Mechanism for regulating cell surface distribution of Na+,K(+)-ATPase in polarized epithelial cells.

Restriction of sodium, potassium adenosine triphosphatase (Na+,K(+)-ATPase) to either the apical or basal-lateral membrane domain of polarized epithelial cells is fundamental to vectorial ion and solute transport in many tissues and organs. A restricted membrane distribution of Na+,K(+)-ATPase in Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) epithelial cells was found experimentally to be generated by preferential retention of active enzyme in the basal-lateral membrane domain and selective inactivation and loss from the apical membrane domain, rather than by vectorial targeting of newly synthesized protein from the Golgi complex to the basal-lateral membrane domain. These results show how different distributions of the same subunits of Na+,K(+)-ATPase may be generated in normal polarized epithelial and in disease states.

Role of the membrane-cytoskeleton in the spatial organization of the Na,K-ATPase in polarized epithelial cells.

Vectorial function of polarized transporting epithelia requires the establishment and maintenance of a nonrandom distribution of Na,K-ATPase on the cell surface. In many epithelia, the Na,K-ATPase is located at the basal-lateral domain of the plasma membrane. The mechanisms involved in the spatial organization of the Na,K-ATPase in these cells are poorly understood. We have been investigating the roles of regulated cell-cell contacts and assembly of the membrane-cytoskeleton in the development of the cell surface polarity of Na,K-ATPase. We have shown that the Na,K-ATPase colocalizes with distinct components of the membrane-cytoskeleton in polarized Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) epithelial cells. Significantly, we showed directly that Na,K-ATPase is a high affinity binding site for the membrane-cytoskeletal proteins ankyrin and fodrin, and that all three proteins exist in a high molecular weight protein complex that also contains the cell adhesion molecule (CAM) uvomorulin. We have proposed that these interactions are important in the assembly at sites of cell-cell contact of the membrane-cytoskeleton, which in turn initiates the development of the nonrandom distribution of the Na,K-ATPase. To directly investigate the functional significance of these protein-protein interactions in the spatial organization of the Na,K-ATPase, we analyzed the distribution of the Na,K-ATPase in fibroblasts transfected with a cDNA encoding the epithelial CAM, uvomorulin. Our results showed that expression of uvomorulin is sufficient to induce a redistribution of Na,K-ATPase from an unrestricted distribution over the entire cell surface in nontransfected cells to a restricted distribution at sites of uvomorulin-mediated cell-cell contacts in the transfected cells; this distribution is similar to that in polarized epithelial cells. This restricted distribution of the Na,K-ATPase occurred in the absence of tight junctions, but coincided with the reorganization of the membrane-cytoskeleton. These results support a model in which the epithelial CAM uvomorulin functions as an inducer of cell surface polarity of Na,K-ATPase through cytoplasmic linkage to the membrane-cytoskeleton.

Involvement of the membrane-cytoskeleton in development of epithelial cell polarity.

The generation of cell surface polarity in transporting epithelial cells occurs in three distinct stages that involve cell-cell recognition and adhesion, cell surface remodelling to form biochemically and functionally distinct cell surface domains, and development of vectorial function. A widely used model system to study mechanisms involved in these stages is the Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cell line. Under appropriate growth conditions, MDCK cells develop in similar stages into polarized, multicellular epithelial structures. Analysis of membrane-cytoskeletal proteins ankyrin and fodrin during development of MDCK cell surface polarity shows that they gradually assemble into an insoluble protein complex on the basal-lateral membrane domain upon cell-cell adhesion, concomitantly with the redistribution of Na+,K(+)-ATPase, a marker protein of the basal-lateral membrane. Biochemical analysis shows that ankyrin, fodrin occur in a complex with Na+,K(+)-ATPase and the cell adhesion molecule uvomorulin in MDCK cells. A model is presented in which assembly of membrane-cytoskeletal complexes at sites of uvomorulin-induced cell-cell contact causes a remodelling of the cell surface distribution of specific membrane proteins which, in turn, contributes to the generation of epithelial cell surface polarity.

Identification of a membrane-cytoskeletal complex containing the cell adhesion molecule uvomorulin (E-cadherin), ankyrin, and fodrin in Madin-Darby canine kidney epithelial cells.

Cell-cell contact is an important determinant in the formation of functionally distinct plasma membrane domains during the development of epithelial cell polarity. In cultures of Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) epithelial cells, cell-cell contact induces the assembly and accumulation of the Na+,K+-ATPase and elements of the membrane-cytoskeleton (ankyrin and fodrin) at the regions of cell-cell contact. Epithelial cell-cell contact appears to be regulated by the cell adhesion molecule uvomorulin (E-cadherin) which also becomes localized at the lateral plasma membrane of polarized cells. We have sought to determine whether the colocalization of these proteins reflects direct molecular interactions which may play roles in coordinating cell-cell contact and the assembly of the basal-lateral domain of the plasma membrane. Recently, we identified a complex of proteins containing the Na+,K+-ATPase, ankyrin, and fodrin in extracts of whole MDCK cells (Nelson, W.J., and R. W. Hammerton. 1989. J. Cell Biol. 108:893-902). We have now examined cell extracts for protein complexes containing the cell adhesion molecule uvomorulin. Proteins were solubilized from whole MDCK cells and fractionated in sucrose gradients. The sedimentation profile of solubilized uvomorulin is well separated from the majority of cell surface proteins, suggesting that uvomorulin occurs in a protein complex. A distinct portion of uvomorulin (30%) cosediments with ankyrin and fodrin (approximately 10.5S). Further fractionation of cosedimenting proteins in nondenaturing polyacrylamide gels reveals a discrete band of proteins that binds antibodies specific for uvomorulin, Na+,K+-ATPase, ankyrin, and fodrin. Significantly, ankyrin and fodrin, but not Na+K+-ATPase, coimmunoprecipitate in a complex with uvomorulin using uvomorulin antibodies. This result indicates that separate complexes exist containing ankyrin and fodrin with either uvomorulin or Na+,K+-ATPase. These results are discussed in the context of the possible roles of uvomorulin-induced cell-cell contact in the assembly of the membrane-cytoskeleton and associated membrane proteins (e.g., Na+,K+-ATPase) at the contact zone and in the development of cell polarity.

A membrane-cytoskeletal complex containing Na+,K+-ATPase, ankyrin, and fodrin in Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells: implications for the biogenesis of epithelial cell polarity.

In polarized Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) epithelial cells, ankyrin, and the alpha- and beta-subunits of fodrin are components of the basolateral membrane-cytoskeleton and are colocalized with the Na+,K+-ATPase, a marker protein of the basolateral plasma membrane. Recently, we showed with purified proteins that the Na+,K+-ATPase is competent to bind ankyrin with high affinity and specificity (Nelson, W. J., and P. J. Veshnock. 1987. Nature (Lond.). 328:533-536). In the present study we have sought biochemical evidence for interactions between these proteins in MDCK cells. Proteins were solubilized from MDCK cells with an isotonic buffer containing Triton X-100 and fractionated rapidly in sucrose density gradients. Complexes of cosedimenting proteins were detected by analysis of sucrose gradient fractions in nondenaturing polyacrylamide gels. The results showed that ankyrin and fodrin cosedimented in sucrose gradient. Analysis of the proteins from the sucrose gradient in nondenaturing polyacrylamide gels revealed two distinct ankyrin:fodrin complexes that differed in their relative electrophoretic mobilities; both complexes had electrophoretic mobilities slower than that of purified spectrin heterotetramers. Parallel analysis of the distribution of solubilized Na+,K+-ATPase in sucrose gradients showed that there was a significant overlap with the distribution of ankyrin and fodrin. Analysis by nondenaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that the alpha- and beta-subunits of the Na+,K+-ATPase colocalized with the slower migrating of the two ankyrin:fodrin complexes. The faster migrating ankyrin:fodrin complex did not contain Na+,K+-ATPase. These results indicate strongly that the Na+,K+-ATPase, ankyrin, and fodrin are coextracted from whole MDCK cells as a protein complex. We suggest that the solubilized complex containing these proteins reflects the interaction of the Na+,K+-ATPase, ankyrin, and fodrin in the cell. This interaction may play an important role in the spatial organization of the Na+,K+-ATPase to the basolateral plasma membrane in polarized epithelial cells.

Hormonal regulation of the development of protease and carboxypeptidase activities in barley aleurone layers.

Carboxypeptidase and protease activities of hormone-treated barley (Hordeum vulgare cv Himalaya) aleurone layers were investigated using the substrates N-carbobenzoxy-Ala-Phe and hemoglobin. A differential effect of gibberellic acid (GA(3)) on these activities was observed. The carboxypeptidase activity develops in the aleurone layers during imbibition without the addition of hormone, while the release of this enzyme to the incubation medium is enhanced by GA(3). In contrast, GA(3) is required for both the production of protease activity in the aleurone layer and its secretion. The time course for development of protease activity in response to GA(3) is similar to that observed for alpha-amylase. Treating aleurone layers with both GA(3) and abscisic acid prevents all the GA(3) effects described above. Carboxypeptidase activity is maximal between pH 5 and 6, and is inhibited by diisopropylfluorophosphate and p-hydroxymercuribenzoate. We have observed three protease activities against hemoglobin which differ in charge but are all 37 kilodaltons in size on sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gels. The activity of the proteases can be inhibited by sulfhydryl protease inhibitors, such as bromate and leupeptin, yet is enhanced by 2-fold with 2-mercaptoethanol. In addition, these enzymes appear to be active against the wheat and barley storage proteins, gliadin and hordein, respectively. On the basis of these characteristics and the time course of GA(3) response, it is concluded that the proteases represent the GA(3)-induced, de novo synthesized proteases that are mainly responsible for the degradation of endosperm storage proteins.