The cytosolic termini of the beta- and gamma-ENaC subunits are involved in the functional interactions between cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator and epithelial sodium channel.

Epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) and cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) are co-localized in the apical membrane of many epithelia. These channels are essential for electrolyte and water secretion and/or reabsorption. In cystic fibrosis airway epithelia, a hyperactivated epithelial Na(+) conductance operates in parallel with defective Cl(-) secretion. Several groups have shown that CFTR down-regulates ENaC activity, but the mechanisms and the regulation of CFTR by ENaC are unknown. To test the hypothesis that ENaC and CFTR regulate each other, and to identify the region(s) of ENaC involved in the interaction between CFTR and ENaC, rENaC and its mutants were co-expressed with CFTR in Xenopus oocytes. Whole cell macroscopic sodium currents revealed that wild type (wt) alphabetagamma-rENaC-induced Na(+) current was inhibited by co-expression of CFTR, and further inhibited when CFTR was activated with a cAMP-raising mixture (CKT). Conversely, alphabetagamma-rENaC stimulated CFTR-mediated Cl(-) currents up to approximately 6-fold. Deletion mutations in the intracellular tails of the three rENaC subunits suggested that the carboxyl terminus of the beta subunit was required both for the down-regulation of ENaC by activated CFTR and the up-regulation of CFTR by ENaC. However, both the carboxyl terminus of the beta subunit and the amino terminus of the gamma subunit were essential for the down-regulation of rENaC by unstimulated CFTR. Interestingly, down-regulation of rENaC by activated CFTR was Cl(-)-dependent, while stimulation of CFTR by rENaC was not dependent on either cytoplasmic Na(+) or a depolarized membrane potential. In summary, there appear to be at least two different sites in ENaC involved in the intermolecular interaction between CFTR and ENaC.

The NH(2) terminus of the epithelial sodium channel contains an endocytic motif.

An epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) is composed of three homologous subunits: alpha, beta, and gamma. To elucidate the function of the cytoplasmic, NH(2) terminus of rat ENaC (rENaC) subunits, a series of mutant cDNAs was constructed and the cRNAs for all three subunits were expressed in Xenopus oocytes. Amiloride-sensitive Na(+) currents (I(Na)) were measured by the two-electrode voltage clamp technique. Deletion of the cytoplasmic, NH(2) terminus of alpha (Delta2-109), beta (Delta2-49), or gamma-rENaC (Delta2-53) dramatically reduced I(Na). A series of progressive, NH(2)-terminal deletions of alpha-rENaC were constructed to identify motifs that regulate I(Na). Deletion of amino acids 2-46 had no effect on I(Na): however, deletion of amino acids 2-51, 2-55, 2-58, and 2-67 increased I(Na) by approximately 4-fold. By contrast, deletion of amino acids 2-79, 2-89, 2-100, and 2-109 eliminated I(Na). To evaluate the mechanism whereby Delta2-67-alpha-rENaC increased I(Na), single channels were evaluated by patch clamp. The single-channel conductance and open probability of alpha,beta,gamma-rENaC and Delta2-67-alpha,beta,gamma-rENaC were similar. However, the number of active channels in the membrane increased from 6 +/- 1 channels per patch with alpha,beta,gamma-rENaC to 11 +/- 1 channels per patch with Delta2-67-alpha,beta,gamma-rENaC. Laser scanning confocal microscopy confirmed that there were more Delta2-67-alpha,beta, gamma-rENaC channels in the plasma membrane than alpha,beta, gamma-rENaC channels. Deletion of amino acids 2-67 in alpha-rENaC reduced the endocytic retrieval of channels from the plasma membrane and increased the half-life of the channel in the membrane from 1.1 +/- 0.2 to 3.5 +/- 1.1 h. We conclude that the cytoplasmic, NH(2) terminus of alpha-, beta-, and gamma-rENaC is required for channel activity. The cytoplasmic, NH(2) terminus of alpha-rENaC contains two key motifs. One motif regulates the endocytic retrieval of the channel from the plasma membrane. The second motif is required for channel activity.

Intracellular H+ regulates the alpha-subunit of ENaC, the epithelial Na+ channel.

Protons regulate electrogenic sodium absorption in a variety of epithelia, including the cortical collecting duct, frog skin, and urinary bladder. Recently, three subunits (alpha, beta, gamma) coding for the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) were cloned. However, it is not known whether pH regulates Na+ channels directly by interacting with one of the three ENaC subunits or indirectly by interacting with a regulatory protein. As a first step to identifying the molecular mechanisms of proton-mediated regulation of apical membrane Na+ permeability in epithelia, we examined the effect of pH on the biophysical properties of ENaC. To this end, we expressed various combinations of alpha-, beta-, and gamma-subunits of ENaC in Xenopus oocytes and studied ENaC currents by the two-electrode voltage-clamp and patch-clamp techniques. In addition, the effect of pH on the alpha-ENaC subunit was examined in planar lipid bilayers. We report that alpha,beta,gamma-ENaC currents were regulated by changes in intracellular pH (pHi) but not by changes in extracellular pH (pHo). Acidification reduced and alkalization increased channel activity by a voltage-independent mechanism. Moreover, a reduction of pHi reduced single-channel open probability, reduced single-channel open time, and increased single-channel closed time without altering single-channel conductance. Acidification of the cytoplasmic solution also inhibited alpha, beta-ENaC, alpha,gamma-ENaC, and alpha-ENaC currents. We conclude that pHi but not pHo regulates ENaC and that the alpha-ENaC subunit is regulated directly by pHi.

Regulation of epithelial Na+ channels from M-1 cortical collecting duct cells.

The M-1 cell line is derived from the mouse cortical collecting duct and displays the low-conductance, highly Na(+)-selective channel activity of the alpha,beta, gamma-heterotrimeric epithelial Na+ channel (ENaC). The short-circuit current (Isc) across M-1 monolayers was 89 +/- 4 microA/cm2, and the transepithelial conductance was 2.1 +/- 0.2 mS/cm2. Isc was abolished by blocking the Na+ pump with ouabain. Both Isc and transepithelial conductance (gT) were inhibited by benzamil > amiloride >> dimethylamiloride. Under our experimental conditions, vasopressin, vasopressin, forskolin, and dibutyryl adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) had no detectable effects on Isc or gT. Increasing apical Na+ entry with nystatin increased Isc. The possible regulation of the M-1 Na+ channel by cAMP-activated protein kinase A (PKA) was further examined with excised inside-out patches. The open-time probability (Po) was not fixed, displaying substantial variance. Perfusion with ATP itself, with the catalytic subunit of PKA with ATP, or with alkaline phosphatase had no consistent effect on Po, the unitary current, or the kinetics of the M-1 Na+ channel. The data are consistent with the concept that PKA stimulates ENaCs by phosphorylating a site with access to but not within the apical membrane patch during cell-attached and excised-patch studies.

Regulation of epithelial Na+ permeability by protein kinase C is tissue specific.

Protein kinase C (PKC) is a major regulator of a broad range of cellular functions. Activation of PKC has been reported to stimulate Na+ transport across frog skin epithelium by increasing the apical Na+ permeability. This positive natriferic response has not been observed with other epithelial preparations, and could reflect the specific experimental conditions of different laboratories, or species or organ specificity of the response to PKC. In the present study, measurements were conducted with skins and urinary bladders from the same animals of two different species. The PKC activator TPA uniformly increased the transepithelial Na+ transport (measured as amiloride-sensitive short-circuit current, ISC, across skins from Rana temporaria and Bufo marinus, and inhibited ISC across bladders from the same animals. Inhibitors of PKC (staurosporine, H-7 and chelerythrine) partially blocked the TPA-induced stimulation of ISC across frog skin. The specificity of the PKC response by amphibian skin could have reflected an induction of moulting, similar to that observed with aldosterone. However, light micrographs of paired areas of frog skin revealed no evidence of the putative moulting. Separation of stratum corneum from the underlying stratum granulosum could be detected following application of aldosterone. We conclude that the effect of PKC on epithelial Na+ channels is organ, and not species specific. The stimulation of Na+ permeability in amphibian skin does not arise from sloughing of the stratum corneum. These observations are consistent with the hypothesis that the natriferic action arises from the calcium-independent isozyme of PKC previously detected in frog skin.

Whole cell and unitary amiloride-sensitive sodium currents in M-1 mouse cortical collecting duct cells.

Amiloride-sensitive whole cell currents have been reported in M-1 mouse cortical collecting duct cells (Korbmacher et al., J. Gen. Physiol. 102: 761-793, 1993). We have confirmed that amiloride inhibits the whole cell currents but not necessarily the measured whole cell currents. Anomalous responses were eliminated by removing external Na+ and/or introducing paraepithelial shunts. The amiloride-sensitive whole cell currents displayed Goldman rectification. The ionic selectivity sequence of the amiloride-sensitive conductance was Li+ > Na+ >> K+. Growth of M-1 cells on permeable supports increased the amiloride-sensitive whole cell permeability, compared with cells grown on plastic. Single amiloride-sensitive channels were observed, which conformed to the highly selective low-conductance amiloride-sensitive class [Na(5)] of epithelial Na+ channels. Hypotonic pretreatment markedly slowed run-down of channel activity. The gating of the M-1 Na+ channel in excised patches was complex. Open- and closed-state dwell-time distributions from patches that display one operative channel were best described with two or more exponential terms each. We conclude that 1) study of M-1 whole cell Na+ currents is facilitated by reducing the transepithelial potential to zero, 2) these M-1 currents reflect the operation of Na(5) channels, and 3) the Na+ channels display complex kinetics, involving > or = 2 open and > or = 2 closed states.

Molecular cloning of the human volume-sensitive chloride conductance regulatory protein, pICln, from ocular ciliary epithelium.

Chloride channels in the ocular ciliary epithelium are believed to play a key role in aqueous humor formation. We isolated a cDNA clone from a lambda Uni-ZAP cDNA library of human nonpigmented ciliary epithelial (NPE) cells encoding the swelling-induced chloride channel/channel regulator pICln. The human clone contains an open reading frame of 237 amino acids (M(r) 26,293). The deduced human amino-acid sequence shows 90.2% and 92.7% identity with counterparts isolated from rat kidney and the canine kidney epithelial cell line MDCK. Human NPE cell lines exhibited significant levels of pICln transcripts. Complementary perforated-patch, whole-cell patch clamping demonstrated that swelling activates Cl- channels of the NPE cells, as suggested by ruptured-patch measurements. The results document the molecular isolation and identification of a human cDNA clone of a Cl- conductance regulator from ocular cells displaying volume-activated Cl-channels.

PKC-sensitive Cl- channels associated with ciliary epithelial homologue of pICln.

Swelling activates and protein kinase C (PKC) downregulates Cl- channels in cultured nonpigmented ciliary epithelial (NPE) cells. We now report that the PKC inhibitor staurosporine upregulates whole cell Cl- currents isosmotically. The kinetics and current-voltage relationship are similar to those of volume-activated Cl- channels of these cells. These properties are inconsistent with cloned ClC-0, ClC-1, ClC-2, and MDR1 channels but could reflect the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) channel or the Cl- channel regulator pICln. CFTR mRNA was undetectable by Northern analysis of cultured NPE cells or ciliary body tissue. In contrast, a human pICln probe obtained by polymerase chain reaction cloning and showing 90% identity with the rat cDNA clone detected high levels of transcripts in NPE cells. The level was low in tissue, where the NPE message was diluted by RNA from other cells. We conclude that NPE cells display staurosporine-activated Cl- channels [gSt(Cl)] likely identical with the volume-activated channels. The same cells expressing gSt(Cl) transcribe mRNA for a novel homologue (pHCBICln) of pICln that may regulate Cl- transport into the aqueous humor.

Distinct regulation of Na+ reabsorption and Cl- secretion by arginine vasopressin in the amphibian cell line A6.

The neurohypophysial peptide arginine vasopressin (AVP) increases Na+ absorption across A6 epithelia. In addition to the positive natriferic response, AVP increases net basolateral to apical Cl- flux. The time course of activation of electrogenic ion transport in A6 epithelia was examined by measuring transepithelial short-circuit current (ISC). Basolateral application of AVP (0.1 U/ml) or forskolin (10 microM) affects ISC in a biphasic manner. Shortly after addition of AVP, an early (transient) phase is observed in which ISC is rapidly stimulated, reaching a peak value at 1.4 +/- 0.1 min. A subsequent decrease in current is interrupted by a slower, late phase in which ISC reaches a peak 23 +/- 3 min after addition of AVP. The late increase in ISC is sustained over the remainder of the 40-min period of observation. The time course of ISC stimulation by forskolin is qualitatively similar. Replacement of external Cl- by aspartate lowers baseline transport nearly 40%, strongly blunts the early phase of ISC stimulation, and retains the late increase. Addition of amiloride (10 microM) to the apical bath before AVP or forskolin stimulation of ISC eliminates the late increase of ISC. Steady-state amiloride-insensitive ISC activated under these conditions was sensitive to apical application of the Cl- channel blockers 5-nitro-2-(3-phenylpropylamino)-benzoate (20 microM) and niflumic acid (100 microM). 4,4'-Diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid (1 mM) was not an effective inhibitor of this current. Basolateral bumetanide (100 microM) inhibited baseline ISC and reduced both the peak transient and steady-state amiloride-insensitive ISC.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)