The secreted protein augurin is a novel modulator of canonical Wnt signalling involved in osteoblast differentiation

Background ECRG4/C2ORF40 is a tumour suppressor gene downregulated in several cancer types, which encodes the secreted protein augurin. A wide number of functions in health and disease have been assigned to augurin, but the signalling pathways it regulates are still poorly characterized. Augurin expression is strongly upregulated during in vitro differentiation of neonatal mouse osteoblasts. Methods In vitro differentiation assays of calvarial osteoblasts isolated from Ecrg4 -/- and wild-type mice; transient transfection assays using reporters activated by Wnt signalling and other signal transduction pathways; Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction for measurement of gene expression; protein expression in Chinese hamster ovary cells and Escherichia coli; in situ binding assays of proteins expressed as fusions to alkaline phosphatase with cells expressing various membrane receptors. Results Osteoblasts from Ecrg4 -/- mice have an accelerated differentiation compared to wild-type and upregulation of Wnt markers. Augurin is a specific repressor of Wnt-stimulated transcriptional activity, both when coexpressed together with the reporter and when added to the culture medium as a soluble protein. We confirmed the previously described binding of augurin to LOX1, a scavenger receptor, but an inhibitor of this molecule did not impair augurin repression of Wnt-stimulated transcription specifically. Genome-wide association studies showed an association of ECRG4 genomic variation with body height and osteoarthritis. Conclusions Our study sheds new light on the wide spectrum of functions previously ascribed to augurin in brain function, stem cell biology, inflammation/immunity and cancer. Furthermore, our discovery paves the way to further characterization of the mechanisms involved in augurin repression of Wnt signalling and the development of agonists and antagonists for this protein, which have a wide array of potential applications in the clinic

N-Terminal Arginines Modulate Plasma-Membrane Localization of Kv7.1/KCNE1 Channel Complexes

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The slow delayed rectifier current (I(Ks)) is important for cardiac action potential termination. The underlying channel is composed of Kv7.1 α-subunits and KCNE1 β-subunits. While most evidence suggests a role of KCNE1 transmembrane domain and C-terminus for the interaction, the N-terminal KCNE1 polymorphism 38G is associated with reduced I(Ks) and atrial fibrillation (a human arrhythmia). Structure-function relationship of the KCNE1 N-terminus for I(Ks) modulation is poorly understood and was subject of this study. METHODS: We studied N-terminal KCNE1 constructs disrupting structurally important positively charged amino-acids (arginines) at positions 32, 33, 36 as well as KCNE1 constructs that modify position 38 including an N-terminal truncation mutation. Experimental procedures included molecular cloning, patch-clamp recording, protein biochemistry, real-time-PCR and confocal microscopy. RESULTS: All KCNE1 constructs physically interacted with Kv7.1. I(Ks) resulting from co-expression of Kv7.1 with non-atrial fibrillation '38S' was greater than with any other construct. Ionic currents resulting from co-transfection of a KCNE1 mutant with arginine substitutions ('38G-3xA') were comparable to currents evoked from cells transfected with an N-terminally truncated KCNE1-construct ('Δ1-38'). Western-blots from plasma-membrane preparations and confocal images consistently showed a greater amount of Kv7.1 protein at the plasma-membrane in cells co-transfected with the non-atrial fibrillation KCNE1-38S than with any other construct. CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study indicate that N-terminal arginines in positions 32, 33, 36 of KCNE1 are important for reconstitution of I(Ks). Furthermore, our results hint towards a role of these N-terminal amino-acids in membrane representation of the delayed rectifier channel complex

In silico investigation of a KCNQ1 mutation associated with short QT syndrome

Short QT syndrome (SQTS) is a rare condition characterized by abnormally ‘short’ QT intervals on the ECG and increased susceptibility to cardiac arrhythmias and sudden death. This simulation study investigated arrhythmia dynamics in multi-scale human ventricle models associated with the SQT2-related V307L KCNQ1 ‘gain-of-function’ mutation, which increases slow-delayed rectifier potassium current (IKs). A Markov chain (MC) model recapitulating wild type (WT) and V307L mutant IKs kinetics was incorporated into a model of the human ventricular action potential (AP) for investigation of QT interval changes and arrhythmia substrates. In addition, the degree of simulated IKs inhibition necessary to normalize the QT interval and terminate re-entry in SQT2 conditions was quantified. The developed MC model accurately reproduced AP shortening and reduced effective refractory period associated with altered IKs kinetics in homozygous (V307L) and heterozygous (WT-V307L) mutation conditions, which increased the lifespan and dominant frequency of re-entry in 3D human ventricle models. IKs reductions of 58% and 65% were sufficient to terminate re-entry in WT-V307L and V307L conditions, respectively. This study further substantiates a causal link between the V307L KCNQ1 mutation and pro-arrhythmia in human ventricles, and establishes partial inhibition of IKs as a potential anti-arrhythmic strategy in SQT2

Several Polymorphisms of KCNQ1 Gene Are Associated with Plasma Lipid Levels in General Chinese Populations

BACKGROUND: Potassium voltage-gated channel, KQT-like subfamily, member 1 (KCNQ1) is thought to be an important candidate gene of diabetes. Several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a 40-kb linkage disequilibrium (LD) block in its intron 15 have been identified to be associated with diabetes in East Asian populations in recent genome-wide association studies. The aim of this study was to investigate whether KCNQ1 polymorphisms influence the levels of the metabolic phenotypes in general Chinese populations. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We investigated the associations of two SNPs (rs2237892 and rs2237895) in the aforementioned 40-kb LD block, a missense variant rs12720449 (P448R) in exon 10, and a synonymous variant rs1057128 (S546S) in exon 13 with metabolic phenotypes in a Uyghur population (n = 478) and replicated these associations in a Han population (n = 2,485). We found that rs2237892-T allele was significantly associated with decreased triglyceride levels (p(combined) = 0.001). The minor G allele of the rs12720449, with sharp difference of the allelic frequency between European and East Asian populations (0.2% versus 14%, respectively), was associated with a lower triglyceride levels than G allele in Uyghur subjects (p = 0.004), in Han subjects (p = 0.052), and in subjects of meta-analysis (p(combined) = 0.001). Moreover, the minor A allele of the rs1057128 was also associated with decreased triglyceride levels in meta-analysis (p(combined) = 0.010). CONCLUSIONS: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report associating a missense mutation of KCNQ1, rs12720449, with triglyceride levels. Rs2237892, representing the 40-kb LD block, is also associated with triglyceride levels in Han population. Further studies are required to replicate these findings in other East Asian populations

Discovery of a Novel Activator of KCNQ1-KCNE1 K+ Channel Complexes

KCNQ1 voltage-gated K+ channels (Kv7.1) associate with the family of five KCNE peptides to form complexes with diverse gating properties and pharmacological sensitivities. The varied gating properties of the different KCNQ1-KCNE complexes enables the same K+ channel to function in both excitable and non excitable tissues. Small molecule activators would be valuable tools for dissecting the gating mechanisms of KCNQ1-KCNE complexes; however, there are very few known activators of KCNQ1 channels and most are ineffective on the physiologically relevant KCNQ1-KCNE complexes. Here we show that a simple boronic acid, phenylboronic acid (PBA), activates KCNQ1/KCNE1 complexes co-expressed in Xenopus oocytes at millimolar concentrations. PBA shifts the voltage sensitivity of KCNQ1 channel complexes to favor the open state at negative potentials. Analysis of different-sized charge carriers revealed that PBA also targets the permeation pathway of KCNQ1 channels. Activation by the boronic acid moiety has some specificity for the Kv7 family members (KCNQ1, KCNQ2/3, and KCNQ4) since PBA does not activate Shaker or hERG channels. Furthermore, the commercial availability of numerous PBA derivatives provides a large class of compounds to investigate the gating mechanisms of KCNQ1-KCNE complexes

Differential Association between HERG and KCNE1 or KCNE2

The small proteins encoded by KCNE1 and KCNE2 have both been proposed as accessory subunits for the HERG channel. Here we report our investigation into the cell biology of the KCNE-HERG interaction. In a co-expression system, KCNE1 was more readily co-precipitated with co-expressed HERG than was KCNE2. When forward protein trafficking was prevented (either by Brefeldin A or engineering an ER-retention/retrieval signal onto KCNE cDNA) the intracellular abundance of KCNE2 and its association with HERG markedly increased relative to KCNE1. HERG co-localized more completely with KCNE1 than with KCNE2 in all the membrane-processing compartments of the cell (ER, Golgi and plasma membrane). By surface labeling and confocal immunofluorescence, KCNE2 appeared more abundant at the cell surface compared to KCNE1, which exhibited greater co-localization with the ER-marker calnexin. Examination of the extracellular culture media showed that a significant amount of KCNE2 was extracellular (both soluble and membrane-vesicle-associated). Taken together, these results suggest that during biogenesis of channels HERG is more likely to assemble with KCNE1 than KCNE2 due to distinctly different trafficking rates and retention in the cell rather than differences in relative affinity. The final channel subunit constitution, in vivo, is likely to be determined by a combination of relative cell-to-cell expression rates and differential protein processing and trafficking