Ling-Jun Huan

Directed differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells into mature airway epithelia expressing functional CFTR protein

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a fatal genetic disease caused by mutations in the CFTR (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator) gene, which regulates chloride and water transport across all epithelia and affects multiple organs, including the lungs. Here we report an in vitro directed differentiation protocol for generating functional CFTR-expressing airway epithelia from human embryonic stem cells. Carefully timed treatment by exogenous growth factors that mimic endoderm developmental pathways in vivo followed by air-liquid interface culture results in maturation of patches of tight junction–coupled differentiated airway epithelial cells that demonstrate active CFTR transport function. As a proof of concept, treatment of CF patient induced pluripotent stem cell–derived epithelial cells with a small-molecule compound to correct for the common CF processing mutation resulted in enhanced plasma membrane localization of mature CFTR protein. Our study provides a method for generating patient-specific airway epithelial cells for disease modeling and in vitro drug testing.

Novel method for evaluation of the oligomeric structure of membrane proteins

Assessment of the quaternary structure of membrane proteins by PAGE has been problematic owing to their relatively poor solubility in non-dissociative detergents. Here we report that several membrane proteins can be readily solubilized in their native quaternary structure with the use of the detergent perfluoro-octanoic acid (PFO). Further, PFO can be used with PAGE, thereby providing a novel, accessible tool with which to assess the molecular mass of homo-multimeric protein complexes.

The intact CFTR protein mediates ATPase rather than adenylate kinase activity

The two NBDs (nucleotide-binding domains) of ABC (ATP-binding-cassette) proteins function in a complex to mediate ATPase activity and this activity has been linked to their regulated transport activity. A similar model has been proposed for CFTR (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator), the chloride channel defective in cystic fibrosis, wherein ATP binding and hydrolysis regulate the channel gate. Recently, it was shown that the individual NBDs isolated from CFTR primarily mediate adenylate kinase activity, raising the possibility that this activity may also contribute to gating of the CFTR channel. However, this present study shows that whereas the isolated NBDs exhibit adenylate kinase activity, the full-length purified and reconstituted CFTR protein functions as an ATPase, arguing that the enzymatic activity of the NBDs is dependent on their molecular context and appropriate domain-domain assembly. As expected, the disease-causing mutant bearing a mutation in the ABC signature motif, CFTR-G551D, exhibited a markedly reduced ATPase activity. Furthermore, mutation of the putative catalytic base in CFTR caused a reduction in ATPase activity, with the CFTR-E1371Q mutant supporting a low level of residual activity. Neither of these mutants exhibited detectable adenylate kinase activity. Together, these findings support the concept that the molecular mechanism of action of CFTR is dependent on ATP binding and hydrolysis, and that the structure of prokaryotic ABC ATPases provide a useful template for understanding their mechanism of action.

Perturbation of the Pore of the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) Inhibits Its ATPase Activity

Mutations in the cystic fibrosis gene coding for the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) lead to altered chloride (Cl−) flux in affected epithelial tissues. CFTR is a Cl− channel that is regulated by phosphorylation, nucleotide binding, and hydrolysis. However, the molecular basis for the functional regulation of wild type and mutant CFTR remains poorly understood. CFTR possesses two nucleotide binding domains, a phosphorylation-dependent regulatory domain, and two transmembrane domains that comprise the pore through which Cl− permeates. Mutations of residues lining the channel pore (e.g. R347D) are typically thought to cause disease by altering the interaction of Cl− with the pore. However, in the present study we show that the R347D mutation and diphenylamine-2-carboxylate (an open pore inhibitor) also inhibit CFTR ATPase activity, revealing a novel mechanism for cross-talk from the pore to the catalytic domains. In both cases, the reduction in ATPase correlates with a decrease in nucleotide turnover rather than affinity. Finally, we demonstrate that glutathione (GSH) inhibits CFTR ATPase and that this inhibition is altered in the CFTR-R347D variant. These findings suggest that cross-talk between the pore and nucleotide binding domains of CFTR may be important in the in vivoregulation of CFTR in health and disease.

Functional Rescue of DeltaF508-CFTR by Peptides Designed to Mimic Sorting Motifs

The cystic fibrosis (CF)-causing mutant, deltaF508-CFTR, is misfolded and fails to traffic out of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to the cell surface. Introduction of second site mutations that disrupt a diarginine (RXR)-based ER retention motif in the first nucleotide binding domain rescues the trafficking defect of deltaF508-CFTR, supporting a role for these motifs in mediating ER retention of the major mutant. To determine if these RXR motifs mediate retention of the native deltaF508-CFTR protein in situ, we generated peptides that mimic these motifs and should antagonize mistrafficking mediated via their aberrant exposure. Here we show robust rescue of deltaF508-CFTR in cell lines and in respiratory epithelial tissues by transduction of RXR motif-mimetics, showing that abnormal accessibility of this motif is a key determinant of mistrafficking of the major CF-causing mutant.

Nucleotides bind to the C-terminus of ClC-5

Mutations in ClC-5 (chloride channel 5), a member of the ClC family of chloride ion channels and antiporters, have been linked to Dents disease, a renal disease associated with proteinuria. Several of the disease-causing mutations are premature stop mutations which lead to truncation of the C-terminus, pointing to the functional significance of this region. The C-terminus of ClC-5, like that of other eukaryotic ClC proteins, is cytoplasmic and contains a pair of CBS (cystathionine beta-synthase) domains connected by an intervening sequence. The presence of CBS domains implies a regulatory role for nucleotide interaction based on studies of other unrelated proteins bearing these domains [Ignoul and Eggermont (2005) Am. J. Physiol. Cell Physiol. 289, C1369-C1378; Scott, Hawley, Green, Anis, Stewart, Scullion, Norman and Hardie (2004) J. Clin. Invest. 113, 274-284]. However, to date, there has been no direct biochemical or biophysical evidence to support nucleotide interaction with ClC-5. In the present study, we have expressed and purified milligram quantities of the isolated C-terminus of ClC-5 (CIC-5 Ct). CD studies show that the protein is compact, with predominantly alpha-helical structure. We determined, using radiolabelled ATP, that this nucleotide binds the folded protein with low affinity, in the millimolar range, and that this interaction can be competed with 1 muM AMP. CD studies show that binding of these nucleotides causes no significant change in secondary structure, consistent with a model wherein these nucleotides bind to a preformed site. However, both nucleotides induce an increase in thermal stability of ClC-5 Ct, supporting the suggestion that both nucleotides interact with and modify the biophysical properties of this protein.

The major cystic fibrosis causing mutation exhibits defective propensity for phosphorylation

The major cystic fibrosis causing mutation, F508del‐CFTR (where CFTR is cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator), impairs biosynthetic maturation of the CFTR protein, limiting its expression as a phosphorylation‐dependent channel on the cell surface. The maturation defect can be partially rescued by low‐temperature (27°C) cell culture conditions or small‐molecule corrector compounds. Following its partial rescue, the open probability of F508del‐CFTR is enhanced by the potentiator compound, VX‐770. However, the channel activity of rescued F508del‐CFTR remains less than that of the Wt‐CFTR protein in the presence of VX‐770. In this study, we asked if there are allosteric effects of F508del on the phosphorylation‐regulated R domain. To identify defects in the R domain, we compared the phosphorylation status at protein kinase A sites in the R domain of Wt and F508del‐CFTR. Here we show that phosphorylation of Ser‐660, quantified by SRM‐MS, is reduced in F508del‐CFTR. Although the generation of a phosphomimic at this site (substituting aspartic acid for serine) did not modify the maturation defect, it did enhance F508del‐CFTR channel function after pharmacological rescue with corrector VX‐809, and treatment with the potentiator, VX‐770. These findings support the concept that defective phosphorylation of F508del‐CFTR partially accounts for its altered channel activity at the cell surface.

ATP depletion inhibits the endocytosis of ClC‐2

The chloride channel, ClC‐2 is expressed ubiquitously and participates in multiple physiological processes. In particular, ClC‐2 has been implicated in the regulation of neuronal chloride ion homeostasis and mutations in ClC‐2 are associated with idiopathic generalized epilepsy. Despite the physiological and pathophysiological significance of this channel, its regulation remains incompletely understood. The functional expression of ClC‐2 at the cell surface has been shown to be enhanced by depletion of cellular ATP, implicating its possible role in cellular energy sensing. In the present study, biochemical assays of cell surface expression suggest that this gain of function reflects, in part, an increase in channel number due to the reduction in ClC‐2 internalization by endocytosis. Cell surface expression of the disease‐causing mutant: G715E, thought to lack wild‐type nucleotide binding affinity, is similarly affected, suggesting that ATP‐depletion modifies the function of proteins in the endocytic pathway rather than ClC‐2 directly. Using a combination of immunofluorescence and biochemical studies, we confirmed that ClC‐2 is internalized via dynamin‐dependent endocytosis and that the change in surface expression evoked by ATP depletion is partially mimicked by inhibition of dynamin function using a dynamin dominant‐negative mutant (DynK44A). Furthermore, trafficking via the early endosomal compartment occurs in part through rab5‐associated vesicles and recycling of ClC‐2 to the cell surface occurs through a rab11 dependent pathway. In summary, we have determined that the internalization of ClC‐2 by endocytosis is inhibited by metabolic stress, highlighting the importance for understanding the molecular mechanisms mediating the endosomal trafficking of this channel. J. Cell. Physiol. 214:273–280, 2008.

Conformational defects underlie proteasomal degradation of Dent's disease-causing mutants of ClC-5.

Mutations in the CLCN5 (chloride channel, voltage-sensitive 5) gene cause Dents disease because they reduce the functional expression of the ClC-5 chloride/proton transporter in the recycling endosomes of proximal tubule epithelial cells. The majority (60%) of these disease-causing mutations in ClC-5 are misprocessed and retained in the ER (endoplasmic reticulum). Importantly, the structural basis for misprocessing and the cellular destiny of such ClC-5 mutants have yet to be defined. A ClC-5 monomer comprises a short N-terminal region, an extensive membrane domain and a large C-terminal domain. The recent crystal structure of a eukaryotic ClC (chloride channel) transporter revealed the intimate interaction between the membrane domain and the C-terminal region. Therefore we hypothesized that intramolecular interactions may be perturbed in certain mutants. In the present study we examined two misprocessed mutants: C221R located in the membrane domain and R718X, which truncates the C-terminal domain. Both mutants exhibited enhanced protease susceptibility relative to the normal protein in limited proteolysis studies, providing direct evidence that they are misfolded. Interestingly, the membrane-localized mutation C221R led to enhanced protease susceptibility of the cytosolic N-terminal region, and the C-terminal truncation mutation R718X led to enhanced protease susceptibility of both the cytosolic C-terminal and the membrane domain. Together, these studies support the idea that certain misprocessing mutations alter intramolecular interactions within the full-length ClC-5 protein. Further, we found that these misfolded mutants are polyubiquitinated and targeted for proteasomal degradation in the OK (opossum kidney) renal epithelial cells, thereby ensuring that they do not elicit the unfolded protein response.