Paradoxical Potentiation of Acid-Sensing Ion Channel 3 (ASIC3) by Amiloride via Multiple Mechanisms and Sites Within the Channel

Acid-Sensing Ion Channels (ASICs) are proton-gated sodium-selective cation channels that have emerged as metabolic and pain sensors in peripheral sensory neurons and contribute to neurotransmission in the CNS. These channels and their related degenerin/epithelial sodium channel (DEG/ENaC) family are often characterized by their sensitivity to amiloride inhibition. However, amiloride can also cause paradoxical potentiation of ASIC currents under certain conditions. Here we characterized and investigated the determinants of paradoxical potentiation by amiloride on ASIC3 channels. While inhibiting currents induced by acidic pH, amiloride potentiated sustained currents at neutral pH activation. These effects were accompanied by alterations in gating properties including (1) an alkaline shift of pH-dependent activation, (2) inhibition of pH-dependent steady-state desensitization (SSD), (3) prolongation of desensitization kinetics, and (4) speeding of recovery from desensitization. Interestingly, extracellular Ca2+ was required for paradoxical potentiation and it diminishes the amiloride-induced inhibition of SSD. Site-directed mutagenesis within the extracellular non-proton ligand-sensing domain (E79A, E423A) demonstrated that these residues were critical in mediating the amiloride-induced inhibition of SSD. However, disruption of the purported amiloride binding site (G445C) within the channel pore blunted both the inhibition and potentiation of amiloride. Together, our results suggest that the myriad of modulatory and blocking effects of amiloride are the result of a complex competitive interaction between amiloride, Ca2+, and protons at probably more than one site in the channel.

pH dependence of the Slc4a11-mediated H+ conductance is influenced by intracellular lysine residues and modified by disease-linked mutations

SLC4A11 is the only member of the SLC4 family that transports protons rather than bicarbonate. SLC4A11 is expressed in corneal endothelial cells, and its mutation causes corneal endothelial dystrophy, although the mechanism of pathogenesis is unknown. We previously demonstrated that the magnitude of the H+ conductance ( Gm) mediated by SLC4A11 is increased by rises in intracellular as well as extracellular pH (pHi and pHe). To better understand this feature and whether it is altered in disease, we studied the pH dependence of wild-type and mutant mouse Slc4a11 expressed in Xenopus oocytes. Using voltage-clamp circuitry in conjunction with a H+-selective microelectrode and a microinjector loaded with NaHCO3, we caused incremental rises in oocyte pHi and measured the effect on Gm. We find that the rise of Gm has a steeper pHi dependence at pHe =8.50 than at pHe =7.50. Data gathered at pHe =8.50 can be fit to the Hill equation enabling the calculation of a p K value that reports pHi dependence. We find that mutation of lysine residues that are close to the first transmembrane span (TM1) causes an alkaline shift in p K. Furthermore, two corneal-dystrophy-causing mutations close to the extracellular end of TM1, E399K and T401K (E368K and T370K in mouse), cause an acidic shift in p K, while a third mutation in the fourth intracellular loop, R804H (R774H in mouse), causes an alkaline shift in p K. This is the first description of determinants of SLC4A11 pH dependence and the first indication that a shift in pH dependence could modify disease expressivity in some cases of corneal dystrophy.

Rapid Rise of Extracellular pH Evoked by Neural Activity Is Generated by the Plasma Membrane Calcium ATPase

In hippocampus, synchronous activation of CA1 pyramidal neurons causes a rapid, extracellular, population alkaline transient (PAT). It has been suggested that the plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPase (PMCA) is the source of this alkalinization, because it exchanges cytosolic Ca2+ for external H+. Evidence supporting this hypothesis, however, has thus far been inconclusive. We addressed this long-standing problem by measuring surface alkaline transients (SATs) from voltage-clamped CA1 pyramidal neurons in juvenile mouse hippocampal slices, using concentric (high-speed, low-noise) pH microelectrodes placed against the somata. In saline containing benzolamide (a poorly permeant carbonic anhydrase blocker), a 2-s step from −60 to 0 mV caused a mean SAT of 0.02 unit pH. Addition of 5 mM HEPES to the artificial cerebrospinal fluid diminished the SAT by 91%. Nifedipine reduced the SAT by 53%. Removal of Ca2+ from the saline abolished the SAT, and addition of BAPTA to the patch pipette reduced it by 79%. The inclusion of carboxyeosin (a PMCA inhibitor) in the pipette abolished the SAT, whether it was induced by a depolarizing step, or by simulated, repetitive, antidromic firing. The peak amplitude of the “antidromic” SAT of a single cell averaged 11% of the PAT elicited by comparable real antidromic activation of the CA1 neuronal population. Caloxin 2A1, an extracellular PMCA peptide inhibitor, blocked both the SAT and PAT by 42%. These results provide the first direct evidence that the PMCA can explain the extracellular alkaline shift elicited by synchronous firing.

HIF-1 regulates hypoxic induction of NHE1 expression and alkalinization of intracellular pH in pulmonary arterial myocytes

Vascular remodeling resulting from altered pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cell (PASMC) growth is a contributing factor to the pathogenesis of hypoxic pulmonary hypertension. PASMC growth requires an alkaline shift in intracellular pH (pHi) and we previously showed that PASMCs isolated from mice exposed to chronic hypoxia exhibited increased Na+/H+ exchanger (NHE) expression and activity, which resulted in increased pHi. However, the mechanism by which hypoxia caused these changes was unknown. In this study we tested the hypothesis that hypoxia-induced changes in PASMC pH homeostasis are mediated by the transcriptional regulator hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1). Consistent with previous results, increased NHE isoform 1 (NHE1) mRNA and protein, enhanced NHE activity, and an alkaline shift in pHi were observed in PASMCs isolated from wild-type mice exposed to chronic hypoxia (3 wk at 10% O2). In contrast, these changes were absent in PASMCs isolated from chronically hypoxic mice with partial deficiency for HIF-1. Exposure of PASMCs to hypoxia ex vivo (48 h at 4% O2) or overexpression of HIF-1 in the absence of hypoxia also increased NHE1 mRNA and protein expression. Our results indicate that full expression of HIF-1 is essential for hypoxic induction of NHE1 expression and changes in PASMC pH homeostasis and suggest a novel mechanism by which HIF-1 mediates pulmonary vascular remodeling during the pathogenesis of hypoxic pulmonary hypertension.

Improving the Activity and Stability of GL-7-ACA Acylase CA130 by Site-Directed Mutagenesis

ABSTRACT In the present study, glutaryl-7-amino cephalosporanic acid acylase from Pseudomonas sp. strain 130 (CA130) was mutated to improve its enzymatic activity and stability. Based on the crystal structure of CA130, two series of amino acid residues, one from those directly involved in catalytic function and another from those putatively involved in surface charge, were selected as targets for site-directed mutagenesis. In the first series of experiments, several key residues in the substrate-binding pocket were substituted, and the genes were expressed in Escherichia coli for activity screening. Two of the mutants constructed, Y151αF and Q50βN, showed two- to threefold-increased catalytic efficiency (k cat/Km ) compared to wild-type CA130. Their Km values were decreased by ca. 50%, and the k cat values increased to 14.4 and 16.9 s−1, respectively. The ability of these mutants to hydrolyze adipoyl 6-amino penicillinic acid was also improved. In the second series of mutagenesis, several mutants with enhanced stabilities were identified. Among them, R121βA and K198βA had a 30 to 58% longer half-life than wild-type CA130, and K198βA and D286βA showed an alkaline shift of optimal pH by about 1.0 to 2.0 pH units. To construct an engineered enzyme with the properties of both increased activity and stability, the double mutant Q50βN/K198βA was expressed. This enzyme was purified and immobilized for catalytic analysis. The immobilized mutant enzyme showed a 34.2% increase in specific activity compared to the immobilized wild-type CA130.

Heterogeneous patterns of pH regulation in glial cells in the dorsal and ventral medulla

We examined pH regulation in two chemosensitive areas of the brain, the retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN) and the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS), to identify the proton transporters involved in regulation of intracellular pH (pHi) in medullary glia. Transverse brain slices from young rats [postnatal day 8 (P8) to P20] were loaded with the pH-sensitive probe 2′,7′-bis (2-carboxyethyl)-5,6-carboxyfluorescein after kainic acid treatment removed neurons. Cells were alkalinized when they were depolarized (extracellular K+ increased from 6.24 to 21.24 mM) in the RTN but not in the NTS. This alkaline shift was inhibited by 0.5 mM DIDS. Removal of [Formula: see text] or Na+ from the perfusate acidified the glial cells, but the acidification after Na+ removal was greater in the RTN than in the NTS. Treatment of the slice with 5-( N-ethyl- N-isopropyl)amiloride (100 μM) in saline containing [Formula: see text] acidified the cells in both nuclei, but the acidification was greater in the NTS. Restoration of extracellular Cl- after Cl- depletion during the control condition acidified the cells. Immunohistochemical studies of glial fibrillary acid protein demonstrated much denser staining in the RTN compared with the NTS. We conclude that there is evidence of [Formula: see text] cotransport and Na+/H+ exchange in glia in the RTN and NTS, but the distribution of glia and the distribution of these pH-regulatory functions are not identical in the NTS and RTN. The differential strength of glial pH regulatory function in the RTN and NTS may also alter CO2 chemosensory neuronal function at these two chemosensitive sites in the brain stem.

Modulation of Spreading Depression by Changes in Extracellular pH

Spreading depression (SD) and related phenomena have been implicated in hypoxic-ischemic injury. In such settings, SD occurs in the presence of marked extracellular acidosis. SD itself can also generate changes in extracellular pH (pHo), including a pronounced early alkaline shift. In a hippocampal slice model, we investigated the effect of interstitial acidosis on the generation and propagation of SD in the CA1 stratum radiatum. In addition, a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor (benzolamide) was used to decrease buffering of the alkaline shift to investigate its role in the modulation of SD. pHo was lowered by a decrease in saline HCO3 − (from 26 to 13 to 6.5 mM at 5% CO2), or by an increase in the CO2 content (from 5 to 15% in 26 mM HCO3 −). Recordings with pH microelectrodes revealed respective pHo values of 7.23 ± 0.13, 6.95 ± 0.10, 6.67 ± 0.09, and 6.97 ± 0.12. The overall effect of acidosis was an increase in the threshold for SD induction, a decrease in velocity, and a shortened SD duration. This inhibition was most pronounced at the lowest pHo(in 6.5 mM HCO3 −) where SD was often blocked. The effects of acidosis were reversible on return to control saline. Benzolamide (10 μM) caused an approximate doubling of the early alkaline shift to an amplitude of 0.3–0.4 U pH. The amplified alkalosis was associated with an increased duration and/or increased velocity of the wave. These effects were most pronounced in acidic media (13 mM HCO3 −/5% CO2) where benzolamide increased the SD duration by 55 ± 32%. The initial velocity (including time for induction) and propagation velocity (measured between distal electrodes) were enhanced by 35 ± 25 and 26 ± 16%, respectively. Measurements of [Ca2+]o demonstrated an increase in duration of the Ca2+ transient when the alkaline shift was amplified by benzolamide. The augmentation of SD caused by benzolamide was blocked in media containing the N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonistdl−2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid. These data indicate that the induction and propagation of SD is inhibited by a fall in baseline pH characteristic of ischemic conditions and that the early alkaline shift can remove this inhibition by relieving the proton block on NMDA receptors. Under ischemic conditions, the intrinsic alkalosis may therefore enable SD and thereby contribute to NMDA receptor-mediated injury.

Extracellular pH Changes and Accompanying Cation Shifts During Ouabain-Induced Spreading Depression

Interstitial ionic shifts that accompany ouabain-induced spreading depression (SD) were studied in rat hippocampal and cortical slices in the presence and absence of extracellular Ca2+. A double-barreled ion-selective microelectrode specific for H+, K+, Na+, or Ca2+ was placed in the CA1 stratum radiatum or midcortical layer. Superfusion of 100 μM ouabain caused a rapid, negative, interstitial voltage shift (2–10 mV) after 3–5 min. The negativity was accompanied by a rapid alkaline transient followed by prolonged acidosis. In media containing 3 mM Ca2+, the alkalosis induced by ouabain averaged 0.07 ± 0.01 unit pH. In media with no added Ca2+ and 2 mM EGTA, the alkaline shift was not significantly different (0.09 ± 0.02 unit pH). The alkaline transient was unaffected by inhibiting Na+-H+ exchange with ethylisopropylamiloride (EIPA) or by blocking endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ uptake with thapsigargin or cyclopiazonic acid. Alkaline transients were also observed in Ca2+-free media when SD was induced by microinjecting high K+. The late acidification accompanying ouabain-induced SD was significantly reduced in Ca2+-free media and in solutions containing EIPA. The ouabain-induced SD was associated with a rapid but relatively modest increase in [K+]o. In the presence of 3 mM external Ca2+, the mean peak elevation of [K+]o was 12 ± 0.62 mM. In Ca2+-free media, the elevation of [K+]o had a more gradual onset and reached a significantly larger peak value, which averaged 22 ± 1.1 mM. The decrease in [Na+]o that accompanied ouabain-induced SD was somewhat greater. The [Na+]o decreased by averages of 40 ± 7 and 33 ± 3 mM in Ca2+ and Ca2+-free media, respectively. In media containing 1.2 mM Ca2+, ouabain-induced SD was associated with a substantial decrease in [Ca2+]o that averaged 0.73 ± 0.07 mM. These data demonstrate that in comparison with conventional SD, ouabain-induced SD exhibits ion shifts that are qualitatively similar but quantitatively diminished. The presence of external Ca2+ can modulate the phenomenon but is irrelevant to the generation of the SD and its accompanying alkaline pH transient. Significance of these results is discussed in reference to the propagation of SD and the generation of interstitial pH changes.

Effect of Divalent Cations on AMPA-Evoked Extracellular Alkaline Shifts in Rat Hippocampal Slices

The generation of activity-evoked extracellular alkaline shifts has been linked to the presence of external Ca2+ or Ba2+. We further investigated this dependence using pH- and Ca2+-selective microelectrodes in the CA1 area of juvenile, rat hippocampal slices. In HEPES-buffered media, alkaline transients evoked by pressure ejection of RS-α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) averaged ∼0.07 unit pH and were calculated to arise from the equivalent net addition of ∼1 mM strong base to the interstitial space. These alkaline responses were correlated with a mean decrease in [Ca2+]o of ∼300 μM. The alkalinizations were abolished reversibly in zero-Ca2+ media, becoming indiscernible at a [Ca2+]o of 117 ± 29 μM. Addition of as little as 30–50 μM Ba2+ caused the reappearance of an alkaline response. In approximately one-fourth of slices, a persistent alkaline shift of ∼0.03 unit pH was observed in zero-Ca2+ saline containing EGTA. In HEPES media, addition of 300 μM Cd2+, 100 μM Ni2+, or 100 μM nimodipine inhibited the alkaline shifts by roughly one-half, one-third, and one-third, respectively, whereas Cd+ and Ni2+ in combination fully blocked the response. In bicarbonate media, by contrast, Cd+ and Ni2+blocked only two-thirds of the response. In the presence of bicarbonate, Ni2+ caused an unexpected enhancement of the alkalinization by ∼150%. However, when the extracellular carbonic anhydrase was blocked by benzolamide, addition of Ni2+reduced the alkaline shift. These results suggested that Ni2+ partially inhibited the interstitial carbonic anhydrase and thereby increased the alkaline responses. These data indicate that an activity-dependent alkaline shift is largely dependent on the entry of Ca2+ or Ba2+ via voltage-gated calcium channels. However, sizable alkaline transients still can be generated with little or no external presence of these ions. Implications for the mechanism of the activity-dependent alkaline shift are discussed.