying K(+) channel in cultured human renal proximal tubule cells (RPTECs) is stimulated and inhibited by nitric oxide (NO) at low and high concentrations, respectively. In this study, we investigated the effects of IFN-gamma, one of the cytokines which affect the expression of inducible NO synthase (iNOS), on intracellular NO and channel activity of RPTECs, using RT-PCR, NO imaging, and the cell-attached mode of the patch-clamp technique. Prolonged incubation (24 h) of cells with IFN-gamma (20 ng/ml) enhanced iNOS mRNA expression and NO production. In these cells, a NOS inhibitor, N(omega)-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME; 100 microM), elevated channel activity, suggesting that NO production was so high as to suppress the channel. This indicated that IFN-gamma would chronically suppress channel activity by enhancing NO production. Acute effects of IFN-gamma was also examined in control cells. Simple addition of IFN-gamma (20 ng/ml) to the bath acutely stimulated channel activity, which was abolished by inhibitors of IFN-gamma receptor-associated Janus-activated kinase [P6 (1 microM) and AG490 (10 microM)]. However, l-NAME did not block the acute effect of IFN-gamma. Indeed, IFN-gamma did not acutely affect NO production. Moreover, the acute effect was not blocked by inhibition of PKA, PKG, and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K). We conclude that IFN-gamma exerted a delayed suppressive effect on K(+) channel activity by enhancing iNOS expression and an acute stimulatory effect, which was independent of either NO pathways or phosphorylation processes mediated by PKA, PKG, and PI3K in RPTECs.

Regulation of the epithelial Na+ channel by endothelin-1 in rat collecting duct

We used patch-clamp electrophysiology to investigate regulation of the epithelial Na+ channel (ENaC) by endothelin-1 (ET-1) in isolated, split-open rat collecting ducts. ET-1 significantly decreases ENaC open probability by about threefold within 5 min. ET-1 decreases ENaC activity through basolateral membrane ETB but not ETA receptors. In rat collecting duct, we find no role for phospholipase C or protein kinase C in the rapid response of ENaC to ET-1. ET-1, although, does activate src family tyrosine kinases and their downstream MAPK1/2 effector cascade in renal principal cells. Both src kinases and MAPK1/2 signaling are necessary for ET-1-dependent decreases in ENaC open probability in the split-open collecting duct. We conclude that ET-1 in a physiologically relevant manner rapidly suppresses ENaC activity in native, mammalian principal cells. These findings may provide a potential mechanism for the natriuresis observed in vivo in response to ET-1, as well as a potential cause for the salt-sensitive hypertension found in animals with impaired endothelin signaling.

Phosphoinositide 3-kinase dependent regulation of Kv channels in dendritic cells

The phosphoinositide 3 (PI3) kinase plays a pivotal role in the regulation of dendritic cells (DCs), antigen-presenting cells that are able to initiate primary immune responses and to establish immunological memory. PI3 kinase is an endogenous suppressor of interleukin 12 (IL-12) production in DCs that is triggered by Toll-like receptor signaling. Inhibition of IL-12 production limits T helper 1 (Th1) polarization. On the other hand, PI3 kinase is an important regulator of various ion channels. The present study aimed to explore whether ion channels in DCs are regulated by PI3 kinase and whether they are important for DC function. To this end, DCs were isolated from murine bone marrow and ion channel activity was determined by patch clamp. As a result, DCs express voltage-gated K(+) channels (Kv), which are blocked by Stichodactyla helianthus toxin (ShK, 2.5 nM). A significant upregulation of Kv currents was observed upon maturation of DCs as induced by stimulation of the cells with lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 0.1 microg/ml, 48 h). A dramatic increase of Kv current amplitude was observed following preincubation of the cells with LY294002 (100 nM), a specific inhibitor of PI3 kinase. PI3 kinase inhibitor wortmannin (100 nM) similarly increased Kv current. LY294002 treatment was further followed by a significant increase of IL-12 production. ShK (100 nM) significantly blunted the stimulation of IL-12 release by LPS but not when the cells were first pretreated with LY294002. The observations point to Kv channel sensitive and Kv channel insensitive regulation of DC function.