Anion exchanger 1 (AE1) mediates Cl-/HCO3- exchange in erythrocytes and kidney intercalated cells where it functions to maintain normal bodily acid-base homeostasis. AE1's C-terminal tail (AE1C) contains multiple potential membrane targeting/retention determinants, including a predicted PDZ binding motif, which are critical for its normal membrane residency. Here we identify PDLIM5 as a direct binding partner for AE1 in human kidney, via PDLIM5's PDZ domain and the PDZ binding motif in AE1C. Kidney AE1 (kAE1), PDLIM5 and integrin-linked kinase (ILK) form a multiprotein complex in which PDLIM5 provides a bridge between ILK and AE1C. Depletion of PDLIM5 resulted in significant reduction in kAE1 at the cell membrane, whereas over-expression of kAE1 was accompanied by increased PDLIM5 levels, underscoring the functional importance of PDLIM5 for proper kAE1 membrane residency, as a crucial linker between kAE1 and actin cytoskeleton-associated proteins in polarized cells.This work was supported by the Wellcome Trust (grant ref: 088489/Z/09/Z and Strategic award 100140/Z/12/Z to the Cambridge Institute for Medical Research), and the British Heart Foundation (grant ref: SBAG/120). The Addenbrooke's Human Research Tissue Bank is supported by the NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Nature Publishing Group via https://doi.org/10.1038/srep3970
