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Biomedical subjects

P M Deen

Publications and source records attributed to P M Deen.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Large-scale purification of functional recombinant human aquaporin-2.

The homotetrameric aquaporin-2 (AQP2) water channel is essential for the concentration of urine and of critical importance in diseases with water dysregulation, such as nephrogenic diabetes insipidus, congestive heart failure, liver cirrhosis and pre-eclampsia. The structure of human AQP2 is a prerequisite for understanding its function and for designing specific blockers. To obtain sufficient amounts of AQP2 for structural analyses, we have expressed recombinant his-tagged human AQP2 (HT-AQP2) in the baculovirus/insect cell system. Using the protocols outlined in this study, 0.5 mg of pure HT-AQP2 could be obtained per liter of bioreactor culture. HT-AQP2 had retained its homotetrameric structure and exhibited a single channel water permeability of 0.93+/-0.03x10(-13) cm3/s, similar to that of other AQPs. Thus, the baculovirus/insect cell system allows large-scale expression of functional recombinant human AQP2 that is suitable for structural studies.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

A 76-bp deletion in the Mip gene causes autosomal dominant cataract in Hfi mice.

Hfi is a dominant cataract mutation where heterozygotes show hydropic lens fibers and homozygotes show total lens opacity. The Hfi locus was mapped to the distal part of mouse chromosome 10 close to the major intrinsic protein (Mip), which is expressed only in cell membranes of lens fibers. Molecular analysis of Mip revealed a 76-bp deletion that resulted in exon 2 skipping in Mip mRNA. In Hfi/Hfi this deletion resulted in a complete absence of the wildtype Mip. In contrast, Hfi/+ animals had the same amount of wildtype Mip as +/+. Results from pulse-chase expression studies excluded hetero-oligomerization of wildtype and mutant Mip as a possible mechanism for cataract formation in the Hfi/+. We propose that the cataract phenotype in the Hfi heterozygote mutant is due to a detrimental gain of function by the mutant Mip resulting in either cytotoxicity or disruption in processing of other proteins important for the lens. Cataract formation in the Hfi/Hfi mouse is probably a combined result of both the complete loss of wildtype Mip and a gain of function of the mutant Mip.

Animals↗

Detection of aquaporin-2 in the plasma membranes of oocytes: a novel isolation method with improved yield and purity.

Aquaporin-2 (AQP2) water channel mutations cause autosomal recessive and dominant nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI). Expressed in oocytes, a mutant in dominant (AQP2-E258K), but not in recessive (AQP2-R187C), NDI conferred a specific dominant-negative effect on wild-type (wt) AQP2 water permeability (Pf) only at low expression levels. Since at these levels, the yield of conventional-isolated plasma membranes was too low, an improved technique to semiquantify AQP2 in the plasma membrane was needed. Antibodies against the C-loop of AQP2 were not applicable since they were unspecific and introduction of a tag into this loop caused misfolding and ER retardation. Membrane-impermeable biotin analogues turned out to label intracellular AQP2 proteins. Therefore, a method has been developed which generates a high yield of nearly pure plasma membranes, which enables semiquantification of plasma membrane proteins expressed at low levels in oocytes. Our new method allows for phenotype-genotype correlation studies in a wide range of channelopathies.

Animals↗

Functionality of aquaporin-2 missense mutants in recessive nephrogenic diabetes insipidus.

Aquaporin-2 (AQP2) missense mutants in recessive nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI) are all retained in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), but some could function as water channels. No conclusions could be drawn about the water permeability (Pf) of others, because there was no method for quantifying AQP2 expression in the plasma membrane. We recently developed such a method, which has allowed us to study the functionality of these AQP2 mutants. Immunoblot analysis of membranes of injected oocytes revealed that all mutants (AQP2-G64R, AQP2-N68S, AQP2 T126M, AQP2-A147T, AQP2-R187C, AQP2-S216P) are expressed as unglycosylated and high-mannose glycosylated AQP2. The level of the high-mannose form of AQP2-A147T in the plasma membranes was low, indicating that this mutation has a less severe effect on proper folding. Analysis of Pf values and plasma membrane expression levels reveals that AQP2-N68S, AQP2-R187C and AQP2-S216P are non-functional, AQP2-A147T is as functional as wt-AQP2, while AQP2-T126M and AQP2-G64R retain 20% of the permeability of wt-AQP2. Since G64 is highly conserved between AQPs and expected to form essential interactions with other amino acids within AQP1, the residual functionality of AQP2-G64R is surprising. Our data furthermore indicate that an eventual therapy with chemical chaperones that restores the routing of AQP2 mutants to the apical membrane of collecting ducts cells might relieve NDI in patients encoding AQP2-A147T, and to a lesser extent AQP2-T126M and AQP2-G64R, but not in patients encoding AQP2-N68S, AQP2-R187C or AQP2-S216P.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Molecular and cellular defects in nephrogenic diabetes insipidus.

The identification of the different molecular causes of congenital nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI), a disorder characterized by renal insensitivity to the antidiuretic effect of arginine vasopressin, has been of indispensable importance for understanding the cellular processes involved in diuresis and antidiuresis. In most cases, NDI is X-linked and caused by mutations in the vasopressin type-2 receptor (V2R) gene. Mutations in the aquaporin-2 (AQP2) water channel gene are responsible for the autosomal recessive and rare dominant forms of NDI. By in vitro expression, it has been shown that the majority of V2R mutants and all AQP2 mutants found in recessive NDI are misfolded and retained within the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Functional analysis of one of the mutations identified in dominant NDI showed that this mutant is properly folded and transported out of the ER, but is retained in the Golgi region. In addition, this mutant, in contrast to mutants found in recessive NDI, is able to heterotetramerize with wild-type AQP2. The resulting complex is hindered in its transport to the membrane, a finding that explains the dominant-negative effect of this mutation. Several new methodologies focused on the molecular defects causing NDI are presently being investigated in vitro and might eventually develop into useful therapeutic strategies.

Diabetes Insipidus, Nephrogenic↗

Biochemical characterization of bona fide polycystin-1 in vitro and in vivo.

The most common form of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (PKD) results from mutation of the PKD1 gene on chromosome 16p13.3. The gene encodes a 14-kb messenger RNA that is predicted to express a 462-kd membrane protein. The gene product, polycystin-1, has a large extracellular portion composed of a novel combination of protein-protein interacting domains and is postulated to be a plasma membrane receptor involved in cell-cell/matrix interactions. However, slow progress has been made in the characterization of polycystin-1 or the determination of its function. In fact, the protein is expressed at very low levels in tissues and cell lines and previous efforts directed at expression of recombinant protein had been largely unsuccessful. We have recently developed constructs of full-length human PKD1 complementary (cDNA) that can be expressed in both a stable and transient fashion in mammalian cells. We used these systems to characterize our antibodies and to track the protein in vivo. We report here the first biochemical characterization of recombinant polycystin-1 and show that the protein is a 520-kd glycosylated polypeptide with an unglycosylated core of 460 kd. Subcellular fractionation as well as biotinylation studies confirmed that the protein is plasma-membrane associated. Furthermore, we show that the recombinant protein localizes to cell-cell junctions in polarized madin darby canine kidney cells as revealed by indirect immunofluorescence. Our data represent the first characterization of polycystin-1 performed under highly controlled conditions.

Animals↗

[From genes to disease: from vasopressin-V2-receptor and aquaporine-2 to nephrogenic diabetes insipidus].

In the kidney, binding of arginine vasopressin to the vasopressin type-2 receptor (V2R) causes redistribution of aquaporin-2 (AQP2) water channels from intracellular vesicles to the apical cell membrane, a process which initiates urine concentration. This is disturbed in nephrogenic diabetes insipidus due to mutations in the V2R gene, which lies on Xq28 and has a sex-linked recessive heredity, or the AQP2 gene, which lies on chromosome 12 and has an autosomal heredity. In the case of a recessive abnormality the AQP2 protein which does not fold properly, remains in the endoplasmatic reticulum and is then broken down by a protease. For a dominant abnormality the transport signal in the AQP2 protein changes which results in it being found in another part of the cell namely the Golgi apparatus.

Aquaporin 2↗

The subcellular localization of an aquaporin-2 tetramer depends on the stoichiometry of phosphorylated and nonphosphorylated monomers.

In renal principal cells, vasopressin regulates the shuttling of the aquaporin (AQP)2 water channel between intracellular vesicles and the apical plasma membrane. Vasopressin-induced phosphorylation of AQP2 at serine 256 (S256) by protein kinase A (PKA) is essential for its localization in the membrane. However, phosphorylated AQP2 (p-AQP2) has also been detected in intracellular vesicles of noninduced principal cells. As AQP2 is expressed as homotetramers, we hypothesized that the number of p-AQP2 monomers in a tetramer might be critical for the its steady state distribution. Expressed in oocytes, AQP2-S256D and AQP2-S256A mimicked p-AQP2 and non-p-AQP2, respectively, as routing and function of AQP2-S256D and wild-type AQP2 (wt-AQP2) were identical, whereas AQP2-S256A was retained intracellularly. In coinjection experiments, AQP2-S256A and AQP2-S256D formed heterotetramers. Coinjection of different ratios of AQP2-S256A and AQP2-S256D cRNAs revealed that minimally three AQP2-S256D monomers in an AQP2 tetramer were essential for its plasma membrane localization. Therefore, our results suggest that in principal cells, minimally three monomers per AQP2 tetramer have to be phosphorylated for its steady state localization in the apical membrane. As other multisubunit channels are also regulated by phosphorylation, it is anticipated that the stoichiometry of their phosphorylated and nonphosphorylated subunits may fine-tune the activity or subcellular localization of these complexes.

Animals↗

Phsyiological relevance of aquaporins: luxury or necessity?

Aquaporins are members of a large family of pore-forming intrinsic membrane proteins, the MIP family. Based on their permeability properties they are now further subdivided into aquaporins, with real water-selective pores, and aquaglyceroporins with slightly less selective pores. Aquaporins are expressed in a large variety of tissues throughout the body but in most situations it is not clear whether their presence is necessary for the proper physiological function of these tissues. This review focuses on recent insight into the physiological relevance of aquaporins gained from studying aquaporin knockout mouse models and from diseases, on new surprising findings related to gating and selectivity, and on the consequences of tetramerization for routing and the genetics of nephrogenic diabetes insipidus. The active fluid transport in proximal tubules and in salivary glands is seriously compromised by aquaporin deletion. This is in contrast to lung, airways and stomach, where active fluid transport proceeds unhindered in the face of greatly reduced water permeabilities due to aquaporin deletion. Therefore, aquaporins seem to be a necessity at extreme high rates of active fluid transport but appear to be more of a luxury at medium or low fluid transport rates.

Animals↗

Routing of the aquaporin-2 water channel in health and disease.

The identification of the first water channel in 1991 opened up a new field in cell biology and physiology that significantly increased our understanding of mammalian water balance regulation. Since then, nine other mammalian aquaporins have been identified. Although the physiological significance of many aquaporins is still to be elucidated, it has been clearly established for aquaporin-2. This water channel, which is expressed in the renal collecting duct, is redistributed to the apical membrane in response to a intracellular signaling cascade, initiated by binding of the antidiuretic hormone vasopressin to its receptor. In pathological conditions, characterized by a reduced reabsorption of water from urine, the expression of aquaporin-2 and the apical targeting is always found to be reduced or absent. Naturally-occurring AQP2 mutations that cause Nephrogenic Diabetes Insipidus, a disease in which the kidney is unable to concentrate urine in response to vasopressin, are extreme examples of this condition. In contrast, in diseases with increased renal water uptake, total and apical membrane expression of aquaporin-2 is increased. Since most aquaporins, including aquaporin-2, are considered to be constitutively open channels, much attention has been given to the regulation of the shuttling of aquaporin-2 to the apical membrane. This review focusses on the present understanding of the regulation of the routing of aquaporin-2 in collecting duct cells and the misrouting of aquaporin-2 mutants in Nephrogenic Diabetes Insipidus.

Animals↗

Dissociation between urine osmolality and urinary excretion of aquaporin-2 in healthy volunteers.

BACKGROUND: It has been suggested that urinary excretion of the vasopressin-dependent water channel of the kidney collecting duct, aquaporin-2 (AQP2), reflects renal vasopressin action and might be used clinically. It is unclear, however, what relation exists between urine osmolality and urinary excretion of AQP2 (UAQP2) and it is unknown whether UAQP2 is influenced by hyperosmolality of urine or tubular flow rates. METHODS: We measured urine osmolality and UAQP2 in healthy volunteers in various conditions: (i) overnight dehydration continued during the day, (ii) after infusion of 700 ml hypertonic saline (NaCl 2.5%), and (iii) after intranasal administration of 40 microg 1-desamino-8-D-arginine vasopressin (DDAVP). The last two tests were performed after water loading. In addition, a DDAVP test was performed, after administration of frusemide. RESULTS: After overnight dehydration, the urine osmolality increased from 888+/-18 to 1004+/-17 mosmol/kg during additional hours of thirsting, whereas UAQP2 doubled from 140+/-45 to 285+/-63 fmol AQP2/micromol creatinine. Infusion of hypertonic saline increased urine osmolality from 70+/-3 to 451+/-68 mosmol/kg, while UAQP2 remained almost zero. Urine osmolality increased from 101+/-17 to 860+/-30 mosmol/kg after administration of DDAVP, with a parallel increase in UAQP2 from 32+/-14 to 394+/-81 fmol AQP2/micromol creatinine. Pre-treatment with frusemide attenuated the increase in urine osmolality, but had no effect on UAQP2 after DDAVP. CONCLUSIONS: Our data demonstrate that a simple relationship between urine osmolality and UAQP2 does not exist. Therefore, random or once-only measurements of UAQP2 as an index of renal vasopressin action are not useful. In contrast, intranasal application of DDAVP resulted in a parallel rise in urine osmolality and UAQP2. Therefore this test might be useful in studying patients with urine concentration defects. The DDAVP-frusemide test revealed that the release of AQP2 into urine is not caused by hypertonicity of tubular fluid.

Adult↗

Importance of aquaporin-2 expression levels in genotype -phenotype studies in nephrogenic diabetes insipidus.

Aquaporin-2 (AQP2) water channel mutations cause autosomal recessive and dominant nephrogenic diabetes insipidus. Expressed in oocytes, a mutant in dominant (AQP2-E258K), but not in recessive (AQP2-R187C), NDI conferred a specific dominant-negative effect (DNE) on wild-type (WT) AQP2 water permeability (P(f)) but only at low expression levels. Here, we determined the cell biological basis for this requirement. Injection of different amounts of WT-AQP2 cRNAs revealed that a correlation between AQP2 protein levels and P(f) is only obtained with low expression levels. In coexpression studies of WT- and mutant AQP2 proteins, higher expression levels of AQP2-R187C also exerted a DNE on the P(f) of WT-AQP2. Immunoblot and immunoprecipitation analysis revealed that this DNE was caused by competitive inhibition of WT-AQP2 expression and escape of AQP2-R187C from the endoplasmic reticulum, resulting in oligomerization with WT-AQP2. Because many disease-related mutants of multimeric renal membrane transporters and channels are likely to be identified, our data provide important information for studying the effects of such mutants on the activity of WT transporters and channels in oocytes.

Animals↗

At physiological expression levels the Kidd blood group/urea transporter protein is not a water channel.

The Kidd (JK) blood group locus encodes a urea transporter that is expressed on human red cells and on endothelial cells of the vasa recta in the kidney. Here, we report the identification in human erythroblasts of a novel cDNA, designated HUT11A, which encodes a protein identical to the previously reported erythroid HUT11 urea transporter, except for a Lys(44) --> Glu substitution and a Val-Gly dipeptide deletion after proline 227, which leads to a polypeptide of 389 residues versus 391 in HUT11. Genomic typing by polymerase chain reaction and transcript analysis by ribonuclease protection assay demonstrated that HUT11A encodes the true Kidd blood group/urea transporter protein, which carries only 2 Val-Gly motifs. Upon expression at high levels in Xenopus oocytes, the physiological Kidd/urea transporter HUT11A conferred a rapid transfer of urea (which was insensitive to p-chloromercuribenzene sulfonate or phloretin), a high water permeability, and a selective uptake of small solutes including amides and diols, but not glycerol and meso-erythritol. However, at plasma membrane expression levels close to the level observed in the red cell membrane, HUT11A-mediated water transport and small solutes uptake were absent and the urea transport was poorly inhibited by p-chloromercuribenzene sulfonate, but strongly inhibited by phloretin. These findings show that, at physiological expression levels, the HUT11A transporter confers urea permeability but not water permeability, and that the observed water permeability is a feature of the red cell urea transporter when expressed at unphysiological high levels.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

An impaired routing of wild-type aquaporin-2 after tetramerization with an aquaporin-2 mutant explains dominant nephrogenic diabetes insipidus.

Autosomal recessive and dominant nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI), a disease in which the kidney is unable to concentrate urine in response to vasopressin, are caused by mutations in the aquaporin-2 (AQP2) gene. Missense AQP2 proteins in recessive NDI have been shown to be retarded in the endoplasmic reticulum, whereas AQP2-E258K, an AQP2 mutant in dominant NDI, was retained in the Golgi complex. In this study, we identified the molecular mechanisms underlying recessive and dominant NDI. Sucrose gradient centrifugation of rat and human kidney proteins and subsequent immunoblotting revealed that AQP2 forms homotetramers. When expressed in oocytes, wild-type AQP2 and AQP2-E258K also formed homotetramers, whereas AQP2-R187C, a mutant in recessive NDI, was expressed as a monomer. Upon co-injection, AQP2-E258K, but not AQP2-R187C, was able to heterotetramerize with wild-type AQP2. Since an AQP monomer is the functional unit and AQP2-E258K is a functional but misrouted water channel, heterotetramerization of AQP2-E258K with wild-type AQP2 and inhibition of further routing of this complex to the plasma membrane is the cause of dominant NDI. This case of NDI is the first example of a dominant disease in which the 'loss-of-function' phenotype is caused by an impaired routing rather than impaired function of the wild-type protein.

Animals↗

Time-dependent regulation by aldosterone of the amiloride-sensitive Na+ channel in rabbit kidney.

The epithelial Na+ channel (ENaC) functions as the rate-limiting factor in aldosterone-regulated transcellular Na+ transport. In the study described here, the effect of aldosterone on ENaC mRNA levels, protein synthesis and benzamil-sensitive Na+ transport was investigated using primary cultures of immunodissected rabbit kidney connecting tubule and cortical collecting duct cells (CNT and CCD, respectively). After a lag time of 3 h, aldosterone caused transepithelial Na+ transport to increase, reaching maximal level of 260+/-44% after 16 h of incubation. The alpha, beta and gamma rabbit ENaC (rbENaC) mRNA levels, measured by semi-quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, were not changed by aldosterone during the first 3 h, but a twofold increase was apparent after 6 h; levels remained elevated for up to 16 h of incubation. Immunoprecipitation of [35S]methionine-labeled rbENaC revealed a rise in protein levels of the alpha and beta subunits, but the protein level of the gamma subunit remained constant. In conclusion, our data suggest that in rabbit CNT and CCD the early increase in Na+ transport caused by aldosterone is due to the activation or insertion of existing Na+ channels into the apical membrane, and that the late response is mediated by increased synthesis of the alpha and beta rbENaC subunits.

Aldosterone↗

An aquaporin-2 water channel mutant which causes autosomal dominant nephrogenic diabetes insipidus is retained in the Golgi complex.

Mutations in the aquaporin-2 (AQP2) water channel gene cause autosomal recessive nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI). Here we report the first patient with an autosomal dominant form of NDI, which is caused by a G866A transition in the AQP2 gene of one allele, resulting in a E258K substitution in the C-tail of AQP2. To define the molecular cause of NDI in this patient, AQP2-E258K was studied in Xenopus oocytes. In contrast to wild-type AQP2, AQP2-E258K conferred a small increase in water permeability, caused by a reduced expression at the plasma membrane. Coexpression of wild-type AQP2 with AQP2-E258K, but not with an AQP2 mutant in recessive NDI (AQP2-R187C), revealed a dominant-negative effect on the water permeability conferred by wild-type AQP2. The physiologically important phosphorylation of S256 by protein kinase A was not affected by the E258K mutation. Immunoblot and microscopic analyses revealed that AQP2-E258K was, in contrast to AQP2 mutants in recessive NDI, not retarded in the endoplasmic reticulum, but retained in the Golgi compartment. Since AQPs are thought to tetramerize, the retention of AQP2-E258K together with wild-type AQP2 in mixed tetramers in the Golgi compartment is a likely explanation for the dominant inheritance of NDI in this patient.

Adult↗