Joseph A. Tabcharani

Failure of the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator to Conduct ATP

The cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) is a chloride ion channel regulated by protein kinase A and adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Loss of CFTR-mediated chloride ion conductance from the apical plasma membrane of epithelial cells is a primary physiological lesion in cystic fibrosis. CFTR has also been suggested to function as an ATP channel, although the size of the ATP anion is much larger than the estimated size of the CFTR pore. ATP was not conducted through CFTR in intact organs, polarized human lung cell lines, stably transfected mammalian cell lines, or planar lipid bilayers reconstituted with CFTR protein. These findings suggest that ATP permeation through the CFTR is unlikely to contribute to the normal function of CFTR or to the pathogenesis of cystic fibrosis.

CFTR CHANNELS EXPRESSED IN CHO CELLS DO NOT HAVE DETECTABLE ATP CONDUCTANCE

Abstract. The cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) is a cAMP-activated, ATP-dependent chloride channel which may have additional functions. Recent reports that CFTR mediates substantial electrodiffusion of ATP from epithelial cells have led to the proposal that CFTR regulates other ion channels through an autocrine mechanism involving ATP. The aim of this study was to determine the ATP conductance of wild-type CFTR channels stably expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells using patch clamp techniques. In the cell-attached configuration with 100 mm Mg · ATP or Tris · ATP solution in the pipette and 140 mm NaCl in the bath, exposing cells to forskolin caused the activation of a low-conductance channel having kinetics resembling those of CFTR. Single channel currents were negative at the resting membrane potential (Vm), consistent with net diffusion of Cl from the cell into the pipette. The transitions decreased in amplitude, but did not reverse direction, as Vm was clamped at increasingly positive potentials to enhance the driving force for inward ATP flow (>+80 mV). In excised patches, single channel currents did not reverse under essentially biionic conditions (Clin/ATPout or ATPin/Clout), although PKA-activated currents were clearly visible in the same patches at voltages where they would be carried by chloride ions. Moreover, with NaCl solution in the bath and a mixture of ATP and Cl in the pipette, the single channel I/V curve reversed at the predicted equilibrium potential for chloride. CFTR channel currents disappeared when patches were exposed to symmetrical ATP solutions and were restored by reexposure to Cl solution. Finally, in the whole-cell configuration with NaCl in the bath and 100 mm MgATP or TrisATP in the pipette, cAMP-stimulated cells had time-independent, outwardly rectifying currents consistent with CFTR selectivity for external Cl over internal ATP. Whole-cell currents reversed near Vm=−55 mV under these conditions, however the whole cell resistance measured at −100 mV was comparable to that of the gigaohm seal between the plasma membrane and glass pipette (7 GΩ). We conclude that CFTR does not mediate detectable electrodiffusion of ATP.

Bicarbonate permeability of the outwardly rectifying anion channel

SummarySingle anion-selective channels have been studied in cultured human epithelial cells using the patch-clamp technique. Three cell types were used as models for different anion transport systems: (i) PANC-1, a cell line derived from the pancreatic duct, (ii) T84, a Cl-secreting colonic cell line, and (iii) primary cultures of sweat duct epithelium. Outwardly rectifying anion-selective channels were observed in all three preparations and were indistinguishable with respect to conductance, selectivity and gating. Striking similarities between HCO3- and Cl-secreting epithelia, and the high density of outward rectifiers in pancreatic cells prompted us to study HCO3 permeation through this channels. HCO3 permeability was significant when channels were bathed in symmetrical 150mm HCO3 solutions, Cl−HCO3 mixtures, and under bi-ionic conditions with outwardly and inwardly directed HCO3 gradients. Permeability ratios (PHCO3/PCl) estimated from bi-ionic reversal potentials ranged from 0.50 to 0.64, although conductance ratios greater than 1.2 were observed with high extracellular pH. Chloride did not inhibit HCO3 permeation noticeably but rather had a small stimulatory effect when present on the opposite side of the membrane. The prevalence of outward rectifiers in PANC-1 and their permeability to bicarbonate suggests the channel may have a dual role in HCO3 secretion; to allow Cl recycling at the apical membrane and to mediate some of the HCO3 flux. Defective modulation of this channel in cystic fibrosis might provide a common basis for dysfunction in epithelia having very different anion transport properties (e.g., HCO3 secretion, Cl secretion and Cl absorption).

Inhibition of an outwardly rectifying anion channel by HEPES and related buffers

SummaryThe effect of pH buffers and related compounds on the conductance of an outwardly rectifying anion channel has been studies using the patch-clamp technique. Single-channel current-voltage relationships were determined in solutions buffered by trace amounts of bicarbonate and in solutions containing N-substituted taurines (HEPES, MES, BES, TES) and glycines (glycylglycine, bicine and tricine), Tris andbis-Tris at millimolar concentrations. HEPES (pKa=7.55) reduced the conductance of the channel when present on either side of the membrane. Significant inhibition was observed with 0.6mm HEPES on the cytoplasmic side (HEPESi) and this effect increased with [HEPESi] so that conductance at the reversal potential was diminished ≈25% with 10mm HEPESi)and ≈70% at very high [HEPESi]. HEPESi block was relieved by applying positive voltage but positive currents were not consistent with a Woodhulltype blocking scheme in that calculated dissociation constants and electrical distances depended on HEPES concentration. Results obtained by varying total HEPESi concentration at constant [HEPES−] and vice versa suggest both the anionic and zwitterionic (protonated) forms of HEPES inhibit. Structure-activity studies with related compounds indicate the sulfonate group and heterocyclic aliphatic groups are both required for inhibition from the cytoplasmic side. TES (pKa=7.54), substituted glycine buffers (pKa=8.1–8.4) andbis-Tris (pKa=6.46) had no measurable effect on conductance and appear suitable for use with this channel.

Dibasic protein kinase A sites regulate bursting rate and nucleotide sensitivity of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator chloride channel

1 The relationship between phosphorylation of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) chloride channel and its gating by nucleotides was examined using the patch clamp technique by comparing strongly phosphorylated wild‐type (WT) channels with weakly phosphorylated mutant channels lacking four (4SA) or all ten (10SA) dibasic consensus sequences for phosphorylation by protein kinase A (PKA). 2 The open probability (Po) of strongly phosphorylated WT channels in excised patches was about twice that of 4SA and 10SA channels, after correcting for the number of functional channels per patch by addition of adenylylimidodiphosphate (AMP‐PNP). The mean burst durations of WT and mutant channels were similar, and therefore the elevated Po of WT was due to its higher bursting rate. 3 The ATP dependence of the 10SA mutant was shifted to higher nucleotide concentrations compared with WT channels. The relationship between Po and [ATP] was noticeably sigmoid for 10SA channels (Hill coefficient, 1.8), consistent with positive co‐operativity between two sites. Increasing ATP concentration to 10 mM caused the Po of both WT and 10SA channels to decline. 4 Wild‐type and mutant CFTR channels became locked in open bursts when exposed to mixtures of ATP and the non‐hydrolysable analogue AMP‐PNP. The rate at which the low phosphorylation mutants became locked open was about half that of WT channels, consistent with Po being the principal determinant of locking rate in WT and mutant channels. 5 We conclude that phosphorylation at ‘weak’ PKA sites is sufficient to sustain the interactions between the ATP binding domains that mediate locking by AMP‐PNP. Phosphorylation of the strong dibasic PKA sites controls the bursting rate and Po of WT channels by increasing the apparent affinity of CFTR for ATP.

THE CFTR CHLORIDE CHANNEL : NUCLEOTIDE INTERACTIONS AND TEMPERATURE-DEPENDENT GATING

Abstract. The gating cycle of CFTR (Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane conductance Regulator) chloride channels requires ATP hydrolysis and can be interrupted by exposure to the nonhydrolyzable nucleotide AMP-PNP. To further characterize nucleotide interactions and channel gating, we have studied the effects of AMP-PNP, protein kinase C (PKC) phosphorylation, and temperature on gating kinetics. The rate of channel locking increased from 1.05 × 10−3 sec−1 to 58.7 × 10−3 sec−1 when AMP-PNP concentration was raised from 0.5 to 5 mm in the presence of 1 mm MgATP and 180 nm protein kinase A catalytic subunit (PKA). Although rapid locking precluded estimation of Po or opening rate immediately after the addition of AMP-PNP to wild-type channels, analysis of locking rates in the presence of high AMP-PNP concentrations revealed two components. The appearance of a distinct, slow component at high [AMP-PNP] is evidence for AMP-PNP interactions at a second site, where competition with ATP would reduce Po and thereby delay locking. All channels exhibited locking when they were strongly phosphorylated by PKA, but not when exposed to PKC alone. AMP-PNP increased Po at temperatures above 30°C but did not cause locking, evidence that the stabilizing interactions between domains, which have been proposed to maintain CFTR in the open burst state, are relatively weak. The temperature dependence of normal CFTR gating by ATP was strongly asymmetric, with the opening rate being much more temperature sensitive (Q10= 9.6) than the closing rate (Q10= 3.6). These results are consistent with a cyclic model for gating of phosphorylated CFTR.

Basolateral K channel activated by carbachol in the epithelial cell line T84

Cholinergic stimulation of chloride secretion involves the activation of a basolateral membrane potassium conductance, which maintains the electrical gradient favoring apical Cl efflux and allows K to recycle at the basolateral membrane. We have used transepithelial short-circuit current (ISC), fluorescence imaging, and patch clamp studies to identify and characterize the K channel that mediates this response in T84 cells. Carbachol had little effect on ISC when added alone but produced large, transient currents if added to monolayers prestimulated with cAMP. cAMP also enhanced the subsequent ISC response to calcium ionophores. Carbachol (100 μm) transiently elevated intracellular free calcium ([Ca2+]i) by ∼3-fold in confluent cells cultured on glass coverslips with a time course resembling the Isc response of confluent monolayers that had been grown on porous supports. In parallel patch clamp experiments, carbachol activated an inwardly rectifying potassium channel on the basolateral aspect of polarized monolayers which had been dissected from porous culture supports. The same channel was transiently activated on the surface of subconfluent monolayers during stimulation by carbachol. Activation was more prolonged when cells were exposed to calcium ionophores. The conductance of the inward rectifier in cell-attached patches was 55 pS near the resting membrane potential (−54 mV) with pipette solution containing 150 mm KCl (37°C). This rectification persisted when patches were bathed in symmetrical 150 mm KCl solutions. The selectivity sequence was 1 K > 0.88 Rb > 0.18 Na ≫ Cs based on permeability ratios under bi-ionic conditions. The channel exhibited fast block by external sodium ions, was weakly inhibited by external TEA, was relatively insensitive to charybdotoxin, kaliotoxin, 4-aminopyridine and quinidine, and was unaffected by external 10 mm barium. It is referred to as the KBIC channel based on its most distinctive properties (Ba-insensitive, inwardly rectifying, Ca-activated). Like single KBIC channels, the carbachol-stimulated ISC was relatively insensitive to several blockers on the basolateral side and was unaffected by barium. These comparisons between the properties of the macroscopic current and single channels suggest that the KBIC channel mediates basolateral membrane K conductance in T84 cell monolayers during stimulation by cholinergic secretagogues.

Regulation of an Inwardly Rectifying K Channel in the T84 Epithelial Cell Line by Calcium, Nucleotides and Kinases

Agonists that elevate calcium in T84 cells stimulate chloride secretion by activating KBIC, an inwardly rectifying K channel in the basolateral membrane. We have studied the regulation of this channel by calcium, nucleotides and phosphorylation using patch clamp and short-circuit current (ISC) techniques. Open probability (P0) was independent of voltage but declined spontaneously with time after excision. Rundown was slower if patches were excised into a bath solution containing ATP (10 μm−5 mm), ATP (0.1 mm) + protein kinase A (PKA; 180 nm), or isobutylmethylxanthine (IBMX; 1 mm). Analysis of event durations suggested that the channel has at least two open and two closed states, and that rundown under control conditions is mainly due to prolongation of the long closed time. Channel activity was restimulated after rundown by exposure to ATP, the poorly hydrolyzable ATP analogue AMP-PNP, or ADP. Activity was further enhanced when PKA was added in the presence of MgATP, but only if free calcium concentration was elevated (400 nm). Nucleotide stimulation and inward rectification were both observed in nominally Mg-free solutions. cAMP modulation of basolateral potassium conductance in situ was confirmed by measuring currents generated by a transepithelial K gradient after permeabilization of the apical membrane using α-toxin. Finally, protein kinase C (PKC) inhibited single KBIC channels when it was added directly to excised patches. These results suggest that nonhydrolytic binding of nucleotides and phosphorylation by PKA and PKC modulate the responsiveness of the inwardly rectifying K channel to Ca-mediated secretagogues.

A Secretory Cl Channel from Epithelial Cells Studied in Heterologous Expression Systems

The final exit step during transepithelial chloride secretion is mediated by a conductance in the apical membrane (Fig. 1). Chloride conductance is stimulated by epinephrine, prostaglandin E2, vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), or other agents that elevate adenosine 3’,5’-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP), and is the primary site of regulation during transcellular transport. This chapter focuses on cAMP-regulated Cl conductance, although other pathways involving protein kinase C, cGMP, and arachidonic acid metabolites may also be important.