Jan Loffing

Amino-acid transport by heterodimers of 4F2hc/CD98 and members of a permease family

Amino-acid transport across cellular plasma membranes depends on several parallel-functioning (co-)transporters and exchangers. The widespread transport system L accounts for a sodium-independent exchange of large, neutral amino acids, whereas the system y+L exchanges positively charged amino acids and/or neutral amino acids together with sodium,. The molecular nature of these transporters remains unknown, although expression of the human cell-surface glycoprotein 4F2 heavy chain (h4F2hc; CD98 in the mouse), is known to induce low levels of L- and/or y+L-type transport. This glycoprotein is found in activated lymphocytes, together with an uncharacterized, disulphide-linked lipophilic light chain with an apparent relative molecular mass of 40,000 (Mr 40K),. Here we identify the permease-related protein E16 (ref. 12) as the first light chain of h4F2hc and show that the resulting heterodimeric complex mediates L-type amino-acid transport. The homologous protein from Schistosoma mansoni, SPRM1, also associates covalently with coexpressed h4F2hc glycoprotein, although it induces amino-acid transport of different substrate specificity. The coexpression of h4F2hc is required for surface expression of these permease-related light chains, which belong to a new family of amino-acid transporters that form heterodimers with cell-surface glycoproteins.

Functional heterodimeric amino acid transporters lacking cysteine residues involved in disulfide bond

The protein mediating system L amino acid transport, AmAT‐L, is a disulfide‐linked heterodimer of a permease‐related light chain (AmAT‐L‐lc) and the type II glycoprotein 4F2hc/CD98. The Schistosoma mansoni protein SPRM1 also heterodimerizes with h4F2hc, inducing amino acid transport with different specificity. In this study, we show that the disulfide bond is formed by heavy chain C109 with a Cys residue located in the second putative extracellular loop of the multi‐transmembrane domain light chain (C164 and C137 for XAmAT‐L‐lc and SPRM1, respectively). The non‐covalent interaction of Cys‐mutant subunits is not sufficient to allow coimmunoprecipitation, but cell surface expression of the light chains is maintained to a large extent. The non‐covalently linked transporters display the same transport characteristics as disulfide bound heterodimers, but the maximal transport rates are reduced by 30–80%.

Impaired PTH-induced endocytotic down-regulation of the renal type IIa Na+/Pi-cotransporter in RAP-deficient mice with reduced megalin expression.

Inorganic phosphate (Pi) reabsorption in the renal proximal tubule occurs mostly via the Na+/Pi cotransporter type IIa (NaPi-IIa) located in the brush-border membrane (BBM) and is regulated, among other factors, by dietary Pi intake and parathyroid hormone (PTH). The PTH-induced inhibition of Pi reabsorption is mediated by endocytosis of Na/Pi-IIa from the BBM and subsequent lysosomal degradation. Megalin is involved in receptor-mediated endocytosis of proteins from the urine in the renal proximal tubule. The recently identified receptor-associated protein (RAP) is a novel type of chaperone responsible for the intracellular transport of endocytotic receptors such as megalin. Gene disruption of RAP leads to a decrease of megalin in the BBM and to a disturbed proximal tubular endocytotic machinery. Here we investigated whether the distribution of NaPi-IIa and/or its regulation by dietary Pi intake and PTH is affected in the proximal tubules of RAP-deficient mice as a model for megalin loss. In RAP-deficient mice megalin expression was strongly reduced and restricted to a subapical localization. NaPi-IIa protein distribution and abundance in the kidney was not altered. The localization and abundance of the NaPi-IIa interacting proteins MAP17, PDZK-1, D-AKAP2, and NHE-RF1 were also normal. Other transport proteins expressed in the BBM such as the Na+/H+ exchanger NHE-3 and the Na+/sulphate cotransporter NaSi were normally expressed. In whole animals and in isolated fresh kidney slices the PTH-induced internalization of NaPi-IIa was strongly delayed in RAP-deficient mice. PTH receptor expression in the proximal tubule was not affected by the RAP knock-out. cAMP, cGMP or PKC activators induced internalization which was delayed in RAP-deficient mice. In contrast, both wildtype and RAP-deficient mice were able to adapt to high-, normal, and low-Pi diets appropriately as indicated by urinary Pi excretion and NaPi-IIa protein abundance.

Enhanced osteopontin expression and macrophage infiltration in MRL-Faslpr mice with lupus nephritis

MRL-Fas(lpr) mice spontaneously develop a chronic lupus-like renal disease, characterized by immune complex-mediated glomerulonephritis and abundant mononuclear cell infiltration in the interstitium. In the present study we have examined whether the macrophage chemoattractant osteopontin (Opn) could be important in the recruitment of macrophages in this murine model of autoimmune renal injury. We have examined the expression of Opn in the kidney of MRL-Fas(lpr) mice and have correlated Opn synthesis with the degree of macrophage infiltration. Immunofluorescence staining revealed prominent expression of Opn by proximal tubules in MRL-Fas(lpr) mice but not in MRL-++ control mice. Northern blot analysis demonstrated that steady-state transcript levels for Opn mRNA were also significantly increased in MRL-Fas(lpr) kidneys compared with control kidneys. Furthermore, in situ hybridization showed massive Opn mRNA transcripts in proximal tubules in MRL-Fas(lpr) mice but not in controls. The diffuse macrophage infiltration in the kidney of MRL-Fas(lpr) correlated with the enhanced Opn expression. Opn secretion in vitro by cultured renal tubular epithelial cells was upregulated by TNF-alpha and 1,25(OH)2-vitamin D3, whereas no regulation was observed in a control macrophage cell line. We conclude that the enhanced expression of the chemotactic molecule Opn by tubular cells is a prominent feature of murine lupus nephritis and might be promoted by the proinflammatory cytokine environment in MRL-Fas(lpr). The chronic upregulation of Opn could participate in the recruitment of monocytes in the kidney of MRL-Fas(lpr) mice, thereby contributing to the pathogenesis of autoimmune renal disease.

Expression of visinin-like protein-3 in mouse kidney.

In renal proximal brush borders the Na/Pi cotransporter NaPi-IIa is part of a heteromultimeric complex including the PDZ proteins PDZK1 and NHERF1, which interact with the C terminus of NaPi-IIa. In this study, a yeast two-hybrid screen against the N terminus of the Na/Pi cotransporter NaPi-IIa was performed. Thereby we identified visinin-like protein-3 (VILIP-3), a member of neuronal calcium sensors. In this study, expression and protein localization of VILIP-3 in the mouse kidney was performed by immunofluorescence and RT-PCR using laser-assisted microdissected nephron segments. VILIP-3 was found to be abundant in distal and collecting ducts where it partly colocalized with calbindin D28K. In addition VILIP-3 was observed in the brush borders of proximal tubular S1 and S3 segments of both superficial and deep nephrons.