Pore mutants of HERG and KvLQT1 downregulate the reciprocal currents in stable cell lines

We previously reported a transgenic rabbit model of long QT syndrome based on overexpression of pore mutants of repolarizing K+ channels KvLQT1 (LQT1) and HERG (LQT2).The transgenes in these rabbits eliminated the slow and fast components of the delayed rectifier K+ current (IKs and IKr, respectively), as expected. Interestingly, the expressed pore mutants of HERG and KvLQT1 downregulated the remaining reciprocal repolarizing currents, IKs and IKr, without affecting the steady-state levels of the native polypeptides. Here, we sought to further explore the functional interactions between HERG and KvLQT1 in heterologous expression systems. Stable Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell lines expressing KvLQT1-minK or HERG were transiently transfected with expression vectors coding for mutant or wild-type HERG or KvLQT1. Transiently expressed pore mutant or wild-type KvLQT1 downregulated IKr in HERG stable CHO cell lines by 70% and 44%, respectively. Immunostaining revealed a severalfold lower surface expression of HERG, which could account for the reduction in IKr upon KvLQT1 expression. Deletion of the KvLQT1 NH2-terminus did not abolish the downregulation, suggesting that the interactions between the two channels are mediated through their COOH-termini. Similarly, transiently expressed HERG reduced IKs in KvLQT1-minK stable cells. Coimmunoprecipitations indicated a direct interaction between HERG and KvLQT1, and surface plasmon resonance analysis demonstrated a specific, physical association between the COOH-termini of KvLQT1 and HERG. Here, we present an in vitro model system consistent with the in vivo reciprocal downregulation of repolarizing currents seen in transgenic rabbit models, illustrating the importance of the transfection method when studying heterologous ion channel expression and trafficking. Moreover, our data suggest that interactions between KvLQT1 and HERG are mediated through COOH-termini

Glycosylation Regulates Prestin Cellular Activity

Glycosylation is a common post-translational modification of proteins and is implicated in a variety of cellular functions including protein folding, degradation, sorting and trafficking, and membrane protein recycling. The membrane protein prestin is an essential component of the membrane-based motor driving electromotility changes (electromotility) in the outer hair cell (OHC), a central process in auditory transduction. Prestin was earlier identified to possess two N-glycosylation sites (N163, N166) that, when mutated, marginally affect prestin nonlinear capacitance (NLC) function in cultured cells. Here, we show that the double mutant prestinNN163/166AA is not glycosylated and shows the expected NLC properties in the untreated and cholesterol-depleted HEK 293 cell model. In addition, unlike WT prestin that readily forms oligomers, prestinNN163/166AA is enriched as monomers and more mobile in the plasma membrane, suggesting that oligomerization of prestin is dependent on glycosylation but is not essential for the generation of NLC in HEK 293 cells. However, in the presence of increased membrane cholesterol, unlike the hyperpolarizing shift in NLC seen with WT prestin, cells expressing prestinNN163/166AA exhibit a linear capacitance function. In an attempt to explain this finding, we discovered that both WT prestin and prestinNN163/166AA participate in cholesterol-dependent cellular trafficking. In contrast to WT prestin, prestinNN163/166AA shows a significant cholesterol-dependent decrease in cell-surface expression, which may explain the loss of NLC function. Based on our observations, we conclude that glycosylation regulates self-association and cellular trafficking of prestinNN163/166AA. These observations are the first to implicate a regulatory role for cellular trafficking and sorting in prestin function. We speculate that the cholesterol regulation of prestin occurs through localization to and internalization from membrane microdomains by clathrin- and caveolin-dependent mechanisms