Paul Linsdell

Mechanism of chloride permeation in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator chloride channel

The cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) functions as a Cl− channel important in transepithelial salt and water transport. While there is a paucity of direct structural information on CFTR, much has been learned about the molecular determinants of the CFTR Cl− channel pore region and the mechanism of Cl− permeation through the pore from indirect structure–function studies. The first and sixth transmembrane regions of the CFTR protein play major roles in forming the channel pore and determining its functional properties by interacting with permeating Cl− ions. Positively charged amino acid side‐chains are involved in attracting negatively charged Cl− ions into the pore region, where they interact briefly with a number of discrete sites on the pore walls. The pore appears able to accommodate more than one Cl− ion at a time, and Cl− ions bound inside the pore are probably sensitive to one anothers presence. Repulsive interactions between Cl− ions bound concurrently within the pore may be important in ensuring rapid movement of Cl− ions through the pore. Chloride ion binding sites also interact with larger anions that can occlude the pore and block Cl− permeation, thus inhibiting CFTR function. Other ions besides Cl− are capable of passing through the pore, and specific amino acid residues that may be important in allowing the channel to discriminate between different anions have been identified. This brief review summarizes these mechanistic insights and tries to incorporate them into a simple cartoon model depicting the interactions between the channel and Cl− ions that are important for ion translocation.

Characterization of basolateral K+ channels underlying anion secretion in the human airway cell line Calu-3

Transepithelial anion secretion in many tissues depends upon the activity of basolateral channels. Using monolayers of the Calu‐3 cell line, a human submucosal serous cell model mounted in an Ussing chamber apparatus, we investigated the nature of the K+ channels involved in basal, cAMP‐ and Ca2+‐stimulated anion secretion, as reflected by the transepithelial short circuit current (Isc). The non‐specific K+ channel inhibitor Ba2+ inhibited the basal Isc by either 77 or 16 % when applied directly to the basolateral or apical membranes, respectively, indicating that a basolateral K+ conductance is required for maintenance of basal anion secretion. Using the K+ channel blockers clofilium and clotrimazole, we found basal Isc to be sensitive to clofilium, with a small clotrimazole‐sensitive component. By stimulating the cAMP and Ca2+ pathways, we determined that cAMP‐stimulated anion secretion was almost entirely abolished by clofilium, but insensitive to clotrimazole. In contrast, the Ca2+‐stimulated response was sensitive to both clofilium and clotrimazole. Thus, pharmacologically distinct basolateral K+ channels are differentially involved in the control of anion secretion under different conditions. Isolation of the basolateral K+ conductance in permeabilized monolayers revealed a small basal and forskolin‐stimulated Isc. Finally, using the reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction, we found that Calu‐3 cells express the K+ channel genes KCNN4 and KCNQ1 and the subunits KCNE2 and KCNE3. We conclude that while KCNN4 contributes to Ca2+‐activated anion secretion by Calu‐3 cells, basal and cAMP‐activated secretion are more critically dependent on other K+ channel types, possibly involving one or more class of KCNQ1‐containing channel complexes.

Relationship between anion binding and anion permeability revealed by mutagenesis within the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator chloride channel pore

1 Anion binding within the pores of wild‐type and mutant cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) Cl− channels, expressed in two different mammalian cell lines, was assayed using patch clamp recording. Specifically, experiments measured both the conductance of different anions and the ability of other permeant anions to block Cl− permeation through the pore. 2 Under symmetrical ionic conditions, wild‐type CFTR channels showed the conductance sequence Cl− >NO3− >Br−≥formate >F− >SCN−∼ ClO4−. 3 High SCN− conductance was not observed, nor was there an anomalous mole fraction effect of SCN− on conductance under the conditions used. Iodide currents could not be measured under symmetrical ionic conditions, but under bi‐ionic conditions I− conductance appeared low. 4 Chloride currents through CFTR channels were blocked by low concentrations (10 mM) of SCN−, I− and ClO4−, implying relatively tight binding of these anions within the pore. 5 Two mutations in CFTR which alter the anion permeability sequence, F337S and T338A, also altered the anion conductance sequence. Furthermore, block by SCN−, I− and ClO4− were weakened in both mutants. Both these effects are consistent with altered anion binding within the pore. 6 The effects of mutations on anion permeability and relative anion conductance suggested that, for most anions, increased permeability was associated with increased conductance. This indicates that the CFTR channel pore does not achieve its anion selectivity by selective anion binding within the mutated region. Instead, it is suggested that entry of anions into the region around F337 and T338 facilitates their passage through the pore. In wild‐type CFTR channels, anion entry into this crucial pore region is probably dominated by anion hydration energies.

Molecular determinants of Au(CN)(2)(-) binding and permeability within the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator Cl(-) channel pore.

Lyotropic anions with low free energy of hydration show both high permeability and tight binding in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) Cl− channel pore. However, the molecular bases of anion selectivity and anion binding within the CFTR pore are not well defined and the relationship between binding and selectivity is unclear. We have studied the effects of point mutations throughout the sixth transmembrane (TM6) region of CFTR on channel block by, and permeability of, the highly lyotropic Au(CN)2− anion, using patch clamp recording from transiently transfected baby hamster kidney cells. Channel block by 100 μm Au(CN)2−, a measure of intrapore anion binding affinity, was significantly weakened in the CFTR mutants K335A, F337S, T338A and I344A, significantly strengthened in S341A and R352Q and unaltered in K329A. Relative Au(CN)2− permeability was significantly increased in T338A and S341A, significantly decreased in F337S and unaffected in all other mutants studied. These results are used to define a model of the pore containing multiple anion binding sites but a more localised anion selectivity region. The central part of TM6 (F337‐S341) appears to be the main determinant of both anion binding and anion selectivity. However, comparison of the effects of individual mutations on binding and selectivity suggest that these two aspects of the permeation mechanism are not strongly interdependent.

Oxidant stress stimulates anion secretion from the human airway epithelial cell line Calu-3: implications for cystic fibrosis lung disease

Exposure to reactive oxygen species (ROS) is associated with tissue damage in the lung and may be a common element in the pathogenesis of all inflammatory lung diseases. Exposure to the ROS hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) evoked a rapid increase in transepithelial anion secretion across monolayers of the human submucosal gland serous cell line Calu‐3. This increase was almost entirely abolished by the addition of diphenylamine‐2‐carboxylate (DPC), implicating the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) Cl− channel in the response. The response was also reduced by inhibitors of basolateral K+ channels. Studies of electrically isolated apical and basolateral membranes revealed that H2O2 stimulated both apical Cl− and basolateral K+ conductances (GCl and GK). Apical GCl was sensitive to DPC, but unaffected by 4,4′‐diisothiocyanatostilbene‐2,2′‐disulfonic acid (DIDS), suggesting that CFTR is the major anion conduction pathway mediating the response to H2O2. Additionally, H2O2 had no effect on GCl in the presence of the adenylate cyclase inhibitor SQ22536 or following maximal stimulation of GCl with forskolin, implicating the cAMP‐dependent protein kinase pathway in the apical response to H2O2. Basolateral GK was reduced by the K+ channel inhibitors clotrimazole and clofilium, indicating roles for KCNN4 and KCNQ1 in the H2O2‐stimulated response. We propose that ROS‐stimulated anion secretion from serous cells plays an important role in keeping the airways clear from damaging radicals that could potentially initiate tissue destruction. Our finding that this response is CFTR dependent suggests that an important host defence mechanism would be dysfunctional in the cystic fibrosis (CF) lung. Loss of this compensatory protective mechanism could expose the CF lung to ROS for extended periods, which could be important in the pathogenesis of CF lung disease.

Mechanism of direct bicarbonate transport by the CFTR anion channel

BACKGROUND CFTR contributes to HCO(3)(-) transport in epithelial cells both directly (by HCO(3)(-) permeation through the channel) and indirectly (by regulating Cl(-)/HCO(3)(-) exchange proteins). While loss of HCO(3)(-) transport is highly relevant to cystic fibrosis, the relative importance of direct and indirect HCO(3)(-) transport it is currently unknown. METHODS Patch clamp recordings from membrane patches excised from cells heterologously expressing wild type and mutant forms of human CFTR were used to isolate directly CFTR-mediated HCO(3)(-) transport and characterize its functional properties. RESULTS The permeability of HCO(3)(-) was approximately 25% that of Cl(-) and was invariable under all ionic conditions studied. CFTR-mediated HCO(3)(-) currents were inhibited by open channel blockers DNDS, glibenclamide and suramin, and these inhibitions were affected by mutations within the channel pore. Cystic fibrosis mutations previously associated with disrupted cellular HCO(3)(-) transport did not affect direct HCO(3)(-) permeability. CONCLUSIONS Cl(-) and HCO(3)(-) share a common transport pathway in CFTR, and selectivity between Cl(-) and HCO(3)(-) is independent of ionic conditions. The mechanism of transport is therefore effectively identical for both ions. We suggest that mutations in CFTR that cause cystic fibrosis by selectively disrupting HCO(3)(-) transport do not impair direct CFTR-mediated HCO(3)(-) transport, but may predominantly alter CFTR regulation of other HCO(3)(-) transport pathways.

Regulation of conductance by the number of fixed positive charges in the intracellular vestibule of the CFTR chloride channel pore

Rapid chloride permeation through the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) Cl− channel is dependent on the presence of fixed positive charges in the permeation pathway. Here, we use site-directed mutagenesis and patch clamp recording to show that the functional role played by one such positive charge (K95) in the inner vestibule of the pore can be “transplanted” to a residue in a different transmembrane (TM) region (S1141). Thus, the mutant channel K95S/S1141K showed Cl− conductance and open-channel blocker interactions similar to those of wild-type CFTR, thereby “rescuing” the effects of the charge-neutralizing K95S mutation. Furthermore, the function of K95C/S1141C, but not K95C or S1141C, was inhibited by the oxidizing agent copper(II)-o-phenanthroline, and this inhibition was reversed by the reducing agent dithiothreitol, suggesting disulfide bond formation between these two introduced cysteine side chains. These results suggest that the amino acid side chains of K95 (in TM1) and S1141 (in TM12) are functionally interchangeable and located closely together in the inner vestibule of the pore. This allowed us to investigate the functional effects of increasing the number of fixed positive charges in this vestibule from one (in wild type) to two (in the S1141K mutant). The S1141K mutant had similar Cl− conductance as wild type, but increased susceptibility to channel block by cytoplasmic anions including adenosine triphosphate, pyrophosphate, 5-nitro-2-(3-phenylpropylamino)benzoic acid, and Pt(NO2)42− in inside-out membrane patches. Furthermore, in cell-attached patch recordings, apparent voltage-dependent channel block by cytosolic anions was strengthened by the S1141K mutation. Thus, the Cl− channel function of CFTR is maximal with a single fixed positive charge in this part of the inner vestibule of the pore, and increasing the number of such charges to two causes a net decrease in overall Cl− transport through a combination of failure to increase Cl− conductance and increased susceptibility to channel block by cytosolic substances.

Direct Comparison of the Functional Roles Played by Different Transmembrane Regions in the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator Chloride Channel Pore

The cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) Cl– channel contains 12 transmembrane (TM) regions that are presumed to form the channel pore. However, little is known about the relative functional contribution of different TM regions to the pore. We have used patch clamp recording to investigate the functional consequences of point mutations throughout the six transmembrane regions in the N-terminal part of the CFTR protein (TM1-TM6). A range of specific functional assays compared the single channel conductance, anion binding, and anion selectivity properties of different channel variants. Overall, our results suggest that TM1 and -6 play dominant roles in forming the channel pore and determining its functional properties, with TM5 perhaps playing a lesser role. In contrast, TM2, -3, and -4 appear to play only minor supporting roles. These results define transmembrane regions 1 and 6 as major contributors to the CFTR channel pore and have strong implications for emerging structural models of CFTR and related ATP-binding cassette proteins.

Changes in Accessibility of Cytoplasmic Substances to the Pore Associated with Activation of the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator Chloride Channel

Opening of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator Cl− channel is dependent both on phosphorylation and on ATP binding and hydrolysis. However, the mechanisms by which these cytoplasmic regulatory factors open the Cl− channel pore are not known. We have used patch clamp recording to investigate the accessibility of cytoplasmically applied cysteine-reactive reagents to cysteines introduced along the length of the pore-lining sixth transmembrane region (TM6) of a cysteine-less variant of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator. We find that methanethiosulfonate (MTS) reagents modify irreversibly cysteines substituted for TM6 residues Phe-337, Thr-338, Ser-341, Ile-344, Val-345, Met-348, Ala-349, Arg-352, and Gln-353 when applied to the cytoplasmic side of open channels. However, the apparent rate of modification by internal [2-sulfonatoethyl] methanethiosulfonate (MTSES), a negatively charged MTS reagent, is dependent on the activation state of the channels. In particular, cysteines introduced far along the axis of TM6 from the inside (T338C, S341C, I344C) showed no evidence of significant modification even after prolonged pretreatment of non-activated channels with internal MTSES. In contrast, cysteines introduced closer to the inside of TM6 (V345C, M348C) were readily modified in both activated and non-activated channels. Access of a permeant anion, Au(CN)2−, to T338C was similarly dependent upon channel activation state. The pattern of MTS modification we observe allows us to designate different pore-lining amino acid side chains to distinct functional regions of the channel pore. One logical interpretation of these findings is that cytoplasmic access to residues at the narrowest region of the pore changes concomitant with activation.

Molecular determinants and role of an anion binding site in the external mouth of the CFTR chloride channel pore

Chloride permeation through the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) Cl− channel is blocked by highly lyotropic permeant anions which bind tightly within the pore. Here we show that several different substitutions of a positively charged amino acid residue, arginine R334, in the putative outer mouth of the CFTR pore, greatly reduce the block caused by lyotropic Au(CN)2− ions applied to the intracellular side of the channel. Fixed positive charge at this site appears to play a role in Au(CN)2− binding, as judged by multiple substitutions of differently charged amino acid side chains and also by the pH dependence of block conferred by the R334H mutant. However, non‐charge‐dependent effects also appear to contribute to Au(CN)2− binding. Mutation of R334 also disrupts the apparent electrostatic interaction between intracellular Au(CN)2− ions and extracellular permeant anions, an interaction which normally acts to relieve channel block. All six mutations studied at R334 significantly weakened this interaction, suggesting that arginine possesses a unique ability to coordinate ion‐ion interactions at this site in the pore. Our results suggest that lyotropic anions bind tightly to a site in the outer mouth of the CFTR pore that involves interaction with a fixed positive charge. Binding to this site is also involved in coordination of multiple permeant anions within the pore, suggesting that anion binding in the outer mouth of the pore is an important aspect in the normal anion permeation mechanism.