Abstract

The kidney maintains water homeostasis by modulating aquaporin 2 (AQP2) on the plasma membrane of collecting duct principal cells in response to vasopressin (VP). VP mediated phosphorylation of AQP2 at serine 256 is critical for this effect. However, the role of phosphorylation of other serine residues in the AQP2 C-terminus is less well understood. Here, we examined the effect of phosphorylation of S256, S261 and S269 on AQP2 trafficking and association with recycling pathway markers. We used LLC-PK1 cells expressing AQP2(S-D) or (S-A) phospho mutants and a 20°C cold block, which allows endocytosis to continue, but prevents protein exit from the trans Golgi network (TGN), inducing formation of a perinuclear AQP2 patch. AQP2-S256D persists on the plasma membrane during cold block, while wild type AQP2, AQP2-S256A, S261A, S269A and S269D are internalized and accumulate in the patch. Development of this patch, a measure of AQP2 internalization, was most rapid with AQP2-S256A, and slowest with S261A and S269D. AQP2-S269D exhibited a biphasic internalization profile with a significant amount not internalized until 150 minutes of cold block. After rewarming to 37°C, wt AQP2, AQP2-S261A and AQP2-S269D rapidly redistributed throughout the cytoplasm within 20 minutes, whereas AQP2-S256A dissipated more slowly. Colocalization of AQP2 mutants with several key vesicular markers including clathrin, HSP70/HSC70, EEA, GM130 and Rab11 revealed no major differences. Overall, our data provide evidence supporting the role of S256 and S269 in the maintenance of AQP2 at the cell surface and reveal the dynamics of internalization and recycling of differentially phosphorylated AQP2 in cell culture.

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Authors

Rice WL, Zhang Y, Chen Y, Matsuzaki T, Brown D, Lu HA

Institution

Program in Membrane Biology, Division of Nephrology, Center for Systems Biology, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.

Source

PloS one 7:2 2012 pg e32843

MeSH

Animals
Aquaporin 2
Cell Membrane
Cell Nucleus
Clathrin
Cold Temperature
Endocytosis
Exocytosis
HSC70 Heat-Shock Proteins
HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins
LLC-PK1 Cells
Microscopy, Confocal
Mutation
Phosphorylation
Protein Transport
Serine
Swine
trans-Golgi Network

Pub Type(s)

Journal Article
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

Language

eng

PubMed ID

22403603