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In vivo role of CLC chloride channels in the kidney.

Chloride channels in the kidney are involved in important physiological functions such as cell volume regulation, acidification of intracellular vesicles, and transepithelial chloride transport. Among eight mammalian CLC chloride channels expressed in the kidney, three (CLC-K1, CLC-K2, and CLC-5) were identified to be related to kidney diseases in humans or mice. CLC-K1 mediates a transepithelial chloride transport in the thin ascending limb of Henle's loop and is essential for urinary concentrating mechanisms. CLC-K2 is a basolateral chloride channel in distal nephron segments and is necessary for chloride reabsorption. CLC-5 is a chloride channel in intracellular vesicles of proximal tubules and is involved in endocytosis. This review will cover the recent advances in research on the CLC chloride channels of the kidney with a special focus on the issues most necessary to understand their physiological roles in vivo, i.e., their intrarenal and cellular localization and their phenotypes of humans and mice that have their loss-of-function mutations.

Animals↗

Chloride channels: an emerging molecular picture.

Chloride channels are probably found in every cell, from bacteria to mammals. Their physiological tasks range from cell volume regulation to stabilization of the membrane potential, signal transduction, transepithelial transport and acidification of intracellular organelles. These different functions require the presence of many distinct chloride channels, which are differentially expressed and regulated by various stimuli. These include various intracellular messengers (like calcium and cyclic AMP), pH, extracellular ligands and transmembrane voltage. Three major structural classes of chloride channels are known to date, but there may be others not yet identified. After an overview of the general functions of chloride channels, this review will focus on these cloned chloride channels: the CLC chloride channel family, which includes voltage-gated chloride channels, and the cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator (CFTR), which performs other functions in addition to being a chloride channel. Finally, a short section deals with GABA and glycine receptors. Diseases resulting from chloride channel defects will be specially emphasized, together with the somewhat limited information about how these proteins work at the molecular level.

Animals↗

Solubilization and functional reconstitution of a chloride channel from Torpedo californica electroplax.

Chloride channels were detergent-extracted from Torpedo electroplax plasma membrane vesicles and reconstituted into liposomes by rapid detergent removal and a freeze-thaw-sonication procedure. Concentrative uptake of 36Cl-, driven by a Cl- gradient was used to determine conductance properties of reconstituted channels. Chloride flux assayed by this method is strongly selective for Cl- over cations, is blocked by SCN-, inactivated by treatment with DIDS, and exhibits an anion selectivity sequence Cl- greater than Br- greater than F- greater than SO4(2-), as does the voltage-gated Cl- channel from Torpedo observed in planar lipid bilayers. The channels are localized to the noninnervated face of the electrocyte, and a novel trapped-volume method is used to estimate a channel density on the order of 500 pmol/mg protein. An initial fractionation of the membrane extract by anion exchange chromatography yields fivefold enrichment of the channel activity.

Animals↗

Bead-like passage of chloride ions through ClC chloride channels.

The ClC chloride channels control the ionic composition of the cytoplasm and the volume of cells, and regulate electrical excitability. Recently, it has been proposed that prokaryotic ClC channels are H+-Cl- exchange transporter. Although X-ray and molecular dynamics (MD) studies of bacterial ClC channels have investigated the filter open-close and ion permeation mechanism of channels, details have remained unclear. We performed MD simulations of ClC channels involving H+, Na+, K+, or H3O+ in the intracellular region to elucidate the open-close mechanism, and to clarify the role of H+ ion an H+-Cl- exchange transporter. Our simulations revealed that H+ and Na+ caused channel opening and the passage of Cl- ions. Na+ induced a bead-like string of Cl- -Na+-Cl--Na+-Cl- ions to form and permeate through ClC channels to the intracellular side with the widening of the channel pathway.

Bacterial Proteins↗

Chloride channels in renal epithelial cells.

Chloride channels are found throughout the nephron. Many chloride channels expressed in the kidney have now been cloned. The CIC family of voltage-dependent chloride channels accounts for most of the known renal chloride channels. Unfortunately, relatively little is known concerning their functional properties. The role that chloride channels may play in renal disease has only recently been addressed.

Chloride Channels↗

Role of kidney chloride channels in health and disease.

Chloride channels are expressed along the entire mammalian nephron. They participate in transepithelial chloride transport, cell volume regulation and acidification of intracellular vesicles. Some chloride channels are constitutively active and others are regulated by either second messengers such as cAMP or Ca(++) or secondary to changes in membrane potential. The molecular identities of a number of chloride channels within the kidney are still unknown. Abnormalities in chloride channel expression and function in the kidney can cause a range of disorders such as autosomal recessive Dent's disease, Bartter's syndrome, renal tubular acidosis and diabetes insipidus. The purpose of this review is to give an overview of the chloride channels in the kidney and to focus on the function of renal chloride channels as revealed by diseases associated with channel dysfunction.

Animals↗

Molecular cloning and characterization of p64, a chloride channel protein from kidney microsomes.

Chloride channels were previously purified from bovine kidney cortex membranes using a drug affinity column. Reconstitution of the purified proteins into artificial liposomes and planar bilayers yielded chloride channels. A 64-kDa protein, p64, identified as a component of this chloride channel was used to generate antibodies which depleted solubilized kidney membranes of all chloride channel activity. This antibody has now been used to identify a clone, H2B, from a kidney cDNA library. Antibodies, affinity-purified against the fusion protein of H2B also depleted solubilized kidney cortex from all chloride channel activity. The predicted amino acid sequence of p64 shows that it contains two and possibly four putative transmembrane domains and potential phosphorylation sites by protein kinase A, protein kinase C, and casein kinase II. There was no significant homology to other protein (or DNA) sequences in the data base. The protein is expressed in all cells tested. Expression of its mRNA in Xenopus laevis oocytes led to the insertion of a protein with the appropriate molecular mass in microsomes but not in the plasma membrane. It is likely that p64 represents the chloride channel of intracellular organelles.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Low single channel conductance of the major skeletal muscle chloride channel, ClC-1.

We expressed the skeletal muscle chloride channel, ClC-1, in HEK293 cells and investigated it with the patch-clamp technique. Macroscopic properties are similar to those obtained after expression in Xenopus oocytes, except that faster gating kinetics are observed in mammalian cells. Nonstationary noise analysis revealed that both rat and human ClC-1 have a low single channel conductance of about 1 pS. This finding may explain the lack of single-channel data for chloride channels from skeletal muscle despite its high macroscopic chloride conductance.

Animals↗

Bongkrekic acid and atractyloside inhibits chloride channels from mitochondrial membranes of rat heart.

The aim of this work was to characterize the effect of bongkrekic acid (BKA), atractyloside (ATR) and carboxyatractyloside (CAT) on single channel properties of chloride channels from mitochondria. Mitochondrial membranes isolated from a rat heart muscle were incorporated into a bilayer lipid membrane (BLM) and single chloride channel currents were measured in 250/50 mM KCl cis/trans solutions. BKA (1-100 microM), ATR and CAT (5-100 microM) inhibited the chloride channels in dose-dependent manner. The inhibitory effect of the BKA, ATR and CAT was pronounced from the trans side of a BLM and it increased with time and at negative voltages (trans-cis). These compounds did not influence the single channel amplitude, but decreased open dwell time of channels. The inhibitory effect of BKA, ATR and CAT on the mitochondrial chloride channel may help to explain some of their cellular and/or subcellular effects.

Animals↗

Fipronil is a potent open channel blocker of glutamate-activated chloride channels in cockroach neurons.

Fipronil, a phenylpyrazole insecticide, displays high insecticidal activity and reduced mammalian toxicity. To better elucidate the mechanism of its selective toxicity between insects and mammals and activity against dieldrin-resistant insects, we studied fipronil action on glutamate-gated chloride channels (GluCls), unique invertebrate ligand-gated chloride channels, in cockroach thoracic ganglion neurons, using the whole-cell patch clamp technique. Glutamate evoked two types of chloride currents, a desensitizing current and a nondesensitizing current. Fipronil differentially inhibited these two types of currents with different potencies and with different rates of reversibility. Fipronil inhibited the desensitizing and nondesensitizing GluCls with IC50 values of 801 and 10 nM, respectively. Kinetic analysis revealed that fipronil blocks required channel opening. Recovery of the desensitizing current from fipronil block required channel opening, whereas recovery of nondesensitizing current from block was independent of channel opening. The high potency of fipronil against the nondesensitizing current was due to a slow unblocking rate constant. In addition, when the nondesensitizing GluCls were occupied by picrotoxinin, the receptors became less sensitive to fipronil block. It is concluded that GluCls are a critical target for fipronil, especially for the selective toxicity between mammals and insects, and that fipronil block of GluCls may play a role in the lack of the cross-resistance with dieldrin.

Animals↗

A synthetic peptide based on a glycine-gated chloride channel induces a novel chloride conductance in isolated epithelial cells.

CK(4)-M2GlyR, an aqueous soluble peptide derived from the transmembrane M2 segment of the glycine-gated Cl(-) channel found in postsynaptic membranes of the central nervous system, has previously been shown to increase transepithelial Cl(-) and fluid secretion of epithelial monolayers. The goal of this study was to determine whether CK(4)-M2GlyR exerts these effects via formation of a novel chloride conductance pathway, modulation of endogenous chloride channel activity, or a combination of these effects. Ionic currents were recorded from isolated epithelial cells before and after treatment with the peptide using the whole-cell configuration of the patch-clamp technique. CK(4)-M2GlyR increased whole-cell Cl(-) currents in all epithelial cell lines that were studied, including: Madin-Darby canine kidney cells, a human colonic epithelial cell line (T84), and airway epithelial cells derived from a human cystic fibrosis patient (IB3-1). No evidence was found for modulation of endogenous Cl(-) channels by CK(4)-M2GlyR based on both the electrophysiological properties of the observed currents and the pharmacological profile of the CK(4)-M2GlyR-induced current. These results suggest that CK(4)-M2GlyR increases Cl(-) permeability in epithelial cells directly, by forming a distinct conduction pathway in cell membranes.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Cytoprotection of kidney epithelial cells by compounds that target amino acid gated chloride channels.

Glycine, strychnine and certain chloride channel blockers were reported to protect cells against lethal cell injury. These effects have been attributed to interactions with membrane proteins related to CNS glycine gated chloride channel receptors. We have investigated the pharmacology of these actions. Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) epithelial cells were depleted of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) by incubation in glucose free medium containing a mitochondrial uncoupler. Medium Ca2+ was adjusted to 100 nM in the presence of an ionophore such that intracellular Ca2+ did not increase, and Ca(2+)-related injury mechanisms were inhibited. This permitted more sensitive quantitation of protection against cell injury attributable to glycine or other agents whose actions might be related to those of the amino acid. Two classes of compounds showed cytoprotective activity in this system: (1) ligands at chloride channel receptors, such as glycine, strychnine and avermectin B1a; (2) chloride channel blockers, including cyanotriphenylboron and niflumic acid, both of which are known to bind to channel domains of CNS glycine receptors. Morphological and functional studies showed that the compounds preserved plasma membrane integrity, but permitted cell swelling. Substitution of medium chloride by gluconate, or chloride salts by sucrose, did not substantially modify lethal damage or its prevention by glycine or other drugs. The compounds did not modify ATP declines. At least for some compounds, cytoprotection appeared to be specific to structural features on the molecules. These observations are consistent with the hypothesis that a plasma membrane protein related to glycine-gated chloride channel receptors plays a significant role in cell injury, but indicate that the mechanisms of injury and protection by compounds active in this system are not related to chloride fluxes.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Evolutionary relationship of the ligand-gated ion channels and the avermectin-sensitive, glutamate-gated chloride channels.

Two cDNAs, GluClalpha and GluClbeta, encoding glutamate-gated chloride channel subunits that represent targets of the avermectin class of antiparasitic compounds, have recently been cloned from Caenorhabditis elegans (Cully et al., Nature, 371, 707-711, 1994). Expression studies in Xenopus oocytes showed that GluClalpha and GluClbeta have pharmacological profiles distinct from the glutamate-gated cation channels as well as the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)- and glycine-gated chloride channels. Establishing the evolutionary relationship of related proteins can clarify properties and lead to predictions about their structure and function. We have cloned and determined the nucleotide sequence of the GluClalpha and GluClbeta genes. In an attempt to understand the evolutionary relationship of these channels with the members of the ligand-gated ion channel superfamily, we have performed gene structure comparisons and phylogenetic analyses of their nucleotide and predicted amino acid sequences. Gene structure comparisons reveal the presence of several intron positions that are not found in the ligand-gated ion channel superfamily, outlining their distinct evolutionary position. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that GluClalpha and GluClbeta form a monophyletic subbranch in the ligand-gated ion channel superfamily and are related to vertebrate glycine channels/receptors. Glutamate-gated chloride channels, with electrophysiological properties similar to GluClalpha and GluClbeta, have been described in insects and crustaceans, suggesting that the glutamate-gated chloride channel family may be conserved in other invertebrate species. The gene structure and phylogenetic analyses in combination with the distinct pharmacological properties demonstrate that GluClalpha and GluClbeta belong to a discrete ligand-gated ion channel family that may represent genes orthologous to the vertebrate glycine channels.

Animals↗

Purification and reconstitution of chloride channels from kidney and trachea.

Chloride channels mediate absorption and secretion of fluid in epithelia, and the regulation of these channels is now known to be defective in cystic fibrosis. Indanyl-oxyacetic acid 94 (IAA-94) is a high-affinity ligand for the chloride channel, and an affinity resin based on that structure was developed. Solubilized proteins from kidney and trachea membranes were applied to the affinity matrix, and four proteins with apparent molecular masses of 97, 64, 40, and 27 kilodaltons were eluted from the column by excess IAA-94. A potential-dependent 36Cl- uptake was observed after reconstituting these proteins into liposomes. Three types of chloride channels with single-channel conductances of 26, 100, and 400 picosiemens were observed after fusion of these liposomes with planar lipid bilayers. Similar types of chloride channels have been observed in epithelia.

Animals↗

Non-specificity of chloride channel blockers in rat cerebral arteries: block of the L-type calcium channel.

1. The effects of chloride channel blockers on pressure-induced constriction, K(+)-induced force, and whole-cell calcium channel currents were tested in rat cerebral arteries using isobaric and isometric myography, and patch clamp. 2. Under isobaric conditions at 75 mmHg, 5-nitro-2-(3-phenylpropylamino)benzoic acid (NPPB), a chloride channel blocker, reversibly depressed the myogenic constriction with an IC50 of 32.8 +/- 0.52 microM (mean +/- S.E.M., n = 5). Blockers of Ca(2+)-activated chloride channels, flufenamic acid (100 microM) and 9-anthracene chloride (9-AC; 1 mM), and the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) Cl- channel blocker, glibenclamide (100 microM), were without effect in this tissue (n = 3). 3. Under isobaric conditions at 20 mmHg, 37 degrees C, raising [K+]o to 45 mM induced a constriction which was unaffected by 100 microM NPPB (n = 4). In contrast, at 75 mmHg and 18-21 degrees C, 100 microM NPPB completely and reversibly blocked a 45 mM K(+)-induced constriction (n = 3). 4. Under isometric conditions, NPPB reversibly depressed a 45 mM K(+)-induced force with an IC50 of 10.0 +/- 0.76 microM (mean +/- S.E.M., n = 5). Indanyloxyacetic acid 94 (IAA-94), another chloride channel blocker, depressed the K(+)-induced force with an IC50 of 17.0 +/- 1.2 microM (mean +/- S.E.M., n = 4). 5. Using whole-cell patch clamp, 100 microM NPPB or 200 microM IAA-94 blocked calcium channel currents carried by 10 mM Ba2+ by 79.1 +/- 1.7 and 39.8 +/- 7.0%, respectively (mean +/- S.E.M., n = 6). 6. In summary, chloride channel blockers depress calcium channel currents in rat cerebral arteries, which could contribute to a reduction in myogenic contraction.

Animals↗

Chloride channels: a state of flux.

Chloride channels play important functions in different aspects of cell physiology including volume regulation, transepithelial ion transport and stabilization of membrane potential. In recent years the molecular identity of the chloride channels defective in cystic fibrosis and myotonia congenita has been elucidated, highlighting the importance of anion-selective channels in cell and tissue function. Concurrently, several proteins have been identified as chloride channels along with proteins that possess channel regulatory behavior. Novel interactions with more potent pharmacological compounds have been reported with different chloride channels. This burgeoning field of interest is reviewed.

Animals↗

Hormonal regulation of cardiac cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator chloride channels.

The chloride conductance that arises from the stimulation of beta-adrenoceptors has been shown to be carried by a cardiac isoform of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) Cl- channels. This brief review will focus first upon the cellular signal transduction system for the activation of this type of Cl- channels and then its regulation by catecholamines, muscarinic agonists, endothelin-1 and angiotensin-II. Both in physiological and pathological conditions, the complex interaction of these agonists modulates the Cl- conductance, which is potentially arrhythmogenic by shortening the action potential duration and inducing the depolarization.

Action Potentials↗

Mercury toxicity in the shark (Squalus acanthias) rectal gland: apical CFTR chloride channels are inhibited by mercuric chloride.

In the shark rectal gland, basolateral membrane proteins have been suggested as targets for mercury. To examine the membrane polarity of mercury toxicity, we performed experiments in three preparations: isolated perfused rectal glands, primary monolayer cultures of rectal gland epithelial cells, and Xenopus oocytes expressing the shark cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) chloride channel. In perfused rectal glands we observed: (1) a dose-dependent inhibition by mercury of forskolin/3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX)-stimulated chloride secretion; (2) inhibition was maximal when mercury was added before stimulation with forskolin/IBMX; (3) dithiothrietol (DTT) and glutathione (GSH) completely prevented inhibition of chloride secretion. Short-circuit current (Isc) measurements in monolayers of rectal gland epithelial cells were performed to examine the membrane polarity of this effect. Mercuric chloride inhibited Isc more potently when applied to the solution bathing the apical vs. the basolateral membrane (23 +/- 5% and 68 +/- 5% inhibition at 1 and 10 microM HgCl2 in the apical solution vs. 2 +/- 0.9% and 14 +/- 5% in the basolateral solution). This inhibition was prevented by pre-treatment with apical DTT or GSH; however, only the permeant reducing agent DTT reversed mercury inhibition when added after exposure. When the shark rectal gland CFTR channel was expressed in Xenopus oocytes and chloride conductance was measured by two-electrode voltage clamping, we found that 1 microM HgCl2 inhibited forskolin/IBMX conductance by 69.2 +/- 2.0%. We conclude that in the shark rectal gland, mercury inhibits chloride secretion by interacting with the apical membrane and that CFTR is the likely site of this action.

1-Methyl-3-isobutylxanthine↗