Phosphorylation of the Catalyic alpha -Subunit Constitutes a Triggering Signal for Na+,K+-ATPase Endocytosis*

Alexander V. Chibalin, Carlos H. PedemonteDagger , Adrian I. Katz§, Eric Féraille, Per-Olof Berggren, and Alejandro M. Bertorellopar

From the Department of Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Karolinska Hospital, S-171 76 Stockholm, Sweden; the Dagger  Department of Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Houston, Houston, Texas 77204; the § Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, and the  Division de Néphrologie, Hôpital Cantonal Universitaire, CH-1211 Geneva 14, Switzerland

    ABSTRACT
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Abstract
Introduction
Procedures
Results
Discussion
References

Inhibition of Na+,K+-ATPase activity by dopamine is an important mechanism by which renal tubules modulate urine sodium excretion during a high salt diet. However, the molecular mechanisms of this regulation are not clearly understood. Inhibition of Na+,K+-ATPase activity in response to dopamine is associated with endocytosis of its alpha - and beta -subunits, an effect that is protein kinase C-dependent. In this study we used isolated proximal tubule cells and a cell line derived from opossum kidney and demonstrate that dopamine-induced endocytosis of Na+,K+-ATPase and inhibition of its activity were accompanied by phosphorylation of the alpha -subunit. Inhibition of both the enzyme activity and its phosphorylation were blocked by the protein kinase C inhibitor bisindolylmaleimide. The early time dependence of these processes suggests a causal link between phosphorylation and inhibition of enzyme activity. However, after 10 min of dopamine incubation, the alpha -subunit was no longer phosphorylated, whereas enzyme activity remained inhibited due to its removal from the plasma membrane. Dephosphorylation occurred in the late endosomal compartment. To further examine whether phosphorylation was a prerequisite for subunit endocytosis, we used the opossum kidney cell line transfected with the rodent alpha -subunit cDNA. Treatment of this cell line with dopamine resulted in phosphorylation and endocytosis of the alpha -subunit with a concomitant decrease in Na+,K+-ATPase activity. In contrast, none of these effects were observed in cells transfected with the rodent alpha -subunit that lacks the putative protein kinase C-phosphorylation sites (Ser11 and Ser18). Our results support the hypothesis that protein kinase C-dependent phosphorylation of the alpha -subunit is essential for Na+,K+-ATPase endocytosis and that both events are responsible for the decreased enzyme activity in response to dopamine.

    INTRODUCTION
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Abstract
Introduction
Procedures
Results
Discussion
References

The natriuretic effect of dopamine (DA)1 depends on its ability to increase the glomerular filtration rate and/or to modulate directly tubular sodium reabsorption (1-3). Changes in vectorial transport of sodium induced by DA in renal tubules are largely mediated by inhibition of Na+,K+-ATPase (4, 5) and Na+/H+-exchanger activity (6). At the cellular level, DA triggers a specific signaling cascade that ultimately activates protein kinase C (PKC) (7), a process postulated to be responsible for the decreased Na+,K+-ATPase activity.

Activators of PKC, such as phorbol esters and diacylglycerol analogs, decrease Na+,K+-ATPase activity in isolated rat renal PCT segments (7, 8) as well as the vectorial transport of sodium by isolated perfused PCTs (9). In isolated renal PCT cells, another activator of PKC, L-1-oleoyl-2-acetoyl-sn,n-acetoyl-glycerol, decreased Na+,K+-ATPase activity determined as the rate of ouabain-sensitive oxygen consumption (10). In a renal cell line derived from opossum kidney (OK cells), but not from pig kidney (LLC-PK1 cells), incubation with phorbol esters resulted in phosphorylation of the Na+,K+-ATPase alpha -subunit and inhibition of its activity (11). However, stimulation of Na+,K+-ATPase by phorbol esters has also been reported (12, 13). Although phosphorylation of the alpha -subunit by PKC in a cell-free preparation was associated with a decrease in enzymatic activity (14-16), it is not clear whether this effect occurs in intact cells in response to phorbol esters (11, 17).

DA is produced locally in renal PCT cells (18-20) where its synthesis is regulated physiologically during ingestion of a high salt diet (21). Contrary to the diverse effects of PKC stimulation by phorbol esters and diacylglycerols on Na+,K+-ATPase activity, there is a consensus on the inhibitory action of DA on the enzyme. Moreover, we have recently demonstrated that inhibition of PCT Na+,K+-ATPase activity by DA is associated with endocytosis of its alpha - and beta -subunits into early- (EE) and late (LE) endosomes via a clathrin-coated vesicle (CCV)-dependent mechanism (22). Nevertheless, despite the information gained during the last few years on the regulation of Na+,K+-ATPase activity, it is not known whether inhibition of enzyme activity in intact cells depends on the phosphorylation of the catalytic subunit, or whether such phosphorylation is necessary for subunit endocytosis in response to a physiologic agonist such as DA.

In the present study, using intact renal PCT cells metabolically labeled with [32P]orthophosphate, we have examined whether dopamine phosphorylates the Na+,K+-ATPase alpha -subunit and whether this effect is responsible for the decreased enzymatic activity and subunit endocytosis.

    EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES
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Procedures
Results
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References

Materials-- The cAMP analog Rp-cAMPS was obtained from BioLog, Bremen, Germany. Bisindolylmaleimide was purchased from Calbiochem, San Diego, CA. All other chemicals were from Sigma. A monoclonal antibody, kindly provided by Dr. M. Caplan (Yale University), was used against the Na+,K+-ATPase alpha -subunit (antibody A, which recognizes only the N-terminal first five residues of the alpha -subunit). Immunoprecipitation of the Na+,K+-ATPase in the phosphorylation experiments and Western blots were performed using a polyclonal antibody (B) raised against the rat Na+,K+-ATPase alpha -subunit (23). The identity of EE was determined with a polyclonal antibody raised against a rab5 synthetic peptide (Santa Cruz Biotechnology Inc., Santa Cruz, CA). The late endosome fraction was identified with a mannose-6-phosphate receptor antibody (courtesy of Dr. B. Hoflack, EMBL, Heidelberg, Germany).

Preparation of PCT Cells-- PCT cells were prepared as described before (10, 24). Briefly, male Sprague-Dawley rats (BK Universal, Sollentuna, Sweden) weighing between 150-200 g were used. After the kidneys were removed and the cortex isolated, the tissue was minced on ice to a paste-like consistency. The cortical minceate was incubated with 0.7 mg/ml collagenase (Type I, Sigma) in 50 ml of Hanks' medium (Life Technologies,Inc., Gaithersburg, MD). The incubation was carried out at 37 °C for 60 min, where the solution was continuously exposed to 95% O2, 5% CO2 and was terminated by placing the tissue on ice and pouring through graded sieves (180-75-53-38 µM pore size) to obtain a cell suspension. It has been reported that phorbol esters regulate Na,K-ATPase differently depending on whether the tissue has been continously oxygenated during its preparation and incubation with the PKC activator. Although this effect was not reported to be involved in the DA response, we had taken the precaution to incubate cells in oxygenated solutions in all steps until the tissue was disrupted to immunoprecipitate the alpha -subunit or for preparation of BLM, EE, and LE.

Cell Culture and Transfection-- The expression vector pCMV containing the rodent Na+,K+-ATPase alpha 1-subunit cDNA was obtained from PharMingen (San Diego, CA). Preparation of the expression vector (myc/1.32) that encodes a shortened mutant of the alpha 1-subunit was as described by Shanbaky and Pressley (25). This vector expresses a rodent alpha -subunit in which the first 31 amino acids of the nascent polypeptide are replaced by an initiation methionine and a sequence of 10 amino acids (EQKLISEEDL) from the human c-myc oncogene product. Transfection of OK cells and selection of ouabain-resistant colonies were performed as described previously (26).

Determination of Na+,K+-ATPase Activity-- Cells were incubated in modified Hanks' medium in the presence or absence of 1 µM DA at room temperature for different periods of time. The incubation was terminated by placing the samples on ice. Cell aliquots (approximately 10-20 µg of protein) were transferred to the Na+,K+-ATPase assay medium (final volume of 100 µl) containing in mM NaCl, 50; KCl, 5; MgCl2, 10; EGTA, 1; Tris-HCl, 50; Na2ATP, 7 (Calbiochem, La Jolla, CA); and [gamma -32P]ATP (NEN Life Science Products, specific activity 3000 Ci/mmol) in tracer amounts (3.3 nCi/µl). Na+,K+-ATPase activity was determined in permeabilized cells as described before (27, 28).

Phosphorylation and Immunoprecipitation of Na+,K+-ATPase in Intact Cells-- Renal PCT cells (4-6 mg of protein/3 ml) were labeled during 2 h at 32 °C in a buffer containing (in mM) NaCl, 120; KCl, 5; NaHCO3, 4; CaCl2, 1; MgSO4, 1; NaH2PO4, 0.2; Na2HPO4, 0.15; glucose, 5; lactate, 10; pyruvate, 1; HEPES, 20; and 1% bovine serum albumin, pH 7.45, with the addition of 250 µCi/ml [32P]orthophosphate (NEN Life Science Products). OK cells (2.0-2.5 mg of protein/dish) were labeled in the same buffer (2.5 ml/dish) containing 100 µCi/ml [32P]orthophosphate for 2.5 h at 37 °C. All incubations with different agonists were performed at room temperature. The incubation was terminated by removing the medium and adding cold immunoprecipitation buffer. Immunoprecipitation of the Na+,K+-ATPase alpha -subunit was performed as described by Carranza et al. (12). Briefly, aliquots (200 µg of protein) were incubated overnight at 4 °C with 50 µl of rabbit polyclonal antibody and with the simultaneous addition of excess protein A-Sepharose beads (Pharmacia Biotech Inc., Uppsala, Sweden). Samples were analyzed by SDS-PAGE using the Laemmli buffer system (29). Proteins were transferred to polyvinylidene difluoride membranes (Immobilon-P, Millipore) and subjected to autoradiography. Phosphoproteins were also analyzed using a phosphoimager (Fuji, Japan), and quantitation was performed as described (22).

Preparation of Endosomes-- Cells were labeled with 32P as detailed above. Cells in suspension (1.5 mg of protein/ml) were incubated under different protocols at room temperature. Incubation was terminated by transferring the samples to ice and adding cold homogenization buffer containing 250 mM sucrose and 3 mM imidazole, 2 mM EGTA, 10 mM NaF, 30 mM Na4O7P2, 1 mM Na3VO4, 1 mM phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, 10 µg/ml leupeptin, 4 µg/ml aprotinin, pH 7.4. Cells were gently homogenized (15-20 strokes) to minimize damage of the endosomes, using a Dounce homogenizer, and the samples were subjected to a brief (5 min) centrifugation (4 °C, 3,000 × g). Endosomes were fractionated on a flotation gradient as described (22), using essentially the technique of Gorvel et al. (30).

Preparation of Basolateral Plasma Membranes-- After separation of EE and LE, another fraction (500 µl) was collected at the 16 and 42% sucrose interface corresponding to cell ghosts, mitochondria, and plasma membranes. Basolateral membranes (BLM) were further purified according to Hammond et al. (31), using a Percoll gradient. Briefly, the collected material was diluted by adding 500 µl of imidazole (3 mM, pH 7.4) buffer containing protease inhibitors (final sucrose concentration 25-26% w/w), and spun at 20,000 × g for 20 min. The yellow layer was resuspended again in the supernatant (carefully removed from the brown pellet containing mitochondria and cell ghosts) and centrifuged at 48,000 × g for 30 min. The supernatant was discarded, and the pellet was resuspended in 1 ml of buffer (300 mM mannitol and 12 mM HEPES, pH 7.6, adjusted with Tris) by gentle pipetting. To form a Percoll gradient, 0.19 g of undiluted Percoll (Pharmacia Biotech Inc.) was added to a 1-ml suspension (0.2-1 mg of protein). The suspension was gently mixed and centrifuged at 48,000 × g for 30 min, and the ring of BLM was collected.

Miscellaneous-- Protein content was determined according to Bradford (32). Western blots were developed with an ECL (Amersham, UK) detection kit. Scans were performed using a ScanJet IIc scanner (Hewlett Packard, Palo Alto, CA). Quantitation of the phosphorylated Na+,K+-ATPase alpha -subunit was performed using a Fuji Bas 1000 Bio-imaging analyzer (Fuji, Japan), and the data (arbitrary units) were analyzed using Tina 2.07 ray test software (Isotopenmessyeräte GmbH, Staulenhardt, Germany).

Statistics-- Comparison between two experimental groups were made by the unpaired Student's t test. For multiple comparisons, one-way ANOVA with Sheffe's correction was used. p < 0.05 was considered significant.

    RESULTS
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Results
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References

In this study we sought to determine whether inhibition of Na+,K+-ATPase activity and endocytosis was associated with phosphorylation of the alpha -subunit. In isolated renal PCT cells, incubation with DA decreased Na+,K+-ATPase activity (nmol Pi/mg prot/min, vehicle: 112 ± 8 versus DA, 1 µM: 60 ± 2, n = 4, p < 0.05), and this effect was blocked by PKC inhibitors (7, 8). Intact renal PCT cells were metabolically labeled with 32P and thereafter incubated for 2.5 min at room temperature with or without DA (Fig. 1A). The alpha -subunit was immunoprecipitated, separated by SDS-PAGE, and transferred to polyvinylidene difluoride membranes. In every experiment the amount of radioactivity (autoradiography or phosphoimager) incorporated into the alpha -subunit was corrected for the amount of protein present (Western blot), and the quantitative data are shown as percent of control at the bottom of each panel. DA increased the state of phosphorylation (to ~165% of control) of the alpha -subunit, as illustrated in Fig. 1A. This increased phosphorylation was inhibited by bisindolylmaleimide, a specific PKC inhibitor, but not by a cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) inhibitor, suggesting that phosphorylation of the alpha -subunit induced by DA is mediated by PKC. Neither inhibitor affected the state of alpha -subunit phosphorylation in non-stimulated PCT cells.


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Fig. 1.   Effect of DA on the state of phosphorylation of the Na+,K+-ATPase alpha -subunit. All the protocols in panels A, B, and C were performed in PCT cells metabolically labeled with 32P as described under "Experimental Procedures." A, intact PCT cells incubated with 1 µM DA in the presence and absence of 1 µM bisindolylmaleimide or 500 µM Rp-cAMPS for 2.5 min at room temperature. A representative autoradiogram and the corresponding Western blot is shown in the upper panel, and the quantitative data from four experiments (mean ± S.E.) are shown in the lower panel. *, p < 0.05, and n.s, not significant. B, time-dependent phosphorylation of the Na+,K+-ATPase alpha -subunit (filled circles) and inhibition of the catalytic activity (open circles). Isolated PCT cells were incubated with 1 µM DA at room temperature for different periods. A representative autoradiogram and the corresponding Western blot are shown in the upper panel and the quantitative data from four experiments (mean ± S.E.) in the lower panel. Na+,K+-ATPase activity is expressed as percent of control of four experiments (mean ± S.E.) performed in duplicate. *, p < 0.05. C, isolated PCT cells were preincubated with 1 µM OKD or vehicle for 15 min at room temperature. Thereafter, they were incubated with or without 1 µM DA for 10 min at room temperature. The upper panel is a representative autoradiogram, and the quantitative data of four experiments (mean ± S.E.) are shown below. *, p < 0.05.

Phosphorylation of the Na+,K+-ATPase alpha -subunit by DA was time-dependent (Fig. 1B). It increased significantly after 1 min and was maximal at 2.5 min (178% of control), whereas it was no longer evident at 10 min. However, while the initial (1.0 and 2.5 min) increase in alpha -subunit phosphorylation corresponded to the decrease in enzyme activity, this correlation was no longer present at 10 min, i.e. enzyme activity remained inhibited (percent of control, 60 ± 3, p < 0.05), whereas phosphorylation was similar to that of control cells.

To determine whether the Na+,K+-ATPase has been dephosphorylated, we examined the effect of DA in the presence of a phosphatase inhibitor, 1 µM okadaic acid (OKD) (Fig. 1C). Basal phosphorylation (resting condition = control, C) was moderately higher (~1.5-fold) in the OKD-treated cells. As hypothesized, in OKD-treated cells, DA (10 min) did increase the state of alpha -subunit phosphorylation, suggesting that at this time period it had been dephosphorylated by the action of protein phosphatases.

Because after 10 min the alpha -subunit has been dephosphorylated yet the decreased enzymatic activity persisted, it is possible that the dephosphorylated alpha -subunits no longer reside in the plasma membrane. To test this hypothesis, we evaluated the state of phosphorylation of the alpha -subunit in BLM and in LE. In BLM prepared from cells that have been preincubated with DA for 10 min, the state of phosphorylation of the immunoprecipitated alpha -subunit remained unchanged regardless of whether the PCT cells were previously treated with 1 µM OKD or not, whereas it increased significantly in LE. This was evident, however, only if PCT cells had been preincubated with OKD (phosphorylation (percent of control): 104 ± 6 without OKD versus 126 ± 5 OKD-treated cells, n = 3), supporting the notion that the alpha -subunit is dephosphorylated in LE.

In BLM prepared from cells that have been preincubated with DA for 2.5 min (Fig. 2A, left panel) the state of phosphorylation of the immunoprecipitated alpha -subunit was significantly increased, regardless of whether the PCT cells were previously treated with 1 µM OKD or not (phosphorylation (percent of control): 130 ± 2.0 without OKD, 131 ± 1.2 with OKD). These results suggest that the phosphorylated subunits (2.5 min) in the BLM are not affected by protein phosphatases


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Fig. 2.   State of phosphorylation of the Na+,K+-ATPase alpha -subunit in BLM and LE. Isolated PCT cells were preincubated for 15 min at room temperature with 1 µM OKD or vehicle. Thereafter, they were expossed for an additional 2.5 or 10 min to 1 µM DA. The Na+,K+-ATPase alpha -subunit was immunoprecipitated from BLM (A) and LE (B). A representative autoradiogram and Western blot are shown. The quantitative data of three experiments (mean ± S.E.) are given under "Results."

Although the results described above support the concept that in response to DA the Na+,K+-ATPase alpha -subunits are phosphorylated in the plasma membrane and then internalized and dephosphorylated in LE, the link between these two processes (i.e. whether phosphorylation is a requisite for endocytosis) is not clear. Therefore, we next used an epithelial cell line from OK transfected with the rat Na+,K+-ATPase alpha -subunit cDNA carrying a deletion in the nascent 28 amino acids in which Ser11 and Ser18, the putative phosphorylation sites for PKC (33, 34), are absent. OK cells (non-transfected) behaved similarly to native PCT cells in their response to DA: DA decreased the Na+,K+-ATPase activity, and this inhibition was associated with endocytosis of the alpha -subunit. Thus, they constitute a useful model to study the mechanisms of action of DA.

The relative expression of Na+,K+-ATPase alpha -subunits in transfected OK cells was determined using antibody A raised against the first five amino acids of the alpha -subunit (which should not recognize the truncated form, OKalpha rat-t) and compared with antibody B, raised against the holoenzyme. While antibody B recognized the Na+,K+-ATPase alpha -subunit from both the full-length (OKalpha rat) and OKalpha rat-t cells, antibody A detected only a slight presence of Na+,K+-ATPase alpha -subunits in OKalpha rat-t (Fig. 3A), indicating that in OKalpha rat-t most of the alpha -subunits correspond to the truncated form.


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Fig. 3.   Effect of DA on Na+,K+-ATPase activity and alpha -subunit phosphorylation in OK cells expressing either the intact- or the truncated (lacking the first 31 amino acids) alpha -subunit isoform. A, Western blot analysis of membrane proteins (30 µg) performed with antibody A and B. B, Na+,K+-ATPase activity was determined after incubation with or without 1 µM DA (10 min at room temperature). Each bar represents the mean ± S.E. of five experiments performed in duplicate (**, p < 0.01; n.s, not significant). C, phoshorylation of the immunoprecipitated alpha -subunit. The left panel is a representative autoradiogram, and the right panel displays the level of phosphorylation from four experiments (mean ± S.E.). **, p < 0.01.

We next evaluated the Na+,K+-ATPase activity and its response to DA in OKalpha rat and OKalpha rat-t (Fig. 3B). While basal Na+,K+-ATPase activity was similar in both groups of cells and comparable with that in earlier reports (13, 26), incubation with DA resulted in a significant decrease in Na+,K+-ATPase activity from OKalpha rat (p < 0.01), but not from OKalpha rat-t (p = 0.567). The inhibitory effect of DA in OKalpha rat was abolished by coincubation with a PKC inhibitor, bisindolylmaleimide (percent of control: 99.3 ± 7, n = 3). We further examined whether this inhibition was associated with phosphorylation of the alpha -subunit (Fig. 3C). 1 µM DA (3 min; room temperature) increased the state of phosphorylation of the alpha -subunit in OKalpha rat but not in OKalpha rat-t cells.

Last, to determine whether phosphorylation of the alpha -subunit was necessary for endocytosis, early and late endosomes were prepared from OKalpha rat and OKalpha rat-t cells incubated with DA (Fig. 4). DA stimulated the incorporation of alpha -subunits into EE and LE from OKalpha rat, and this effect was blocked by bisindolylmaleimide (percent of control, EE: 105 ± 12, n = 3; and LE: 96 ± 17, n = 3) or calphostin C (percent of control, EE: 98 ± 13, n = 3; and LE: 86 ± 11, n = 3). However, DA did not increase the incorporation of alpha -subunits from OKalpha rat-t.


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Fig. 4.   DA-dependent endocytosis of the Na+,K+-ATPase alpha -subunit in OK cells expressing either the intact- or the truncated (lacking the first 31 amino acids) alpha -subunit isoform. Cells were incubated with 1 µM DA for 15 min at room temperature. Early and late endosomes were prepared as described under "Experimental Procedures." For Western blot analysis, equal amounts of protein (3 µg) were loaded in each lane. The left panel shows a representative Western blot; the right panel represents the alpha -subunit abundance quantified from six independent experiments (mean ± S.E.). **, p < 0.01.

    DISCUSSION
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Procedures
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In this report we have demonstrated that DA treatment of both isolated proximal tubule cells and OK cells transfected with the rodent alpha -subunit leads to inhibition of Na+,K+-ATPase activity and phosphorylation and endocytosis of the alpha -subunit. In contrast, when the DA effect was examined in OK cells expressing the Na+,K+-ATPase alpha -subunit isoform in which the putative PKC-phosphorylation sites were removed, DA-treatment neither inhibited the enzyme activity nor induced any significant phosphorylation or endocytosis of the alpha -subunit. These observations strongly suggest a causal link between PKC-dependent phosphorylation of amino acids at the alpha -subunit N terminus and Na+,K+-ATPase inhibition and endocytosis in response to a physiological agonist.

Inhibition of Na+,K+-ATPase activity by DA in renal PCT involves the sequential activation of arachidonic acid, 20-HETE, and PKC (35). Although cAMP stimulation has been suggested to contribute to the action of DA (36, 37), it is unlikely that it would be directly involved in Na+,K+-ATPase regulation (phosphorylation of the alpha -subunit in renal PCT cells) because increased cAMP in this segment does not inhibit (7) but is rather associated with stimulation of Na+,K+-ATPase activity (38). Accordingly, in this study phosphorylation of Na+,K+-ATPase alpha -subunits was blocked by PKC-, but not cAMP-K, inhibition. Our observation differs from that reported by Beguin et al. (39), perhaps reflecting differences in the preparations used. We examined isolated PCT cells, where DA is synthetized and physiologically regulates Na+,K+-ATPase activity, whereas Beguin et al. (39) used a reconstituted system in which the receptor (human dopaminergic DA1A) and the target (Bufo marinus Na+,K+-ATPase alpha -subunit) were expressed in a cell line (COS-7) that normally does not express this regulatory system.

The present results suggest that inhibition of total cell Na+,K+-ATPase activity is initially accomplished by phosphorylation of the alpha -subunit and that the activity remains decreased because the inhibited units no longer reside in the plasma membrane. Once the alpha -subunits become phosphorylated, they are internalized by sequential translocation into CCV, EE, and finally LE, where they may be dephosphorylated. Because in CCV and EE the increased Na+,K+-ATPase alpha -subunit abundance is not associated with increased enzymatic activity (22), it is unlikely that it could have been dephosphorylated in these compartments.

Endocytosis of the alpha -subunit requires phosphorylation by PKC because mutants lacking the PKC phosphorylation sites do not internalize in response to dopamine. The mechanisms by which membrane proteins are internalized have been studied extensively, and the consensus sequences of interaction with adaptins have been described. The amino acids that were deleted by the truncation do not bear any homology with known endocytic sequences. Thus, it appears that it is the lack of phosphorylation rather than impairment of a putative Na+,K+-ATPase alpha -subunit-adaptin interaction that precludes the dopamine-dependent endocytosis in cells transfected with the truncated isoform. However, Beron et al. (40), using phorbol esters to stimulate PKC, have recently postulated that PKC activation is not necessary for Na+,K+-ATPase alpha -subunit endocytosis in A6 cells. These observations, however, are not comparable with the effect of DA in PCT cells. Phorbol esters increased fluid phase endocytosis, and the signal could thus have occurred at any other target in the plasma membrane. In PCT cells, by contrast, DA selectively internalized the Na+,K+-ATPase alpha /beta -subunits while the distribution of other basolateral membrane markers such as the glucose transporter GLUT-2 and the mannose 6-phosphate receptor remained unchanged (22). Incubation of PCT cells with phorbol esters, on the other hand, resulted in internalization of the GLUT-2 transporter as well as the Na+,K+-ATPase alpha -subunit and also induced a significant change in the actin cytoskeleton organization.2 Thus, endocytosis and phosphorylation of the Na+,K+-ATPase alpha -subunit, as well as inhibition of its activity in response to DA (Ref. 22 and present study), require activation of PKC.

It has also been reported that phorbol esters stimulate Na+,K+-ATPase activity (12, 13, 26) and that this effect is accompanied by phosphorylation of the alpha -subunit (12). Thus, although both effects (that of DA and of phorbol esters) share a common target, PKC, they are clearly different. For example, stimulation by phorbol esters of Na+,K+-ATPase activity and phosphorylation of the alpha -subunit were significant after 15 min of incubation (12). In contrast, the effect of DA occurs already at 1 min, and after 10 min, the alpha -subunits are no longer phosphorylated and, in addition, they no longer reside in the plasma membrane. Finally, another reason why the effects of phorbol esters and DA are different in nature may be that the effect of DA on Na+,K+-ATPase activity is mediated via a PKC isoform that can be activated by arachidonic acid metabolism and generation (in the PCT) of the cytochrome P-450 metabolite, 20-HETE, an eicosanoid that activates PKC (41). The action of DA might therefore involve an atypical PKC isoform that is not responsive to phorbol esters (42) but whose activation is rather dependent on membrane lipids.

In conclusion, while in intact cells the use of phorbol esters has not been proved to be an efficient probe to demostrate the relationship between phosphorylation of the Na+,K+-ATPase alpha -subunit and inhibition of its activity (17), by using an agonist such as dopamine in cells where it is produced and exerts its physiologic action it was possible to demonstrate that phosphorylation of the alpha -subunit is associated with inhibition of Na+,K+-ATPase activity and that this step is required for subunit endocytosis.

    FOOTNOTES

* This study was supported in part by Grants 10860 (to A. M. B) and 09890 (to P.-O. B) from the Swedish Medical Research Council, DK 52273 from the National Institutes of Health (to C. H. P), and 9650139N from the American Heart Association (C. H. P) and by the Swedish Natural Science Research Council (to A. I. K.).The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. The article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.

par To whom correspondence should be addressed: Rolf Luft Centrum L6B:01, Karolinska Hospital, S-171 76 Stockholm, Sweden. Tel.: 46 8 517-75727, Fax: 46-8-517-73658, E-mail: alejan{at}enk.ks.se.

1 The abbreviations used are: DA, dopamine; PKC, protein kinase C; PCT, proximal convoluted tubules; EE, early endosomes; LE, late endosomes; BLM, basolateral plasma membrane; CCV, clathrin-coated vesicles; OKD, okadaic acid; 20-HETE, 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid; OK cells, opossum kidney cells.

2 A. V. Chibalin, A. I. Katz, and A. M. Bertorello, unpublished observations.

    REFERENCES
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Abstract
Introduction
Procedures
Results
Discussion
References

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