Alejandro M. Bertorello

Hypoxia-induced endocytosis of Na,K-ATPase in alveolar epithelial cells is mediated by mitochondrial reactive oxygen species and PKC-ζ

During ascent to high altitude and pulmonary edema, the alveolar epithelial cells (AEC) are exposed to hypoxic conditions. Hypoxia inhibits alveolar fluid reabsorption and decreases Na,K-ATPase activity in AEC. We report here that exposure of AEC to hypoxia induced a time-dependent decrease of Na,K-ATPase activity and a parallel decrease in the number of Na,K-ATPase alpha(1) subunits at the basolateral membrane (BLM), without changing its total cell protein abundance. These effects were reversible upon reoxygenation and specific, because the plasma membrane protein GLUT1 did not decrease in response to hypoxia. Hypoxia caused an increase in mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels that was inhibited by antioxidants. Antioxidants prevented the hypoxia-mediated decrease in Na,K-ATPase activity and protein abundance at the BLM. Hypoxia-treated AEC deficient in mitochondrial DNA (rho(0) cells) did not have increased levels of ROS, nor was the Na,K-ATPase activity inhibited. Na,K-ATPase alpha(1) subunit was phosphorylated by PKC in hypoxia-treated AEC. In AEC treated with a PKC-zeta antagonist peptide or with the Na,K-ATPase alpha(1) subunit lacking the PKC phosphorylation site (Ser-18), hypoxia failed to decrease Na,K-ATPase abundance and function. Accordingly, we provide evidence that hypoxia decreases Na,K-ATPase activity in AEC by triggering its endocytosis through mitochondrial ROS and PKC-zeta-mediated phosphorylation of the Na,K-ATPase alpha(1) subunit.

PKC-dependent stimulation of exocytosis by sulfonylureas in pancreatic beta cells.

Hypoglycemic sulfonylureas represent a group of clinically useful antidiabetic compounds that stimulate insulin secretion from pancreatic β cells. The molecular mechanisms involved are not fully understood but are believed to involve inhibition of potassium channels sensitive to adenosine triphosphate (KATP channels) in the β cell membrane, causing membrane depolarization, calcium influx, and activation of the secretory machinery. In addition to these effects, sulfonylureas also promoted exocytosis by direct interaction with the secretory machinery not involving closure of the plasma membrane KATP channels. This effect was dependent on protein kinase C (PKC) and was observed at therapeutic concentrations of sulfonylureas, which suggests that it contributes to their hypoglycemic action in diabetics.

Phosphorylation of the catalyic alpha-subunit constitutes a triggering signal for Na+,K+-ATPase endocytosis.

Inhibition of Na+,K+-ATPase activity by dopamine is an important mechanism by which renal tubules modulate urine sodium excretion during a high salt diet. However, the molecular mechanisms of this regulation are not clearly understood. Inhibition of Na+,K+-ATPase activity in response to dopamine is associated with endocytosis of its α- and β-subunits, an effect that is protein kinase C-dependent. In this study we used isolated proximal tubule cells and a cell line derived from opossum kidney and demonstrate that dopamine-induced endocytosis of Na+,K+-ATPase and inhibition of its activity were accompanied by phosphorylation of the α-subunit. Inhibition of both the enzyme activity and its phosphorylation were blocked by the protein kinase C inhibitor bisindolylmaleimide. The early time dependence of these processes suggests a causal link between phosphorylation and inhibition of enzyme activity. However, after 10 min of dopamine incubation, the α-subunit was no longer phosphorylated, whereas enzyme activity remained inhibited due to its removal from the plasma membrane. Dephosphorylation occurred in the late endosomal compartment. To further examine whether phosphorylation was a prerequisite for subunit endocytosis, we used the opossum kidney cell line transfected with the rodent α-subunit cDNA. Treatment of this cell line with dopamine resulted in phosphorylation and endocytosis of the α-subunit with a concomitant decrease in Na+,K+-ATPase activity. In contrast, none of these effects were observed in cells transfected with the rodent α-subunit that lacks the putative protein kinase C-phosphorylation sites (Ser11 and Ser18). Our results support the hypothesis that protein kinase C-dependent phosphorylation of the α-subunit is essential for Na+,K+-ATPase endocytosis and that both events are responsible for the decreased enzyme activity in response to dopamine.

Isoproterenol increases Na+-K+-ATPase activity by membrane insertion of α-subunits in lung alveolar cells

Catecholamines promote lung edema clearance via β-adrenergic-mediated stimulation of active Na+ transport across the alveolar epithelium. Because alveolar epithelial type II cell Na+-K+-ATPase contributes to vectorial Na+ flux, the present study was designed to investigate whether Na+-K+-ATPase undergoes acute changes in its catalytic activity in response to β-adrenergic-receptor stimulation. Na+-K+-ATPase activity increased threefold in cells incubated with 1 μM isoproterenol for 15 min, which also resulted in a fourfold increase in the cellular levels of cAMP. Forskolin (10 μM) also stimulated Na+-K+-ATPase activity as well as ouabain binding. The increase in Na+-K+-ATPase activity was abolished when cells were coincubated with a cAMP-dependent protein kinase inhibitor. This stimulation, however, was not due to protein kinase-dependent phosphorylation of the Na+-K+-ATPase α-subunit; rather, it was the result of an increased number of α-subunits recruited from the late endosomes into the plasma membrane. The recruitment of α-subunits to the plasma membrane was prevented by stabilizing the cortical actin cytoskeleton with phallacidin or by blocking anterograde transport with brefeldin A but was unaffected by coincubation with amiloride. In conclusion, isoproterenol increases Na+-K+-ATPase activity in alveolar type II epithelial cells by recruiting α-subunits into the plasma membrane from an intracellular compartment in an Na+-independent manner.

Receptor-mediated inhibition of renal Na+-K+-ATPase is associated with endocytosis of its α- and β-subunits

The mechanisms involved in receptor-mediated inhibition of Na+-K+-ATPase remain poorly understood. In this study, we evaluate whether inhibition of proximal tubule Na+-K+-ATPase activity by dopamine is linked to its removal from the plasma membrane and internalization into defined intracellular compartments. Clathrin-coated vesicles were isolated by sucrose gradient centrifugation and negative lectin selection, and early and late endosomes were separated on a flotation gradient. Inhibition of Na+-K+-ATPase activity by dopamine, in contrast to its inhibition by ouabain, was accompanied by a sequential increase in the abundance of the α-subunit in clathrin-coated vesicles (1 min), early endosomes (2.5 min), and late endosomes (5 min), suggesting its stepwise translocation between these organelles. A similar pattern was found for the β-subunit. The increased incorporation of both subunits in all compartments was blocked by calphostin C. The results demonstrate that the dopamine-induced decrease in Na+-K+-ATPase activity in proximal tubules is associated with internalization of its α- and β-subunits into early and late endosomes via a clathrin-dependent pathway and that this process is protein kinase C dependent. The presence of Na+-K+-ATPase subunits in endosomes suggests that these compartments may constitute normal traffic reservoirs during pump degradation and/or synthesis.

Hypertension-Linked Mutation in the Adducin α-Subunit Leads to Higher AP2-μ2 Phosphorylation and Impaired Na+,K+-ATPase Trafficking in Response to GPCR Signals and Intracellular Sodium

&agr;-Adducin polymorphism in humans is associated with abnormal renal sodium handling and high blood pressure. The mechanisms by which mutations in adducin affect the renal set point for sodium excretion are not known. Decreases in Na+,K+-ATPase activity attributable to endocytosis of active units in renal tubule cells by dopamine regulates sodium excretion during high-salt diet. Milan rats carrying the hypertensive adducin phenotype have a higher renal tubule Na+,K+-ATPase activity, and their Na+,K+-ATPase molecules do not undergo endocytosis in response to dopamine as do those of the normotensive strain. Dopamine fails to promote the interaction between adaptins and the Na+,K+-ATPase because of adaptin-&mgr;2 subunit hyperphosphorylation. Expression of the hypertensive rat or human variant of adducin into normal renal epithelial cells recreates the hypertensive phenotype with higher Na+,K+-ATPase activity, &mgr;2-subunit hyperphosphorylation, and impaired Na+,K+-ATPase endocytosis. Thus, increased renal Na+,K+-ATPase activity and altered sodium reabsorption in certain forms of hypertension could be attributed to a mutant form of adducin that impairs the dynamic regulation of renal Na+,K+-ATPase endocytosis in response to natriuretic signals.

PKC-β and PKC-ζ mediate opposing effects on proximal tubule Na+,K+-ATPase activity

Dopamine (DA) inhibits rodent proximal tubule Na+,K+‐ATPase via stimulation of protein kinase C (PKC). However, direct stimulation of PKC by phorbol 12‐myristate 13‐acetate (PMA) results in increased Na+,K+‐ATPase. LY333531, a specific inhibitor of the PKC‐β isoform, prevents PMA‐dependent activation of Na+,K+‐ATPase, but has no effect on DA inhibition of this activity. A similar result was obtained with a PKC‐β inhibitor peptide. Concentrations of staurosporine, that inhibits PKC‐ζ, prevent DA‐dependent inhibition of Na+,K+‐ATPase and a similar effect was obtained with a PKC‐ζ inhibitor peptide. Thus, PMA‐dependent stimulation of Na+,K+‐ATPase is mediated by activation of PKC‐β, whereas inhibition by DA requires activation of PKC‐ζ.

Phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase serves as a metabolic sensor and regulates priming of secretory granules in pancreatic beta cells.

Insulin secretion is controlled by the β cell′s metabolic state, and the ability of the secretory granules to undergo exocytosis increases during glucose stimulation in a membrane potential-independent fashion. Here, we demonstrate that exocytosis of insulin-containing secretory granules depends on phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase (PI 4-kinase) activity and that inhibition of this enzyme suppresses glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. Intracellular application of phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate [PI(4,5)P2] stimulated exocytosis by promoting the priming of secretory granules for release and increasing the number of granules residing in a readily releasable pool. Reducing the cytoplasmic ADP concentration in a way mimicking the effects of glucose stimulation activated PI 4-kinase and increased exocytosis whereas changes of the ATP concentration in the physiological range had little effect. The PI(4,5)P2-binding protein Ca2+-dependent activator protein for secretion (CAPS) is present in β cells, and neutralization of the protein abolished both Ca2+- and PI(4,5)P2-induced exocytosis. We conclude that ADP-induced changes in PI 4-kinase activity, via generation of PI(4,5)P2, represents a metabolic sensor in the β cell by virtue of its capacity to regulate the release competence of the secretory granules.

Tyrosine 537 within the Na+,K+-ATPase α-Subunit Is Essential for AP-2 Binding and Clathrin-dependent Endocytosis

In renal epithelial cells endocytosis of Na+,K+-ATPase molecules is initiated by phosphorylation of its α1-subunit, leading to activation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase and adaptor protein-2 (AP-2)/clathrin recruitment. The present study was performed to establish the identity of the AP-2 recognition domain(s) within the Na+,K+-ATPase α1-subunit. We identified a conserved sequence (Y537LEL) within the α1-subunit that represents an AP-2 binding site. Binding of AP-2 to the Na+,K+-ATPase α1-subunit in response to dopamine (DA) was increased in OK cells stably expressing the wild type rodent α-subunit (OK-WT), but not in cells expressing the Y537A mutant (OK-Y537A). DA treatment was associated with increased α1-subunit abundance in clathrin vesicles from OK-WT but not from OK-Y537A cells. In addition, this mutation also impaired the ability of DA to inhibit Na+,K+-ATPase activity. Because phorbol estersincrease Na+,K+-ATPase activity in OK cells, and this effect was not affected by the Y537A mutation, the present results suggest that the identified motif is specifically required for DA-induced AP-2 binding and Na+,K+-ATPase endocytosis.

Protein kinase A induces recruitment of active Na+,K+‐ATPase units to the plasma membrane of rat proximal convoluted tubule cells

1 The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanism of control of Na+,K+‐ATPase activity by the cAMP‐protein kinase A (PKA) pathway in rat proximal convoluted tubules. For this purpose, we studied the in vitro action of exogenous cAMP (10−3 M dibutyryl‐cAMP (db‐cAMP) or 8‐bromo‐cAMP) and endogenous cAMP (direct activation of adenylyl cyclases by 10−5 M forskolin) on Na+,K+‐ATPase activity and membrane trafficking. 2 PKA activation stimulated both the cation transport and hydrolytic activity of Na+,K+‐ATPase by about 40 %. Transport activity stimulation was specific to the PKA signalling pathway since (1) db‐cAMP stimulated the ouabain‐sensitive 86Rb+ uptake in a time‐ and dose‐dependent fashion; (2) this effect was abolished by addition of H‐89 or Rp‐cAMPS, two structurally different PKA inhibitors; and (3) this stimulation was not affected by inhibition of protein kinase C (PKC) by GF109203X. The stimulatory effect of db‐cAMP on the hydrolytic activity of Na+,K+‐ATPase was accounted for by an increased maximal ATPase rate (Vmax) without alteration of the efficiency of the pump, suggesting that cAMP‐PKA pathway was implicated in membrane redistribution control. 3 To test this hypothesis, we used two different approaches: (1) cell surface protein biotinylation and (2) subcellular fractionation. Both approaches confirmed that the cAMP‐PKA pathway was implicated in membrane trafficking regulation. The stimulation of Na+,K+‐ATPase activity by db‐cAMP was associated with an increase (+40 %) in Na+,K+‐ATPase units expressed at the cell surface which was assessed by Western blotting after streptavidin precipitation of biotinylated cell surface proteins. Subcellular fractionation confirmed the increased expression in pump units at the cell surface which was accompanied by a decrease (‐30 %) in pump units located in the subcellular fraction corresponding to early endosomes. 4 In conclusion, PKA stimulates Na+,K+‐ATPase activity, at least in part, by increasing the number of Na+‐K+ pumps in the plasma membrane in proximal convoluted tubule cells.