ATP depletion increases tyrosine phosphorylation of beta-catenin and plakoglobin in renal tubular cells.

This study examines the hypothesis that the loss of integrity of the junctional complex induced by ATP depletion is related to alterations in tyrosine phosphorylation of the adherens junction proteins beta-catenin and plakoglobin. ATP depletion of cultured mouse proximal tubular (MPT) cells induces a marked increase in tyrosine phosphorylation of both beta-catenin and plakoglobin. The tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor vanadate has the same effect in ATP-replete (control) monolayers, whereas genistein, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, reduces phosphorylation of both proteins in ATP-replete monolayers and prevents the hyperphosphorylation of these proteins with ATP depletion. This study also demonstrates that the fall in the transepithelial resistance of MPT monolayers induced by ATP depletion can be reproduced by treatment of ATP-replete monolayers with vanadate, whereas genistein substantially ameliorates the fall in transepithelial resistance induced by ATP depletion. Also, using immunofluorescence microscopy it was demonstrated that ATP depletion results in a marked diminution of E-cadherin staining in the basolateral membrane of MPT cells. Vanadate mimics this effect of ATP depletion, whereas genistein ameliorates the reduction in the intensity of E-cadherin staining induced by ATP depletion. Because it is has been well established that hyperphosphorylation of the catenins leads to dissociation of the adherens junction and to dysfunction of the junctional complex, it is proposed that the increase in tyrosine phosphorylation of catenins observed in MPT cells during ATP depletion contributes to the loss of function of the junctional complex associated with sublethal injury.

Graded ATP depletion can cause necrosis or apoptosis of cultured mouse proximal tubular cells.

The mechanisms of cell death induced by ATP depletion were studied in primary cultures of mouse proximal tubular (MPT) cells. Graded ATP depletion, ranging in severity from approximately 2 to 70% of control levels, was induced by incubating cells with either antimycin or 2-deoxyglucose, with varying concentrations of dextrose. We found that cells subjected to ATP depletion below approximately 15% of control died uniformly of necrosis. In contrast, cells subjected to ATP depletion between approximately 25 and 70% of control all died by apoptosis. The rapidity of cell death was proportional to the severity of reduction of cell ATP content and was independent of the mechanism of cell death. Renal growth factors, epidermal growth factor (EGF) and high-dose insulin, did not ameliorate apoptotic cell death induced by ATP depletion. We conclude that ATP depletion can cause either necrosis or apoptosis in MPT cells. Furthermore, we have identified a narrow range of ATP depletion (approximately 15 to 25% of control) representing a threshold that determines whether cells die by necrosis or apoptosis.