Two adjacent phosphorylation sites in the C-terminus of the channel’s α-subunit have opposing effects on epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) activity

How phosphorylation of the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) contributes to its regulation is incompletely understood. Previously, we demonstrated that in outside-out patches ENaC activation by serum- and glucocorticoid-inducible kinase isoform 1 (SGK1) was abolished by mutating a serine residue in a putative SGK1 consensus motif RXRXX(S/T) in the channel’s α-subunit (S621 in rat). Interestingly, this serine residue is followed by a highly conserved proline residue rather than by a hydrophobic amino acid thought to be required for a functional SGK1 consensus motif according to in vitro data. This suggests that this serine residue is a potential phosphorylation site for the dual-specificity tyrosine phosphorylated and regulated kinase 2 (DYRK2), a prototypical proline-directed kinase. Its phosphorylation may prime a highly conserved preceding serine residue (S617 in rat) to be phosphorylated by glycogen synthase kinase 3 β (GSK3β). Therefore, we investigated the effect of DYRK2 on ENaC activity in outside-out patches of Xenopus laevis oocytes heterologously expressing rat ENaC. DYRK2 included in the pipette solution significantly increased ENaC activity. In contrast, GSK3β had an inhibitory effect. Replacing S621 in αENaC with alanine (S621A) abolished the effects of both kinases. A S617A mutation reduced the inhibitory effect of GKS3β but did not prevent ENaC activation by DYRK2. Our findings suggest that phosphorylation of S621 activates ENaC and primes S617 for subsequent phosphorylation by GSK3β resulting in channel inhibition. In proof-of-concept experiments, we demonstrated that DYRK2 can also stimulate ENaC currents in microdissected mouse distal nephron, whereas GSK3β inhibits the currents.Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL.Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (1041

Automated patch-clamp recordings for detecting activators and inhibitors of the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC)

The epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) is crucial for sodium absorption in several epithelial tissues including lung and kidney. Its involvement in various renal and pulmonary disorders makes ENaC a potential drug target. High-throughput screening using the automated patch-clamp (APC) technique appears to be a promising approach to discover novel ENaC modulators with (patho-)physiological and therapeutic implications. The aim of this methodological study was to establish APC measurements of ENaC-mediated currents. First, we confirmed functional expression of ENaC in a HEK293 cell line stably transfected with human αβγ-ENaC using conventional manual whole-cell patch-clamp recordings. For APC measurements, a standard enzymatic cell-detachment procedure was used to prepare single cell suspensions. This resulted in a high success rate of APC recordings with amiloride inhibitable ENaC currents. Using a γ-inhibitory peptide and the small molecule ENaC activator S3969, we demonstrate that APC recordings could reveal inhibitory as well as stimulatory effects on ENaC. Interestingly, the enzymatic cell-detachment protocol resulted in partial proteolytic ENaC activation. The portion of proteolytically activated channels could be reduced by prolonged incubation of suspended cells in cell culture medium. This recovery protocol enhanced the relative stimulatory effect of chymotrypsin, a prototypical serine protease known to cause proteolytic ENaC activation. Thus, this protocol may be particularly useful for identifying novel ENaC activators mimicking proteolytic channel activation. In conclusion, we have established a high-throughput screening method for the identification of novel ENaC activators and inhibitors using APC.Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL.Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschafthttps://doi.org/10.13039/501100001659Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (1041

Two adjacent phosphorylation sites in the C-terminus of the channel’s α-subunit have opposing effects on epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) activity

AbstractHow phosphorylation of the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) contributes to its regulation is incompletely understood. Previously, we demonstrated that in outside-out patches ENaC activation by serum- and glucocorticoid-inducible kinase isoform 1 (SGK1) was abolished by mutating a serine residue in a putative SGK1 consensus motif RXRXX(S/T) in the channel’s α-subunit (S621 in rat). Interestingly, this serine residue is followed by a highly conserved proline residue rather than by a hydrophobic amino acid thought to be required for a functional SGK1 consensus motif according to invitro data. This suggests that this serine residue is a potential phosphorylation site for the dual-specificity tyrosine phosphorylated and regulated kinase 2 (DYRK2), a prototypical proline-directed kinase. Its phosphorylation may prime a highly conserved preceding serine residue (S617 in rat) to be phosphorylated by glycogen synthase kinase 3 β (GSK3β). Therefore, we investigated the effect of DYRK2 on ENaC activity in outside-out patches of Xenopus laevis oocytes heterologously expressing rat ENaC. DYRK2 included in the pipette solution significantly increased ENaC activity. In contrast, GSK3β had an inhibitory effect. Replacing S621 in αENaC with alanine (S621A) abolished the effects of both kinases. A S617A mutation reduced the inhibitory effect of GKS3β but did not prevent ENaC activation by DYRK2. Our findings suggest that phosphorylation of S621 activates ENaC and primes S617 for subsequent phosphorylation by GSK3β resulting in channel inhibition. In proof-of-concept experiments, we demonstrated that DYRK2 can also stimulate ENaC currents in microdissected mouse distal nephron, whereas GSK3β inhibits the currents.</jats:p

Bile acids potentiate proton‐activated currents in Xenopus laevis oocytes expressing human acid‐sensing ion channel (ASIC1a)

Acid‐sensing ion channels (ASICs) are nonvoltage‐gated sodium channels transiently activated by extracellular protons and belong to the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC)/Degenerin (DEG) family of ion channels. Bile acids have been shown to activate two members of this family, the bile acid‐sensitive ion channel (BASIC) and ENaC. To investigate whether bile acids also modulate ASIC function, human ASIC1a was heterologously expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes. Exposing oocytes to tauro‐conjugated cholic (t‐CA), deoxycholic (t‐DCA), and chenodeoxycholic (t‐CDCA) acid at pH 7.4 did not activate ASIC1a‐mediated whole‐cell currents. However, in ASIC1a expressing oocytes the whole‐cell currents elicited by pH 5.5 were significantly increased in the presence of these bile acids. Single‐channel recordings in outside‐out patches confirmed that t‐DCA enhanced the stimulatory effect of pH 5.5 on ASIC1a channel activity. Interestingly, t‐DCA reduced single‐channel current amplitude by ~15% which suggests an interaction of t‐DCA with a region close to the channel pore. Molecular docking predicted binding of bile acids to the pore region near the degenerin site (G433) in the open conformation of the channel. Site‐directed mutagenesis demonstrated that the amino acid residue G433 is critically involved in the potentiating effect of bile acids on ASIC1a activation by protons

Protein Kinase B Alpha (PKBα) Stimulates the Epithelial Sodium Channel (ENaC) Heterologously Expressed in Xenopus laevis Oocytes by Two Distinct Mechanisms

Kinases contribute to the regulation of the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) in a complex manner. For example, SGK1 (serum- and glucocorticoid-inducible kinase type 1) enhances ENaC surface expression by phosphorylating Nedd4-2, thereby preventing ENaC retrieval and degradation. An additional mechanism of ENaC activation by SGK1 involves an SGK consensus motif (616RSRYWS621) in the C-terminus of the channel’s -subunit. This consensus motif may also be a target for ENaC regulation by protein kinase B (PKB) known to be activated by insulin and growth factors. Therefore, we investigated a possible role of PKBin the regulation of rat ENaC heterologously expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes. We found that recombinant PKBincluded in the pipette solution increased ENaC currents in outsideout patches by about 4-fold within 15-20 min. Replacing the serine residue S621 of the SGK consensus motif by an alanine (S621A) abolished this stimulatory effect. In co-expression experiments active PKBbut not catalytically inactive PKBsignificantly increased ENaC whole-cell currents and surface expression by more than 50 % within 24 hours of coexpression. Interestingly, this stimulatory effect was preserved in oocytes expressing ENaC with the S621A mutation. We conclude that the acute stimulatory effect of PKBinvolves a specific kinase consensus motif in the C-terminus of the channel’s -subunit. In contrast, the increase in channel surface expression caused by co-expression of PKBdoes not depend on this site in the channel and is probably mediated by an effect on channel trafficking

Plasmin and chymotrypsin have distinct preferences for channel activating cleavage sites in the γ subunit of the human epithelial sodium channel

Proteolytic activation of the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) involves cleavage of its γ subunit in a critical region targeted by several proteases. Our aim was to identify cleavage sites in this region that are functionally important for activation of human ENaC by plasmin and chymotrypsin. Sequence alignment revealed a putative plasmin cleavage site in human γENaC (K189) that corresponds to a plasmin cleavage site (K194) in mouse γENaC. We mutated this site to alanine (K189A) and expressed human wild-type (wt) αβγENaC and αβγK189AENaC in Xenopus laevis oocytes. The γK189A mutation reduced but did not abolish activation of ENaC whole cell currents by plasmin. Mutating a putative prostasin site (γRKRK178AAAA) had no effect on the stimulatory response to plasmin. In contrast, a double mutation (γRKRK178AAAA;K189A) prevented the stimulatory effect of plasmin. We conclude that in addition to the preferential plasmin cleavage site K189, the putative prostasin cleavage site RKRK178 may serve as an alternative site for proteolytic channel activation by plasmin. Interestingly, the double mutation delayed but did not abolish ENaC activation by chymotrypsin. The time-dependent appearance of cleavage products at the cell surface nicely correlated with the stimulatory effect of chymotrypsin on ENaC currents in oocytes expressing wt or double mutant ENaC. Delayed proteolytic activation of the double mutant channel with a stepwise recruitment of so-called near-silent channels was confirmed in single-channel recordings from outside-out patches. Mutating two phenylalanines (FF174) in the vicinity of the prostasin cleavage site prevented proteolytic activation by chymotrypsin. This indicates that chymotrypsin preferentially cleaves at FF174. The close proximity of FF174 to the prostasin site may explain why mutating the prostasin site impedes channel activation by chymotrypsin. In conclusion, this study supports the concept that different proteases have distinct preferences for certain cleavage sites in γENaC, which may be relevant for tissue-specific proteolytic ENaC activation.</jats:p