Acute Regulation of the Epithelial Na+ Channel by Phosphatidylinositide 3-OH Kinase Signaling in Native Collecting Duct Principal Cells
Alexander Staruschenko*,
Oleh Pochynyuk*,
Alain Vandewalle,
Vladislav Bugaj* and
James D. Stockand*
* University of Texas Health Science Center, Department of Physiology, San Antonio, Texas; and INSERM, U773, Centre de Recherche Biomedicale Bichat-Beaujon CRB3, and Universite Paris 7, Denis Diderot, site Bichat, Paris, France
Address correspondence to: Dr. James D. Stockand, University of Texas Health Science Center, Department of Physiology, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX 78229-3900. Phone: 210-567-4332; Fax: 210-567-4410; E-mail: stockand{at}uthscsa.edu
Received for publication January 5, 2007.
Accepted for publication March 7, 2007.
Activity of the epithelial Na+ channel (ENaC) is limiting forNa+ reabsorption in the aldosterone-sensitive distal nephron.Hormones, including aldosterone and insulin, increase ENaC activity,in part by stimulating phosphatidylinositide 3-OH kinase (PI3-K)signaling. Recent studies in heterologous expression systemsreveal a close spatiotemporal coupling between PI3-K signalingand ENaC activity with the phospholipid product of this kinase,PI(3,4,5)P3, in some cases, directly binding the channel andincreasing open probability (Po). This study tested whetherthis tight coupling plays a physiologic role in modulating ENaCactivity in native tissue and polarized epithelial cells. IGF-Iwas found to increase Na+ reabsorption across mpkCCDc14 principalcell monolayers in a PI3-Ksensitive manner. Inhibitionof PI3-K signaling, moreover, rapidly decreased Na+ reabsorptionand ENaC activity in mpkCCDc14 cells that were treated withcorticosteroids and IGF-I. These decreases paralleled changesin apical membrane PI(3,4,5)P3 levels, demonstrating tight spatiotemporalcoupling between ENaC activity and PI3-K/PI(3,4,5)P3 signalingwithin this membrane. For further probing of the mechanism underpinningthis coupling, cortical collecting ducts (CCD) were isolatedfrom rat and split open to expose the apical membrane for patch-clampanalysis. Inhibition of PI3-K signaling with wortmannin andLY294002 but not its inactive analogue rapidly and markedlydecreased the Po of ENaC. Moreover, IGF-I acutely increasedPo of ENaC in CCD principal cells in a PI3-Ksensitivemanner. Together, these observations stress the importance oftight spatiotemporal coupling between PI3-K signaling and ENaCwithin the apical membrane of principal cells to the physiologiccontrol of this ion channel.
Activity of the epithelial Na+ channel (ENaC) is limiting forNa+ transport across many epithelial tissues, including reabsorptionacross the renal collecting duct (reviewed in references [1,2]).ENaC is one final effector of the renin-angiotensin-aldosteronesystem. Thus, ENaC functions as a critical component of thenegative feedback pathway that couples renal Na+ handling tocontrol of systemic fluid volume and BP. The importance of thischannel and its proper regulation to human health and diseaseare apparent when considering that gain-of-function mutationsin the channel itself and its upstream regulatory pathways causeimproper renal salt conservation associated with hypertension(reviewed in references [36]). In contrast, loss-of-functionmutations in ENaC and in its regulatory pathways lead to inappropriaterenal salt wasting. In addition to influencing BP, ENaC andits regulation by aldosterone allows Na+ reabsorption to becoupled to K+ secretion at the distal nephron, making this channela therapeutic target for potassium-sparing diuretics. Inappropriateactivation of ENaC in the collecting duct in response to stimulationof peroxisome proliferatoractivated receptor- signaling,moreover, recently was implicated in the pathologic fluid retentionthat is associated with insulin-sensitizing thiazolidinediones(7). These examples also emphasize the need for a full understandingof the cellular signaling pathways and mechanisms that controlENaC activity.
Phosphatidylinositide 3-OH kinase (PI3-K) is central to manycellular signaling pathways that control ENaC activity (810).In particular, PI3-K is an effector that is necessary for aldosteroneand insulin control of the channel (1115). Both aldosteroneand insulin stimulate PI3-K signaling and increase the levelsof the phosphoinositide products of this kinase in renal epithelialcells (13,16). Emerging evidence also suggests that PI3-K playsa role in IGF-I regulation of ENaC (17). One mechanism throughwhich PI3-K enhances ENaC activity is by initiating a cellularsignaling cascade that culminates in increased residency timeof the channel in the apical membrane (reviewed in references[5,1820]). In this signaling pathway, serum and glucocorticoid-induciblekinase (Sgk) is positioned between PI3-K and the channel andserves to impede retrieval of ENaC. Sgk is phosphorylated inresponse to PI3-K signaling, and the levels of this kinase areregulated by aldosterone and other corticosteroids at the levelof transcription. Extensive investigation has established thesignificance of this mechanism to control of the channel. However,it is clear that this mechanism does not account for all regulationof ENaC by corticosteroids and PI3-K signaling, because aldosteronealso increases ENaC open probability (Po) (21,22). Moreover,active PI3-K is necessary for sustained Na+ reabsorption inresponse to prolonged exposure to aldosterone and insulin, althoughonly aldosterone and not insulin induces expression of Sgk.Aldosterone does so only over a relatively short period of time(2 to 4 h), although, Na+ transport remains elevated and sensitiveto PI3-K inhibition over the complete time period of exposureto steroid and insulin (10,1214,23). Inhibition of PI3-K,in addition, immediately decreases Na+ transport and ENaC activityunder all conditions and in every system tested to date. Itis unlikely that a mechanism that is predicated solely on activatedSgk's impeding ENaC retrieval would be capable of such a rapidand absolute response. Therefore, we hypothesized that PI3-Ksignaling influences ENaC activity through at least two mechanisms.
Recent studies have demonstrated that the phosphoinositide productsof PI3-K bind to ENaC to influence the Po of this channel (2426).These and other studies place ENaC into a category with severalother ion channels, including KCNQ and inward-rectifier K+ channels,and TRP and Cav2 channels, as being directly sensitive to cellularphosphoinositide levels (reviewed in reference [27]). The possibleimportance of this mechanism to regulation of ENaC in the collectingduct remains obscure. Here, we begin probing the physiologicimportance of direct regulation of ENaC Po by the phosphoinositideproducts of PI3-K in principal cells. Our major findings arethat (1) there is close spatiotemporal coupling between PI3-Ksignaling/PI(3,4,5)P3 levels and ENaC activity in the apicalmembrane of principal cells and (2) the Po of ENaC within theapical membrane is dynamically coupled to PI3-K signaling withstimulation and inhibition of the phospholipid kinase, resultingin rapid increases and decreases, respectively, in channel Po.These results are consistent with direct regulation of ENaCgating by PI(3,4,5)P3 playing a physiologic role in modulationof Na+ transport across the collecting duct.
Chemicals and cDNA Constructs
All chemicals and materials were from Fisher Scientific (Waltham,MA), Sigma (St. Louis, MO), BioMol or CalBiochem (San Diego,CA) unless noted otherwise. The PI(3,4,5)P3 reporter GFP-AktPH,used in this study, is a chimera that consists of the PI(3,4,5)P3-bindingplekstrin homology (PH) domain from Akt fused to green fluorescenceprotein (GFP). A PI(4,5)P2 reporter that consisted of the PI(4,5)P2-bindingPH domain of PLC-1 fused to GFP served as a negative control.The cDNA that encoded these reporters were gifts from the T.Meyer laboratory (28).
Cell and Tissue Culture
Immortalized mouse cortical collecting duct (mpkCCDc14) principalcells were grown in defined medium on permeable supports (CostarTranswells, Canton, NY; 0.4 µm pore, 24 mm diameter) asdescribed previously (29). Cells were maintained with FBS andcorticosteroids until they polarized and formed monolayers withhigh resistance and avid Na+ transport. In some instances, Na+reabsorption was set to a basal level by culturing cells inmedium that lacked FBS and corticosteroids for 48 h. In otherexperiments, before the addition of 100 ng/ml IGF-I (to thebasolateral membrane; I-3769; Sigma), cells were pretreatedfor 30 min with inhibitors of PI3-K (LY294002; 50 µM),MEK1/2 (U0126; 500 nM), and Rho kinase (Y27632 and H-1152; 0.5and 2.5 µM). For experiments that used both the PI3-Kinhibitor LY294002 and the phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN)inhibitor bpV(pic) (30), the former was used at 20 µMand the latter at 100 nM. For patch-clamp and fluorescence imagingstudies, LY294002 and its inactive analogue LY30351 and wortmanninwere used at 50, 50, and 0.2 µM, respectively. All inhibitorswere from CalBiochem.
The isolated, split-open CCD preparation that was used in thisstudy is similar to that described previously by the Wang laboratory(3133). Pathogen-free Sprague-Dawley rats of either gender(3 to 4 wk) were purchased from Charles River Laboratories (Wilmington,MA). Rats were allowed to settle upon arrival for up to 1 wkand then were maintained on a Na+-deficient diet (Harlan TEKLAD,Madison, WI; TD.90228; 0.01 to 0.02% Na+) for 5 to 7 d to increasethe surface expression and activity of ENaC. In some cases,rats were maintained on normal chow (Harlan TEKLAD; TD.7912;0.32% Na+) for the entire 2-wk period. Rats were killed by cervicaldislocation, and the kidneys were immediately removed. Kidneyswere cut into thin slices (<1 mm) and placed into ice-coldphysiologic saline solution (pH 7.4). Collecting ducts weremechanically isolated from these slices by microdissection usingwatchmaker forceps under a stereomicroscope. Isolated CCD wereallowed to settle onto 5 x 5-mm cover glass coated with poly-l-lysine.Cover glass that contained CCD were placed within a perfusionchamber mounted on an inverted Nikon TE300 (Melville, NY) andsuperfused with a physiologic saline solution buffered withHEPES (pH 7.4). CCD were split open with a sharpened micropipettecontrolled with a micromanipulator to gain access to the apicalmembrane. CCD were used within 1 to 2 h of isolation. Animaluse and welfare adhered to the National Institutes of HealthGuide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals following aprotocol that was reviewed and approved by the InstitutionalLaboratory Animal Care and Use Committee at the University ofTexas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
Exogenous Expression of Protein
Plasmid cDNA that encode PI(3,4,5)P3 and PI(4,5)P2 reporterswere introduced into mpkCCDc14 principal cells within a confluentmonolayer with a biolistic particle delivery system (BiolisticPDS-1000/He Particle Delivery System; Bio-Rad, Hercules, CA).Use of this system was described previously (34,35). We closelyfollowed these established protocols in our studies. In brief,mpkCCDc14 cells were grown to confluence on permeable supports.After forming high-resistance monolayers that avidly transportedNa+, cells were washed twice with physiologic saline, aspirated,and quickly bombarded (at the apical membrane) under vacuumwith microcarriers that were coated with reporter cDNA. Mediumwas immediately returned to the cells, which where then placedwithin a tissue culture incubator for 2 to 3 d to allow expressionof the PI(3,4,5)P3 reporter. Bombardment had little disruptiveeffect on cellular and monolayer integrity as established bymaintenance of Na+ transport and a high transepithelial resistance.
Electrophysiology
Transepithelial Na+ current across mpkCCDc14 cell monolayerswas calculated as described previously (36). In brief, currentwas calculated using Ohm's law as the quotient of transepithelialvoltage to transepithelial resistance under open circuit conditionsusing a Millicel Electrical Resistance System with dual Ag/AgClpellet electrodes (Millipore Corp., Billerica, MA) to measurevoltage and resistance.
Whole-cell macroscopic current recordings of ENaC in mpkCCDc14cells were made under voltage-clamp conditions using standardmethods (2426). In brief, current recordings were madewith a bath solution of (in mM) 160 NaCl, 1 CaCl2, 2 MgCl2,and 10 HEPES (pH 7.4) and a pipette solution of (in mM) 120CsCl, 5 NaCl, 2 MgCl2, 5 EGTA, 10 HEPES, 2.0 ATP, and 0.1 GTP(pH 7.4). Current recordings were acquired with an Axopatch200B (Axon Instruments) patch-clamp amplifier interfaced viaa Digidata 1322A (Molecular Devices, Sunnyvale, CA) to a PCthat was running the pClamp 9.2 suite of software (Axon Instruments).Cells were clamped to a 20-mV holding potential with voltageramps (500 ms) from 60 down to 100 mV used to elicitcurrent. ENaC activity is reported as the amiloride-sensitiveinward Na+ current at no applied potential (at 0 mV). For relativeactivity, current was normalized to maximum levels. Whole-cellcapacitance and series resistances were routinely compensated.
For cell-attached patches that were made on the apical membranesof mpkCCDc14 cells and principal cells in isolated, split-opencollecting ducts, bath and pipette solutions were (in mM) 160NaCl, 1 CaCl2, 2 MgCl2, and 10 HEPES (pH 7.4) and 140 LiCl,2 MgCl2, and 10 HEPES (pH 7.4), respectively. Current recordingswere made using an Axopatch 200B. Currents were low-pass filteredat 100 Hz by an eight-pole Bessel filter (Warner Instruments,Hamden, CT) and digitized and stored on a PC using the Digidata1322A interface. Current data were analyzed using pClamp 9.2.Channel activity defined as NPo was calculated using the equationNPo = (t1 + 2t2 + ... iti), where ti is the fractional opentime spent at each of the observed current levels. Po was estimatedby normalizing NPo for the observed number of channels withina patch. The error that is associated with this estimation ofPo increases as patches contain more channels and as Po approacheseither zero or unity (21). Only patches that contained fivechannels or fewer were used to estimate Po. Single-channel conductancewas calculated by recording at least three holding potentials.
Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Microscopy
Fluorescence emissions from the PI(3,4,5)P3 reporter GFP-AktPHat the apical membrane of mpkCCDc14 cells within a confluentmonolayer were collected using total internal reflection fluorescence(TIRF; also called evanescent-field) microscopy. TIRF generatesan evanescent field that declines exponentially with increasingdistance from the interface between the cover glass and plasmamembrane, illuminating only a thin section (approximately 100nm) of the cell that is in contact with the cover glass (37,38).For these experiments, GFP-AktPH was introduced into polarizedmonolayers of mpkCCDc14 cells that were grown on permeable supportswith the particle delivery system described previously. Uponexpression of the reporter, 5 x 5-mm sections of the supportwere excised, inverted, and placed onto cover glass coated withpoly-l-lysine. This arrangement made it possible to visualizedynamic changes in the level of the PI(3,4,5)P3 reporter atthe apical membrane in real time in living cells.
All TIRF experiments were performed in the TIRF microscopy corefacility housed within the Department of Physiology at the Universityof Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio (http://physiology.uthscsa.edu/tirf).We previously described imaging the GFP-AktPH reporter and otherfluorophore-tagged proteins using this core facility (24,39,40).The methods that were used in this study closely followed thesepublished protocols. In brief, fluorescence emissions from GFP-AktPHreporter were collected using an inverted TE2000 microscopewith through-the-lens (prismless) TIRF imaging (Nikon). Sampleswere viewed through a plain Apo TIRF x60 oil-immersion, high-resolution(1.45 NA) objective. Fluorescence emissions were collected througha 535 ± 25-nm bandpass filter (Chroma Technology Corp.,Rockingham, VT) by exciting GFP with an Argon-ion laser withan acoustic optic tunable filter (Pairie Technology, Middleton,WI) that was used to restrict excitation wavelength to 488 nm.Fluorescence images were collected and processed with a 16-bit,cooled charge-coupled device camera (Cascade 512F; Roper Scientific,Duluth, GA) interfaced to a PC that was running Metamorph software.This camera uses a front-illuminated electron-multiplying charge-coupleddevice with on-chip multiplication gain. Images were collectedonce per minute with a 100-ms exposure time. Images were notbinned or filtered with pixel size corresponding to a squareof 122 x 122 nm.
Statistical Analyses
All summarized data are reported as means ± SEM. Summarizeddata were compared with either the (two-tailed) t test or aone-way ANOVA in conjunction with the Dunnett or Student-Newman-Keulsposttest where appropriate. P 0.05 was considered significant.Macroscopic current are reported as relative to either controllevels or current maximum within an experiment. Open circuitcurrent and emissions from GFP-AktPH were normalized to startinglevels. Vehicle treatment was used to quantify spontaneous decreasesin fluorescence emissions (bleaching) over time. This valuewas subtracted from all fluorescence data. For presentation,current data from some cell-attached patches were subsequentlysoftware filtered at 20 or 50 Hz.
PI3-K Signaling Is Necessary for IGF-I to Increase Na+ Transport
PI3-K is a critical component of the signaling cascades thatare activated by aldosterone and insulin that are responsiblefor increasing ENaC activity and Na+ transport (13,16). It islikely that PI3-K is also integral to increases in Na+ transportin response to IGF-I. We tested this idea here. As shown inFigure 1A, addition of 100 ng/ml IGF-I to polarized mpkCCDc14principal cells with steady-state basal transport rates significantlyincreased Na+ reabsorption in a time-dependent manner abovebasal levels and compared with vehicle. Significant increaseswere detectable after 30 min, the earliest time point measured,with a maximum reached by 2 to 3 h. Addition of amiloride tothe apical membrane completely abolished the transepithelialcurrent that was stimulated by IGF-I, indicating that this hormoneincreases Na+ reabsorption via ENaC. As summarized in Figure 1B,pretreating monolayers for 30 min with the PI3-K inhibitor LY294002(50 µM) but not inhibitors of mitogen-activated proteinkinase (U0126; 500 nM) and Rho (H-1152 [2.5 µM] and Y27632[0.5 µM]) signaling disrupts IGF-I actions on Na+ reabsorption.Therefore, PI3-K is necessary to IGF-Istimulated Na+transport. Inhibition of PI3-K, in addition to abolishing theeffects of IGF-I on Na+ transport, decreased basal transportat steady state. This suggests that some amount of PI3-K activityis required for Na+ reabsorption and that the activity of thisphospholipid kinase is temporally coupled in a tight mannerto the activity of the rate-limiting step in transepithelialNa+ reabsorption: ENaC activity.
Figure 1. Phosphatidylinositide 3-OH kinase (PI3-K) is necessary for IGF-I to increase Na+ reabsorption across principal cells. (A) Time course for IGF-Idependent increases in relative Na+ transport across monolayers of mpkCCDc14 principal cells. Current relative to starting levels. Na+ reabsorption was initially set to basal levels by culturing monolayers in the absence of corticosteroids and insulin for 48 to 72 h. IGF-I was added at time 0. (B) Effects of IGF-I on relative Na+ reabsorption in the absence (control) and presence of inhibitors of Rho kinase (Y27632 and H-1152), Mek1/2 (U0126), and PI3-K (LY294002) signaling. Inhibitors were added 30 min before IGF-I treatment. All other conditions are the same as in A.
Changes in Na+ Transport and ENaC Activity Parallel Changes in Apical Membrane PI(3,4,5)P3 Levels
To test more directly the concept that Na+ reabsorption andENaC activity are temporally coupled to the activity of PI3-Kin a tight manner, we investigated the effects of inhibitingthis kinase in polarized monolayers with high levels of Na+transport at steady state. Transport was set high by culturingmpkCCDc14 cells in the continued presence of corticosteroidsand FBS. Figure 2A shows that within 15 min of addition of 50µM LY294002, which is the earliest measurable time point,relative Na+ reabsorption significantly decreased to approximately0.4, with the maximum decrease to approximately 0.2 reachedby 45 min.
Figure 2. Tight spatiotemporal coupling between Na+ reabsorption and PI(3,4,5)P3 levels in the apical membrane of principal cells. (A) Time course of decreases in relative Na+ transport in response to PI3-K inhibition with LY294002. Na+ reabsorption was initially set to a high level by culturing monolayers in the continued presence of corticosteroids, insulin, and FBS. LY294002 and vehicle (control) were added at time 0. All other conditions are the same as in Figure 1A. (B) Fluorescence micrographs of emissions from the GFP-AktPH PI(3,4,5)P3 reporter in the apical membrane of a mpkCCDc14 principal cell within a confluent monolayer before (1) and 5 (2) and 15 (3) minutes after treatment with LY294002. Monolayers were maintained in the continued presence of corticosteroids, insulin, and FBS. Emissions were collected in a paired manner using total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy. (C) Decay in relative apical membrane PI(3,4,5)P3 levels in mpkCCDc14 cells within confluent monolayers upon inhibiting PI3-K with LY294002 (). PI(3,4,5)P3 levels within the apical membrane monitored with the GFP-AktPH reporter and TIRF microscopy. Values are corrected for a small but constant decay in signal over time as a result of photobleaching, which was established by following changes in emission during this time course in the presence of vehicle. Also shown are the effects or rather lack of effects of the inactive analogue LY303511 () on PI(3,4,5)P3 levels and the negative control that LY294002 has no effect on PI(4,5)P2 levels (control; ) in this preparation.
Decreases in the level of apical membrane PI(3,4,5)P3 followa similarly fast time course in confluent mpkCCDc14 cells inresponse to inhibition of PI3-K. The representative fluorescencemicrographs in Figure 2B show GFP emissions from the apicalmembrane of a mpkCCDc14 principal cell that expressed the PI(3,4,5)P3reporter GFP-AktPH just before (1) and 5 (2) and 15 min (3)after addition of 50 µM LY294002. This cell was withina confluent monolayer cultured in the continued presence ofcorticosteroid and FBS that had high transepithelial resistanceand avid Na+ reabsorption just before the experiment. Emissionsfrom the apical membrane were isolated using TIRF microscopy.The graph in Figure 2C, summarizing such experiments (n = 9),shows the complete time course for decreases in apical membranePI(3,4,5)P3 in response to inhibition of PI3-K in mpkCCDc14cells. The relative decrease in apical membrane PI(3,4,5)P3in response to inhibition was rapid. In contrast, the inactiveanalogue LY303511 had no effect on apical membrane PI(3,4,5)P3levels (n = 9). Moreover, LY294002 during the course of theseexperiments had no effect on emissions from the negative controlPI(4,5)P2 reporter (control, n = 4). These results are consistentwith ENaC activity being coupled not only in a tight temporalmanner to PI(3,4,5)P3 levels but also in a close spatial manner.
To define better the cause-and-effect relation between changesin the levels of PI(3,4,5)P3 and Na+ transport, we next quantifiedtransport while simultaneously manipulating the activity ofproteins that are involved in both the synthesis and the degradationof this phosphoinositide. We used submaximal doses of LY294002(20 µM) to slow but not completely abolish PI(3,4,5)P3synthesis, in combination with 100 nM of the PTEN inhibitorbpV(pic) to retard degradation of this phosphatidylinositide.The summary graph in Figure 3 compares decreases in Na+ reabsorptionin mpkCCDc14 monolayers that were treated with submaximal dosesof LY294002 in the absence and presence of inhibited PTEN. Beforethese experiments, transport was set to a high level by constantexposure to corticosteroids and FBS. Inhibition of PTEN slowedand suppressed the effects of partial inhibition of PI3-K. Theseresults are consistent with changes in the levels of PI(3,4,5)P3being causative for corresponding changes in transport.
Figure 3. PI(3,4,5)P3 is the second messenger coupling Na+ reabsorption to PI3-K signaling in principal cells. The time course of decreases in relative Na+ transport in response to partial inhibition of PI3-K with submaximal doses of LY294002 in the absence and presence of simultaneous inhibition of phosphatase and tensin homolog with bpV(pic) is shown. Na+ reabsorption was initially set to a high level by culturing monolayers in the continued presence of corticosteroids, insulin, and FBS. LY294002 and bpV(pic) were added at time 0. All other conditions are the same as in Figure 1A.
Our ability to appreciate completely the temporal relation betweenchanges in apical membrane PI(3,4,5)P3 levels and ENaC activitywith the experiments described were partially limited becausequantifying transepithelial Na+ transport is an indirect measurementof ENaC activity and open-circuit current measurements providesuboptimal time resolution. To obviate these limitations, wedirectly monitored changes in ENaC activity in response to inhibitionof PI3-K in mpkCCDc14 cells in voltage-clamp experiments. Figure 4Ashows a typical macroscopic currentvoltage relation forthe amiloride-sensitive Na+ current in a voltage-clamped mpkCCDc14cell before and after inhibition of PI3-K with 50 µM LY294002.As summarized in Figure 4B, inhibiting PI3-K significantly decreasedENaC activity. Figure 4C reports the time course of this effect.Shown in this figure is the increase in relative Na+ currentcarried by ENaC in a mpkCCDc14 cells with no applied voltageas amiloride is washed. This is followed quickly by a decreasein ENaC activity upon addition of LY294002. The time courseof decreasing ENaC activity upon inhibition of PI3-K closelyparallels the decrease in apical membrane PI(3,4,5)P3 levelsfor these cells as reported in Figure 2B. Real-time measurementsof apical membrane PI(3,4,5)P3 levels and ENaC activity demonstrateparallel changes upon inhibition of PI3-K signaling.
Figure 4. Epithelial Na+ channel (ENaC) activity is dynamically coupled to PI3-K signaling in principal cells. (A) Representative currentvoltage relation of the amiloride-sensitive macroscopic current in a voltage-clamped mpkCCDc14 principal cell before (control) and after treatment with LY294002. (B) Effect of inhibiting PI3-K on relative ENaC activity in voltage-clamped mpkCCDc14 cells. (C) Representative diary plot showing the time course of LY294002 actions on relative ENaC activity in a typical voltage-clamped mpkCCDc14 cell. At the beginning of this experiment, amiloride was washed from the bathing solution to allow ENaC to activate. LY294002 and amiloride were then added to the bath sequentially. In this typical voltage-clamp experiment, current at time t (I) is normalized to the maximum current (Imax) observed.
Tight Spatiotemporal Coupling between PI3-K Signaling and ENaC Po in Native and mpkCCDc14 Principal Cells
One mechanism by which PI3-K signaling influences ENaC activityis by PI(3,4,5)P3 directly controlling channel gating (reviewedin reference [27]). This mechanism is predicated on close spatiotemporalcoupling between the channel and the second messenger. Becausethe previous results supported tight spatiotemporal couplingbetween ENaC activity and PI3-K signaling, we were interestedin testing whether effects on ENaC Po underlie this couplingand whether such a mechanism plays a role in physiologic regulationof the channel in native and cultured principal cells. To dothis, we isolated collecting ducts and formed cell-attachedseals on the apical membrane of principal cells to monitor directlychanges in ENaC Po in real time. Collecting ducts were isolatedfrom salt-restricted (Na+-deficient diet for 1 wk) rats to setinitial ENaC activity and Po to a high level. Figure 5A showscurrent traces from a cell-attached patch on the apical membraneof a native principal cell in a freshly isolated rat collectingduct. The patched membrane was presented with test potentialsthat ranged from 0 to 60 mV. This seal contained at leastthree ENaC. Figure 5B shows the single-channel currentvoltagerelation for ENaC in rat principal cells in freshly isolatedcollecting ducts. With Li+ as the charge carrier, ENaC had aconductance of 9.8 ± 0.8 pS in this preparation (n =6). The mean activity and Po for ENaC in this preparation are1.27 ± 0.18 and 0.44 ± 0.03 (n = 27), respectively.We also isolated and patched CCD from rats that were maintainedon standard chow (0.32% Na+). In this group, ENaC Po, as shownin Figure 5C, was significantly lower (0.17 ± 0.02; n= 13). Moreover, we observed fewer active ENaC in patches thatwere made on the apical membrane of principal cells within theCCD in rats that were maintained on normal chow (1.58; n = 13)compared with a Na+-deficient diet (3.43; n = 18). It is unclearwhether this observation stems form only a decrease in Po oralso reflects a decrease in the number of channels in the membrane.Nevertheless, these values and observations agree with thosepublished previously for similar preparations (32,41,42).
Figure 5. ENaC in the apical membrane of a principal cell in an isolated split-open collecting duct. (A) Current traces from a representative cell-attached patch that contained at least three ENaC. This patch was made on the apical membrane of a principal cell in an isolated split-open collecting duct that was isolated from a salt-restricted rat. Current was recorded at test potentials (Vp) that ranged from 0 to 60 mV. Inward Li+ current is downward, and the dashed lines show the 0 current level (closed state) at each voltage. (B) Single-channel currentvoltage relation for ENaC in cell-attached patches that were made on the apical membrane of principal cells in isolated split-open rat collecting ducts. (C) Comparison of mean open probability (Po) for ENaC in cell-attached patches that were made on the apical membranes of principal cells in cortical collecting ducts (CCD) that were isolated from rats that were maintained on Na+-deficient (0.01%) and standard (0.32%) chow.
Figure 6 shows representative current traces and summary graphsof Po in paired experiments for ENaC in native principal cellsbefore and after (5 to 10 min) treating with 0.2 µM wortmannin(Figure 6A), 50 µM LY294992 (Figure 6B), and 50 µMLY303511 (Figure 6C). Current traces are of ENaC in the apicalmembrane of principal cells in freshly isolated collecting ductsfrom salt-restricted rats. For these experiments, test potentialsof 40 mV were applied to cell-attached patches of theapical membrane with ENaC activity and Po continuously monitored.As is clear in these representative current traces and summarygraphs, inhibition of PI3-K with two chemically and mechanisticallydistinct inhibitors, wortmannin and LY294002, decreased thePo of native ENaC. In contrast, the inactive variant of LY294002,LY303511, had little effect on ENaC in this preparation. Inresponse to wortmannin and LY294002, ENaC Po significantly decreasedfrom 0.42 ± 0.04 to 0.14 ± 0.02 (n = 8) and from0.39 ± 0.04 to 0.10 ± 0.02 (n = 11), respectively.With LY303511, there was no difference in the Po of 0.54 ±0.03 and 0.49 ± 0.05 before and after addition, respectively(n = 8). Similar observations were made for cell-attached patcheson mpkCCDc14 cells, where 50 µM LY294002 significantlydecreased ENaC Po within 15 min from 0.41 ± 0.06 to 0.15± 0.06 (n = 6; data not shown). These results demonstratethat one effect of inhibiting PI3-K in native and cultured principalcells is to decrease the Po of active ENaC within the apicalmembrane.
Figure 6. The Po of ENaC within the apical membrane of principal cells in isolated split-open collecting ducts is dynamically coupled to PI3-K signaling. Current traces (left) are from representative cell-attached patches that contained ENaC and were made on the apical membrane of principal cells in isolated split-open rat collecting ducts before and after treatment with wortmannin (A), LY294002 (B), and LY303511 (C). Summary graphs of Po before and after wortmannin, LY294002, and LY303511 are shown to the right. Patches were held at test potentials of 40 mV during the course of these experiments. All other conditions are the same as in Figure 5A.
The representative current recordings in Figure 7 document thetime course of inhibiting PI3-K activity on ENaC Po in freshlyisolated collecting duct (Figure 7A) and mpkCCDc14 (Figure 7B)principal cells. The representative patch in Figure 7A (oneof eight), formed on the apical membrane of a native principalcell, was clamped with a 40-mV test potential and containedat least two ENaC. A continuous trace before and after additionof 50 µM LY294002 is shown at the top. Segments beforeand after LY294002 are shown below at expanded time scales.As is apparent in this representative trace, inhibition of PI3-Kresulted in a rapid decrease in ENaC Po in this native preparation.Similarly, as shown by the representative current trace in Figure 7B(one of six), which is from a patch that was made on the apicalmembrane of a mpkCCDc14 cell clamped to 0 mV, inhibition ofPI3-K rapidly decreases ENaC Po. Again, segments before andafter LY294002 are shown below at expanded time scales. Theresults in Figures 6 and 7 demonstrating that the Po of activeENaC within the apical membrane of native and cultured principalcells is tightly coupled to PI3-K activity are consistent withour previous findings in expression studies (24,26).
Figure 7. Inhibition of PI3-K results in rapid and marked decreases in the Po of ENaC within the apical membrane of cultured and native principal cells. (A) Continuous current trace from a representative cell-attached patch that contained at least two ENaC and were made on the apical membrane of principal cells in isolated split-open rat collecting ducts before and after treatment with LY294002. Areas before (1) and after (2) treatment are shown below with an expanded time scale. This patch was held at a 40-mV test potential during the course of the experiment. Top dashed line denotes closed current level. Middle and bottom dashed lines denote the first and second open current levels, respectively. All other conditions are the same as in Figure 5A. (B) Continuous current trace from a representative cell-attached patch that contained at least four ENaC and was made on the apical membrane of a mpkCCDc14 cell before and after treatment with LY294002. This patch was held at a 0-mV test potential during the course of the experiment. All other conditions are the same as in A.
The results in Figure 8 testing acute regulation of ENaC inCCD and mpkCCDc14 principal cells by IGF-I are also consistentwith tight coupling between PI3-K and ENaC activity. Figure 8Ashows a representative current trace from a cell-attached patchthat was made on a mpkCCDc14 cell before and after additionof 100 ng/ml IGF-I. This patch contains at least three ENaCand was made on a cell that was cultured in minimal medium toset ENaC activity initially to a basal level. As shown in thecontinuous trace at the top and in segments before and afterIGF-I shown below at expanded time scales, IGF-I rapidly increasesENaC Po. In mpkCCDc14 cells with basal levels of ENaC activity,IGF-I, as documented in Figure 8B, more than doubled Po from0.12 ± 0.03 to 0.26 ± 0.03 (n = 4) within 10 min.A similar observation was made in principal cells from isolatedcollecting ducts from rats that were maintained on standardchow. Figure 8C shows a representative current trace from acell-attached patch that was made on the apical membrane ofa principal cell in a CCD that was freshly isolated from a ratthat was maintained on standard chow. This patch contains atleast three ENaC. Shown at the top is a continuous trace withsegments before and after addition of IGF-I shown below at expandedtime scales. In this native preparation, IGF-I significantlyincreased ENaC Po from 0.16 ± 0.02 to 0.35 ± 0.04(n = 10; Figure 8D) within 10 min. As documented by the representativetrace in Figure 8E (one of three), IGF-I stimulation of ENaCPo in native CCD principal cells was sensitive to inhibitionof PI3-K with 50 µM LY294002. For these experiments, CCDthat were isolated from rats that were maintained on normalchow were treated with 100 ng/ml IGF-I for 20 min before formationof cell-attached patches on the apical membrane of principalcells. Subsequent to seal formation, LY294002 was applied tothe bath. The continuous current trace is shown at the top.A region after treatment with LY294002 is shown below at anexpanded time scale.
Figure 8. IGF-I acutely increases the Po of ENaC in cultured and native principal cells in a PI3-Kdependent manner. (A) Continuous current trace from a representative cell-attached patch that contained at least three ENaC and was made on the apical membrane of a mpkCCDc14 cell before and after treatment with IGF-I. Patches were made on cells that were cultured in minimal medium to set initial ENaC activity to basal levels. This patch was clamped to 60 mV. All other conditions are the same as in Figure 7A. (B) Paired experiments showing the acute (10 min) effects of IGF-I on ENaC Po in mpkCCDc14 cells with basal channel activity. (C) Continuous current trace before and after IGF-I from a representative cell-attached patch that contained at least two ENaC and was made on the apical membrane of a principal cell in a CCD that was isolated from a rat that was maintained on standard chow. All other conditions are the same as in Figure 7A. (D) Paired experiments showing the acute (10 min) effects of IGF-I on ENaC Po in CCD principal cells with basal channel activity. (E) Continuous current trace before and after LY294002 from a representative cell-attached patch that contained several ENaC and was made on the apical membrane of a principal cell in a CCD that was isolated from a rat that was maintained on standard chow. Twenty minutes before seal formation, this CCD was treated with IGF-I. Shown below at an expanded time scale is a segment of the trace after treatment with LY294002. All other conditions are the same as in Figure 7A.
Although not a focus of this investigation, we did observe arenal outer medullary K+ channellike small-conductanceK+ (SK) channel in some patches that were made on the apicalmembrane of principal cells in isolated split-open rat collectingducts. As reported previously for this preparation (33), inhibitionof PI3-K increased the activity of this channel (data not shown).
As discussed at the beginning of this article, PI3-K is recognizedto play a central role in regulation of ENaC. It serves as adownstream effector and possible point of convergence for severalnatriferic hormones, including aldosterone and insulin, bothof which increase activity of this phospholipid kinase in renalepithelial cells (13,14,16). One mechanism by which PI3-K controlsENaC activity is through a signaling cascade that ultimatelyincreases the residency time of the channel in the apical membraneby slowing channel retrieval (reviewed in references [5,1820]).However, by its nature, being dependent on trafficking, sucha mechanism must be relatively slow to develop and abate andcannot account for all of the effects, particularly the acuteactions, of PI3-K signaling on the channel. Therefore, we hypothesizedand tested the idea that PI3-K impinges on ENaC activity throughat least one other mechanism. We found that there is tight spatiotemporalcoupling between PI3-K signaling and Na+ reabsorption, withthe Po of ENaC within the apical membranes of principal cellschanging in parallel with the levels of PI(3,4,5)P3 within thesemembranes.
ENaC, similar to some other types of ion channels, senses membranephosphoinositide levels and responds with changes in channelPo through direct interactions with these molecules (see reference[27]). Our laboratory showed that ENaC physically interactswith the phosphoinositide products of PI3-K and that this interactionstabilizes ENaC gating to increase Po (24,26). These findingsare consistent with such a mechanism contributing to regulationof ENaC activity in both the immortalized mouse principal cellline and principal cells from freshly isolated rat collectingducts studied here.
We found the observations that decreases in apical membranePI(3,4,5)P3 levels in response to inhibiting PI3-K paralleldecreases in Na+ reabsorption, ENaC activity, and ENaC Po significant.Such tight spatiotemporal coupling between the levels of thephosphoinositide and Po of ENaC within the apical membrane readilyexplains why we and other investigators observed an almost instantaneousbut persistent decrease in channel activity and Na+ transportupon PI3-K inhibition. This is not to say that membrane levelsof ENaC might not also ultimately decrease in the presence ofinhibited PI3-K but rather that the initial event is a decreasein Po. Interpreting our results in the context of others allowsus to propose that two discrete mechanisms serve to decreaseENaC activity upon inhibition of PI3-K: An initial event, describedhere, whereby channel Po decreases rapidly as a result of theloss of direct regulation by PI(3,4,5)P3 and a slower developingphase whereby apical membrane levels of ENaC decrease as a resultof cessation of impeded channel retrieval.
Our observation that IGF-I stimulates Na+ reabsorption acrossprincipal cells is consistent with that recently published byGonzalez-Rodriguez et al. (17). Also consistent with the findingsof this group is the observation that PI3-K is necessary forIGF-I actions on Na+ transport. We advance this understandingby demonstrating here that IGF-I also acutely increases thePo of ENaC within the apical membrane of principal cells ina PI3-Kdependent manner. That inhibiting PI3-K signalingblocks hormone-sensitive as well as basal and sustained Na+transport and ENaC Po, though, does somewhat limit interpretation,because it is not clear whether an increase in PI3-K activityis necessary for hormonal control of the channel or rather thatactive PI3-K is permissive for hormone action on the channel.This is related to the question of whether direct regulationof ENaC Po by PI(3,4,5)P3 underpins mediated channel modulationin response to hormonal input or rather serves a permissiverole that allows channels that are targeted to the membraneto gate. More simply put, do the direct effects of PI(3,4,5)P3on ENaC Po play a role in regulated or only constitutive channelmodulation?
The finding that apical membrane PI(3,4,5)P3 levels decreasein a rapid and marked manner upon inhibiting PI3-K supportsthe idea that there is significant phospholipid phosphataseactivity countering PI3-K activity in renal principal cells.Therefore, a reasonable scenario that is consistent with ourresults is that hormones, which stimulate PI3-K activity, suchas insulin, IGF-I, and aldosterone, increase both the membraneresidency time and Po of ENaC to increase activity of this channel.With such a scenario, then, in the absence of hormone, therewould be fewer channels in the apical membrane, and the channelsthat are there would have a lower Po. This prediction is consistentwith our results describing the frequency of observing ENaCin apical membranes of CCD principal cells in salt-restrictedrats compared with rats that were maintained on normal chow,as well as with channel Po in these rats. Moreover, this predictionmay possibly settle some of the earliest controversies regardingregulation of ENaC by aldosterone in principal cells, in whichaldosterone action was sometimes attributed to an increase inthe number of channels in the membrane (41) and at other timesto an increase in Po (21). Put another way, activation of PI3-Ksignaling possibly increases the residency time of ENaC withinthe apical membrane and enables these channels to open. Althoughfurther proof is required before fully accepting such bimodalregulation, this study, by demonstrating that PI3-K signalingacutely regulates the Po of ENaC within the apical membraneof principal cells, is a strong first step.
This research was supported by National Institutes of Healthgrants RO1DK59594 and R01DK070571, American Heart Associationgrant EIA 0640054N (to J.D.S.), and a National Kidney FoundationResearch Fellowship and American Heart Association grant SDG0730111N (to A.S.).
Jorge Medina is recognized for excellent technical support.We thank Dr. W.-H. Wang and his laboratory for helping to establishthe isolated split-open collecting duct preparation in our laboratory.
Footnotes
Published online ahead of print. Publication date availableat www.jasn.org.
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