scholarly journals L-WNK1 is required for BK channel activation in intercalated cells

Author(s):  
Evan C. Ray ◽  
Rolando Carrisoza-Gaytán ◽  
Mohammad M Al-bataineh ◽  
Allison L. Marciszyn ◽  
Lubika J Nkashama ◽  
...  

BK channels expressed in intercalated cells (ICs) in the aldosterone-sensitive distal nephron (ASDN) mediate flow-induced K+ secretion. In the ASDN of mice and rabbits, IC BK channel expression and activity increase with a high K+ diet. In cell culture, the long isoform of the kinase WNK1 (L-WNK1) increases BK channel expression and activity. Apical L-WNK1 expression is selectively enhanced in ICs in the ASDN of rabbits on a high K+ diet, suggesting that L-WNK1 contributes to BK channel regulation by dietary K+. We examined the role of IC L-WNK1 expression in enhancing BK channel activity in response to a high K+ diet. Mice with an IC-selective deletion of L-WNK1 (IC-L-WNK1-KO) and littermate controls were placed on a high K+ (5% K+ as KCl) diet for 10 or more days. IC-L-WNK1-KO mice exhibited reduced IC apical/subapical BK α subunit expression and BK channel-dependent whole-cell currents compared to controls. Six-hour urinary K+ excretion in response a saline load was similar in IC-L-WNK1-KO mice and controls. The observations that IC-L-WNK1-KO mice on a high K+ diet have higher blood [K+] and reduced IC BK channel activity are consistent with impaired urinary K+ secretion, demonstrating that IC L-WNK1 has a role in the renal adaptation to a high K+ diet.

Author(s):  
Evan C. Ray ◽  
Rolando Carrisoza-Gaytan ◽  
Mohammad Al-Bataineh ◽  
Allison L. Marciszyn ◽  
Lubika J. Nkashama ◽  
...  

AbstractBK channels expressed in intercalated cells (ICs) in the aldosterone-sensitive distal nephron (ASDN) mediate flow-induced K+ secretion. In the ASDN of mice and rabbits, IC BK channel expression and activity increase with a high K+ diet. In cell culture, the long isoform of the kinase WNK1 (L-WNK1) increases BK channel expression and activity. Apical L-WNK1 expression is selectively enhanced in ICs in the ASDN of rabbits on a high K+ diet, suggesting that L-WNK1 contributes to BK channel regulation by dietary K+. We examined the role of IC L-WNK1 expression in enhancing BK channel activity in response to a high K+ diet. Mice with an IC-selective deletion of L-WNK1 (IC-L-WNK1-KO) and littermate control mice were placed on a high K+ (5% K+ as KCl) diet for at least 10 days. IC-L-WNK1-KO mice exhibited higher blood K+ concentrations ([K+]) than controls. BK channel-dependent whole-cell currents in ICs from cortical collecting ducts of high K+ fed IC-L-WNK1-KO mice were reduced compared to controls. Six-hour urinary K+ excretion in response a saline load was similar in IC-L-WNK1-KO mice and controls. The observations that IC-L-WNK1-KO mice have higher blood [K+] and reduced IC BK channel currents are consistent with impaired urinary K+ secretion, and suggest that IC L-WNK1 has a role in the renal adaptation to a high K+ diet.


2016 ◽  
Vol 310 (1) ◽  
pp. F15-F26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tennille N. Webb ◽  
Rolando Carrisoza-Gaytan ◽  
Nicolas Montalbetti ◽  
Anna Rued ◽  
Ankita Roy ◽  
...  

Flow-induced K+ secretion in the aldosterone-sensitive distal nephron is mediated by high-conductance Ca2+-activated K+ (BK) channels. Familial hyperkalemic hypertension (pseudohypoaldosteronism type II) is an inherited form of hypertension with decreased K+ secretion and increased Na+ reabsorption. This disorder is linked to mutations in genes encoding with-no-lysine kinase 1 (WNK1), WNK4, and Kelch-like 3/Cullin 3, two components of an E3 ubiquitin ligase complex that degrades WNKs. We examined whether the full-length (or “long”) form of WNK1 (L-WNK1) affected the expression of BK α-subunits in HEK cells. Overexpression of L-WNK1 promoted a significant increase in BK α-subunit whole cell abundance and functional channel expression. BK α-subunit abundance also increased with coexpression of a kinase dead L-WNK1 mutant (K233M) and with kidney-specific WNK1 (KS-WNK1), suggesting that the catalytic activity of L-WNK1 was not required to increase BK expression. We examined whether dietary K+ intake affected L-WNK1 expression in the aldosterone-sensitive distal nephron. We found a paucity of L-WNK1 labeling in cortical collecting ducts (CCDs) from rabbits on a low-K+ diet but observed robust staining for L-WNK1 primarily in intercalated cells when rabbits were fed a high-K+ diet. Our results and previous findings suggest that L-WNK1 exerts different effects on renal K+ secretory channels, inhibiting renal outer medullary K+ channels and activating BK channels. A high-K+ diet induced an increase in L-WNK1 expression selectively in intercalated cells and may contribute to enhanced BK channel expression and K+ secretion in CCDs.


2008 ◽  
Vol 295 (3) ◽  
pp. F780-F788 ◽  
Author(s):  
Genevieve Estilo ◽  
Wen Liu ◽  
Nuria Pastor-Soler ◽  
Phillip Mitchell ◽  
Marcelo D. Carattino ◽  
...  

Apical large-conductance Ca2+-activated K+ (BK) channels in the cortical collecting duct (CCD) mediate flow-stimulated K+ secretion. Dietary K+ loading for 10–14 days leads to an increase in BK channel mRNA abundance, enhanced flow-stimulated K+ secretion in microperfused CCDs, and a redistribution of immunodetectable channels from an intracellular pool to the apical membrane (Najjar F, Zhou H, Morimoto T, Bruns JB, Li HS, Liu W, Kleyman TR, Satlin LM. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 289: F922–F932, 2005). To test whether this adaptation was mediated by a K+-induced increase in aldosterone, New Zealand White rabbits were fed a low-Na+ (LS) or high-Na+ (HS) diet for 7–10 days to alter circulating levels of aldosterone but not serum K+ concentration. Single CCDs were isolated for quantitation of BK channel subunit (total, α-splice variants, β-isoforms) mRNA abundance by real-time PCR and measurement of net transepithelial Na+ (JNa) and K+ (JK) transport by microperfusion; kidneys were processed for immunolocalization of BK α-subunit by immunofluorescence microscopy. At the time of death, LS rabbits excreted no urinary Na+ and had higher circulating levels of aldosterone than HS animals. The relative abundance of BK α-, β2-, and β4-subunit mRNA and localization of immunodetectable α-subunit were similar in CCDs from LS and HS animals. In response to an increase in tubular flow rate from ∼1 to 5 nl·min−1·mm−1, the increase in JNa was greater in LS vs. HS rabbits, yet the flow-stimulated increase in JK was similar in both groups. These data suggest that aldosterone does not contribute to the regulation of BK channel expression/activity in response to dietary K+ loading.


2010 ◽  
Vol 298 (6) ◽  
pp. F1416-F1423 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaohua Chang ◽  
Cristiano Mendes Gomes ◽  
Joseph A. Hypolite ◽  
James Marx ◽  
Jaber Alanzi ◽  
...  

Large-conductance voltage- and calcium-activated potassium (BK) channels have been shown to play a role in detrusor overactivity (DO). The goal of this study was to determine whether bladder outlet obstruction-induced DO is associated with downregulation of BK channels and whether BK channels affect myosin light chain 20 (MLC20) phosphorylation in detrusor smooth muscle (DSM). Partial bladder outlet obstruction (PBOO) was surgically induced in male New Zealand White rabbits. The rabbit PBOO model shows decreased voided volumes and increased voiding frequency. DSM from PBOO rabbits also show enhanced spontaneous contractions compared with control. Both BK channel α- and β-subunits were significantly decreased in DSM from PBOO rabbits. Immunostaining shows BKβ mainly expressed in DSM, and its expression is much less in PBOO DSM compared with control DSM. Furthermore, a translational study was performed to see whether the finding discovered in the animal model can be translated to human patients. The urodynamic study demonstrates several overactive DSM contractions during the urine-filling stage in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) patients with DO, while DSM is very quiet in BPH patients without DO. DSM biopsies revealed significantly less BK channel expression at both mRNA and protein levels. The degree of downregulation of the BK β-subunit was greater than that of the BK α-subunit, and the downregulation of BK was only associated with DO, not BPH. Finally, the small interference (si) RNA-mediated downregulation of the BK β-subunit was employed to study the effect of BK depletion on MLC20 phosphorylation. siRNA-mediated BK channel reduction was associated with an increased MLC20 phosphorylation level in cultured DSM cells. In summary, PBOO-induced DO is associated with downregulation of BK channel expression in the rabbit model, and this finding can be translated to human BPH patients with DO. Furthermore, downregulation of the BK channel may contribute to DO by increasing the basal level of MLC20 phosphorylation.


2016 ◽  
Vol 311 (5) ◽  
pp. G785-G793 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew D. Perry ◽  
Vazhaikkurichi M. Rajendran ◽  
Kenneth A. MacLennan ◽  
Geoffrey I. Sandle

Rat proximal and distal colon are net K+secretory and net K+absorptive epithelia, respectively. Chronic dietary K+loading increases net K+secretion in the proximal colon and transforms net K+absorption to net K+secretion in the distal colon, but changes in apical K+channel expression are unclear. We evaluated expression/activity of apical K+(BK) channels in surface colonocytes in proximal and distal colon of control and K+-loaded animals using patch-clamp recording, immunohistochemistry, and Western blot analyses. In controls, BK channels were more abundant in surface colonocytes from K+secretory proximal colon (39% of patches) than in those from K+-absorptive distal colon (12% of patches). Immunostaining demonstrated more pronounced BK channel α-subunit protein expression in surface cells and cells in the upper 25% of crypts in proximal colon, compared with distal colon. Dietary K+loading had no clear-cut effects on the abundance, immunolocalization, or expression of BK channels in proximal colon. By contrast, in distal colon, K+loading 1) increased BK channel abundance in patches from 12 to 41%; 2) increased density of immunostaining in surface cells, which extended along the upper 50% of crypts; and 3) increased expression of BK channel α-subunit protein when assessed by Western blotting ( P < 0.001). Thus apical BK channels are normally more abundant in K+secretory proximal colon than in K+absorptive distal colon, and apical BK channel expression in distal (but not proximal) colon is greatly stimulated as part of the enhanced K+secretory response to dietary K+loading.


2006 ◽  
Vol 290 (1) ◽  
pp. C77-C86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroko Sade ◽  
Katsuhiko Muraki ◽  
Susumu Ohya ◽  
Noriyuki Hatano ◽  
Yuji Imaizumi

We have examined the effects of the cannabinoid anandamide (AEA) and its stable analog, methanandamide (methAEA), on large-conductance, Ca2+-activated K+ (BK) channels using human embryonic kidney (HEK)-293 cells, in which the α-subunit of the BK channel (BK-α), both α- and β1-subunits (BK-αβ1), or both α- and β4-subunits (BK-αβ4) were heterologously expressed. In a whole cell voltage-clamp configuration, each cannabinoid activated BK-αβ1 within a similar concentration range. Because methAEA could potentiate BK-α, BK-αβ1, and BK-αβ4 with similar efficacy, the β-subunits may not be involved at the site of action for cannabinoids. Under cell-attached patch-clamp conditions, application of methAEA to the bathing solution increased BK channel activity; however, methAEA did not alter channel activity in the excised inside-out patch mode even when ATP was present on the cytoplasmic side of the membrane. Application of methAEA to HEK-BK-α and HEK-BK-αβ1 did not change intracellular Ca2+ concentration. Moreover, methAEA-induced potentiation of BK channel currents was not affected by pretreatment with a CB1 antagonist (AM251), modulators of G proteins (cholera and pertussis toxins) or by application of a selective CB2 agonist (JWH133). Inhibitors of CaM, PKG, and MAPKs (W7, KT5823, and PD-98059) did not affect the potentiation. Application of methAEA to mouse aortic myocytes significantly increased BK channel currents. This study provides the first direct evidence that unknown factors in the cytoplasm mediate the ability of endogenous cannabinoids to activate BK channel currents. Cannabinoids may be hyperpolarizing factors in cells, such as arterial myocytes, in which BK channels are highly expressed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara T. Granados ◽  
Ramon Latorre ◽  
Yolima P. Torres

BK channels are composed by the pore forming α subunit and, in some tissues, is associated with different accessory β subunits. These proteins modify the biophysical properties of the channel, amplifying the range of BK channel activation according to the physiological context. In the vascular cells, the pore forming BKα subunit is expressed with the β1 subunit, where they play an essential role in the modulation of arterial tone and blood pressure. In eukaryotes, cholesterol is a structural lipid of the cellular membrane. Changes in the ratio of cholesterol content in the plasma membrane (PM) regulates the BK channel activation altering its open probability, and hence, vascular contraction. It has been shown that the estrogen 17β-Estradiol (E2) causes a vasodilator effect in vascular cells, inducing a leftward shift in the V0.5 of the GV curve. Here, we evaluate whether changes in the membrane cholesterol concentration modify the effect that E2 induces on the BKα/β1 channel activity. Using binding and electrophysiology assays after cholesterol depletion or enrichment, we show that the cholesterol enrichment significantly decreases the expression of the α subunit, while cholesterol depletion increased the expression of that α subunit. Additionally, we demonstrated that changes in the membrane cholesterol cause the loss of the modulatory effect of E2 on the BKα/β1 channel activity, without affecting the E2 binding to the complex. Our data suggest that changes in membrane cholesterol content could affect channel properties related to the E2 effect on BKα/β1 channel activity. Finally, the results suggest that an optimal membrane cholesterol content is essential for the activation of BK channels through the β1 subunit.


2013 ◽  
Vol 305 (8) ◽  
pp. C846-C853 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhijian Wang ◽  
Arohan R. Subramanya ◽  
Lisa M. Satlin ◽  
Núria M. Pastor-Soler ◽  
Marcelo D. Carattino ◽  
...  

Large-conductance, Ca2+-activated K+ channels, commonly referred to as BK channels, have a major role in flow-induced K+ secretion in the distal nephron. With-no-lysine kinase 4 (WNK4) is a serine-threonine kinase expressed in the distal nephron that inhibits ROMK activity and renal K+ secretion. WNK4 mutations have been described in individuals with familial hyperkalemic hypertension (FHHt), a Mendelian disorder characterized by low-renin hypertension and hyperkalemia. As BK channels also have an important role in renal K+ secretion, we examined whether they are regulated by WNK4 in a manner similar to ROMK. BK channel activity was inhibited in a rabbit intercalated cell line transfected with WNK4 or a WNK4 mutant found in individuals with FHHt. Coexpression of an epitope-tagged BK α-subunit with WNK4 or the WNK4 mutant in HEK293 cells reduced BK α-subunit plasma membrane and whole cell expression. A region within WNK4 encompassing the autoinhibitory domain and a coiled coil domain was required for WNK4 to inhibit BK α-subunit expression. The relative fraction of BK α-subunit that was ubiquitinated was significantly increased in cells expressing WNK4, compared with controls. Our results suggest that WNK4 inhibits BK channel activity, in part, by increasing channel degradation through an ubiquitin-dependent pathway. Based on these results, we propose that WNK4 provides a cellular mechanism for the coordinated regulation of two key secretory K+ channels in the distal nephron, ROMK and BK.


2014 ◽  
Vol 306 (5) ◽  
pp. C460-C470 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kiril L. Hristov ◽  
Amy C. Smith ◽  
Shankar P. Parajuli ◽  
John Malysz ◽  
Georgi V. Petkov

Large-conductance voltage- and Ca2+-activated K+ (BK) channels are critical regulators of detrusor smooth muscle (DSM) excitability and contractility. PKC modulates the contraction of DSM and BK channel activity in non-DSM cells; however, the cellular mechanism regulating the PKC-BK channel interaction in DSM remains unknown. We provide a novel mechanistic insight into BK channel regulation by PKC in DSM. We used patch-clamp electrophysiology, live-cell Ca2+ imaging, and functional studies of DSM contractility to elucidate BK channel regulation by PKC at cellular and tissue levels. Voltage-clamp experiments showed that pharmacological activation of PKC with PMA inhibited the spontaneous transient BK currents in native freshly isolated guinea pig DSM cells. Current-clamp recordings revealed that PMA significantly depolarized DSM membrane potential and inhibited the spontaneous transient hyperpolarizations in DSM cells. The PMA inhibitory effects on DSM membrane potential were completely abolished by the selective BK channel inhibitor paxilline. Activation of PKC with PMA did not affect the amplitude of the voltage-step-induced whole cell steady-state BK current or the single BK channel open probability (recorded in cell-attached mode) upon inhibition of all major Ca2+ sources for BK channel activation with thapsigargin, ryanodine, and nifedipine. PKC activation with PMA elevated intracellular Ca2+ levels in DSM cells and increased spontaneous phasic and nerve-evoked contractions of DSM isolated strips. Our results support the concept that PKC activation leads to a reduction of BK channel activity in DSM via a Ca2+-dependent mechanism, thus increasing DSM contractility.


2012 ◽  
Vol 303 (2) ◽  
pp. H216-H223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giacinta Guarini ◽  
Vahagn A. Ohanyan ◽  
John G. Kmetz ◽  
Daniel J. DelloStritto ◽  
Roslin J. Thoppil ◽  
...  

We have previously shown transient receptor potential vanilloid subtype 1 (TRPV1) channel-dependent coronary function is compromised in pigs with metabolic syndrome (MetS). However, the mechanisms through which TRPV1 channels couple coronary blood flow to metabolism are not fully understood. We employed mice lacking TRPV1 [TRPV1(−/−)], db/db diabetic, and control C57BKS/J mice to determine the extent to which TRPV1 channels modulate coronary function and contribute to vascular dysfunction in diabetic cardiomyopathy. Animals were subjected to in vivo infusion of the TRPV1 agonist capsaicin to examine the hemodynamic actions of TRPV1 activation. Capsaicin (1–100 μg·kg−1·min−1) dose dependently increased coronary blood flow in control mice, which was inhibited by the TRPV1 antagonist capsazepine or the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor N-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME). In addition, the capsaicin-mediated increase in blood flow was attenuated in db/db mice. TRPV1(−/−) mice exhibited no changes in coronary blood flow in response to capsaicin. Vasoreactivity studies in isolated pressurized mouse coronary microvessels revealed a capsaicin-dependent relaxation that was inhibited by the TRPV1 inhibitor SB366791 l-NAME and to the large conductance calcium-sensitive potassium channel (BK) inhibitors iberiotoxin and Penetrim A. Similar to in vivo responses, capsaicin-mediated relaxation was impaired in db/db mice compared with controls. Changes in pH (pH 7.4–6.0) relaxed coronary vessels contracted to the thromboxane mimetic U46619 in all three groups of mice; however, pH-mediated relaxation was blunted in vessels obtained from TRPV1(−/−) and db/db mice compared with controls. Western blot analysis revealed decreased myocardial TRPV1 protein expression in db/db mice compared with controls. Our data reveal TRPV1 channels mediate coupling of myocardial blood flow to cardiac metabolism via a nitric oxide-dependent, BK channel-dependent pathway that is corrupted in diabetes.


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