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2Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield; and 1Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
Submitted 10 November 2005 ; accepted in final form 20 December 2005
| ABSTRACT |
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mercury chloride; Xenopus laevis oocyte
50% to inner medullary hypertonicity. The transport of urea across membranes is facilitated by the urea transporter (UT) proteins. In mammals, these transporters are derived from two genes, UT-A and UT-B (reviewed in Ref. 18). The major UT-A isoforms 13 are expressed in the nephron. UT-A1 and UT-A3 are present in the inner medullary collecting duct (IMCD) (3, 4, 7, 19), and UT-A2 is expressed in the thin descending limb of the loop of Henle (19). The frog urinary bladder expresses a urea transporter (fUT) that has a high identity (66% at the amino acid level) to UT-A2 and UT-B (61%). In terms of its transport properties, fUT appears to be a hybrid transporter, sharing properties of both the UT-A and UT-B proteins. Like all UTs identified to date, fUT produces a phloretin-sensitive increase in membrane urea permeability (reviewed in Ref. 16). As is the case for the UT-A family, fUT is impermeable to the urea analog thiourea, whereas UT-B is permeable to thiourea (2, 9). Thiourea reduces urea transport in oocytes expressing either UT-A or UT-B (9). Similarly, the transport of urea by fUT is sensitive to thiourea (2). Finally, like the UT-B proteins, fUT is inhibited by the organic mercurial (pCMBS) (12), whereas the transport of urea by the UT-A isoforms when expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes is insensitive to pCMBS (9).
Very little is known about the membrane topology of the urea transporters and how they interact to produce a functional urea pore. Initial analysis of the sequence of UTs using the Kyte-Doolittle algorithm predicted proteins with intracellular NH2 and COOH termini, with 10 transmembrane spans, split by a large extracellular loop containing a N-linked glycosylation site (21). A more detailed analysis by Sands et al. (15) proposed a model with six membrane-spanning domains, split into two groups separated by a large extracellular loop (see Fig. 1). This model also predicts a short-integral membrane domain that dips into the membrane from the external face. This theoretical short-integral membrane domain, which has been designated the M-I region (15) (Fig. 1A), resembles membrane loops described for many channel proteins, such as the water channel aquaporin-1 (AQP1) (6). In the case of AQP1, the second asparagine-proline-alanine (NPA)-containing domain, which is crucial to the formation of the channel pore, would be analogous to the M-I region in the UTs. It seems feasible that the M-I loop of the UTs might fulfill a similar role and could be linked to the formation of a channel pore. The M-I region is highly conserved among UTs. The similarity between UT-A2, UT-A3, and fUT in the M-I region is on the order of 90%, and the similarity between fUT and mUT-B in this domain is 70% (Fig. 1).
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We predict that residues in the M-I region confer Hg2+ sensitivity to fUT, and we have used a combination of point mutants in fUT and chimeras between fUT and mUT-A3 to test this hypothesis. We identified two residues (a cysteine and histidine), which both lie in the M-I domain, that are required to produce Hg2+-dependent inhibition of urea transport by fUT.
| METHODS |
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Isolation and injection of X. laevis oocytes. Mature female X. laevis were killed using a procedure approved by the University of Sheffield Field Laboratories and in accordance with current UK legislation. The ovarian lobes were removed, and oocytes were isolated as described in depth previously (1). Briefly, oocytes were isolated from lobes and agitated in calcium-free ND-96 for 60 min. This was followed by two 20-min incubations in calcium-free ND-96 containing 2 mg/ml collagenase type I (Sigma, Poole, UK), separated by a 15-min wash in calcium-free ND-96. Following the second collagenase treatment, the oocytes were washed in calcium-free ND-96 for 30 min. The isolation was completed with a 30-min wash in standard ND-96. The oocytes were transferred to OR3 media and sorted by size and stage. Stage V and stage VI oocytes were selected for injection.
Oocytes were injected with 1 ng of cRNA (50 nl of a 0.02 µg/µl cRNA solution) or an equal volume of water using a Drummond microinjector (Drummond Instruments, Broomall, PA). The oocytes were incubated at 18°C in OR3, and experiments were performed on day 3 or 4 following injection.
Urea uptake. Uptake experiments were performed in 12-well plates using a protocol based on those described previously (17). Before uptake was measured, oocytes were placed in ND-96. The ND-96 solution was removed, and the uptake solution was added. At the end of the uptake period (90 s), ice-cold stop solution was added to the halt the uptake. This was followed by three rapid washes in ice-cold stop solution. The oocytes were transferred individually to scintillation tubes and dissolved in 10% SDS. The amount of 14C in each oocyte was measured by scintillation counting. Where necessary, the oocytes were preincubated in ND-96 containing 0.5 mM HgCl2 for 5 min before the uptake phase. We found that addition of HgCl2 to the uptake solution caused a precipitate to form; therefore, the uptake measurements were carried out in the absence of HgCl2.
Preparation of cRNA. In all cases, capped cRNA was synthesized using an Ambion mMessage mMachine kit (Ambion, Huntingdon, UK). The cDNA encoding for fUT was a gift from Dr. G. Rousselet (Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale). The gene encoding fUT had previously been subcloned into the pT7TS Xenopus expression vector (2). The plasmid was linearized using BamH1, and cRNA was prepared using T7 polymerase. The mUT-A2 and mUT-A3 clones were inserted in the pT7TS Xenopus expression vector. The plasmid was linearized with Not1, and cRNA was prepared using T7 polymerase.
Production of single- and double-point mutations. Point mutations were introduced into fUT, mUT-A2, and mUT-A3 using the QuikChange protocol (Stratagene). In fUT, the C185S mutation was created by changing TGC to AGC, and the H187Y mutation was created by changing CAC to TAC. In mUT-A2, the T184C mutation was created by changing ACC to TGC, and in the double CH mutation Y186 was mutated from TAC to CAC. In mUT-A3, T254 was mutated by changing ACA to TGC, and in the double CH mutation Y256 was altered from TAC to CAT. The mutations were confirmed by nucleotide sequencing.
Production of fUT/mUT-A3 chimeras. To facilitate the production of chimeras, between fUT and mUT-A3 restriction endonuclease sites were silently engineered into fUT and mUT-A3 using site-directed mutagenesis. The design of the restriction sites was facilitated by the SILMUT software package (11). A StuI site was produced at residues 129131 of fUT and residues 198200 of mUT-A3. A NheI site was engineered in fUT between residues 268 and 270. mUT-A3 already contains an Nhe1 site between residues 337 and 339. Three chimeras were formed: mUT-A3/fUTM, mUT-A3/fUTF, and mUT-A3/fUTB (see Fig. 5A for a diagrammatic representation of the composition of each chimera).
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| RESULTS |
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Cysteine residues were introduced into the equivalent positions in mUT-A2 (T184C) and mUT-A3 (T254C). Introduction of the cysteine residues into UT-A2 and UT-A3 did not effect urea transport (Fig. 2, B and C). Preincubation in HgCl2 for 5 min had no effect on urea uptake compared with paired control experiments.
Role of H187 in the sensitivity of fUT to HgCl2. The lack of effect of introducing cysteine residues into mUT-A2 and mUT-A3 suggests that there are either significant differences in structure between fUT and mUT-A2/mUT-A3 and/or other residues are involved in the inhibition of fUT by HgCl2. In fUT, close to C185 there is a histidine residue (H187) that is absent in mUT-A2 and mUT-A3 (Fig. 1). As well as being able to interact with cysteine residues, Hg2+ can also interact with histidine residues (20). The fUT-H187Y mutation was produced (tyrosine occupies the equivalent position in mUT-A2 and mUT-A3; see Fig. 1A). When expressed in oocytes, the fUT-H187Y mutant transported urea effectively (Fig. 3A), but there was no reduction in urea transport following a 5-min preincubation in HgCl2 (Fig. 3A).
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Effect of HgCl2 on urea transport by oocytes coexpressing the fUT-C185S and fUT-H187Y mutants. C185 and H187 are required for Hg2+ to have an effect on fUT. In oocytes injected with cRNA encoding C185S or H187Y individually, Hg2+ had no effect on urea permeability (Figs. 2A and 3A). However, when oocytes were injected with a mix of cRNAs encoding for the C185S and H187Y mutants (in the ratio 1:1), Hg2+ sensitivity was reinstated and a 5-min preincubation in HgCl2 significantly reduced urea uptake (Fig. 4).
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| DISCUSSION |
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The overall sequence similarity among fUT, UT-A2, and UT-A3 is
65%, but in the M-I region the homology is much higher,
90%. Based on our assumption that the M-I region is linked to the formation of the channel pore, and the similarities between this region to pore-forming structures in aquaporins, the M-I region formed the starting point in our search for potential Hg2+ binding sites. Additionally, when the hydropathy profiles of mUT-A2 and fUT (obtained using the Kyte-Doolittle algorithm) were compared (data not shown), we found that the plots closely matched each other and it is fair to assume that the overall membrane topology of these two transporters is similar. Although there was no clear reason that Hg2+ could be interacting with this region of fUT, one difference among mUT-A2, mUT-A3, and fUT in the M-I region is the cysteine residue at position 185 in fUT. The fUT-C185S mutant is insensitive to Hg2+, suggesting that Hg2+ in some way interacts with the C185 residue and that this residue may lie close to the channel pore (as for the C189 residue in AQP1). However, introducing cysteine residues into the equivalent positions in mUT-A2 (T184C) or mUT-A3 (T254C) did not impart Hg2+ sensitivity. There are two possibilities for the lack of Hg2+ sensitivity in the mUT-A2 and mUT-A3 mutants: either more than one residue is involved in the Hg2+ binding, and/or there are differences in the protein folding that prevent Hg2+ from accessing the Hg2+-sensitive site. The inability to recreate Hg2+ sensitivity in proteins is not unusual. In the case of the mercurial-insensitive water channel AQP4, introduction of a cysteine residue into a position equivalent to the C189 residue in AQP1 did not reproduce Hg2+ sensitivity in AQP4 (5).
To address the possibility that additional residues are involved in the Hg2+ inhibition of fUT, we reexamined the sequences of fUT, mUT-A2, and mUT-A3 in the M-I region. Another difference between these three sequences is a histidine residue at position 187 in fUT. Hg2+, as well as binding to cysteine residues, is able to coordinate with histidine residues (20). In fUT, H187 was also found to be critical for the Hg2+-dependent inhibition of urea transport. However, introducing both the cysteine and histidine residues into mUT-A2 or mUT-A3 did not impart Hg2+ sensitivity. The lack of effect of Hg2+ in these double CH mutants of mUT-A2 and mUT-A3 strongly suggests that either residues lying outside of the M-I region are involved in sensitivity of urea transport to Hg2+ or that differences in the folding of mUT-A2/mUT-A3 prevent access of Hg2+ to the M-I region.
To determine whether regions of fUT outside the M-I domain contribute to Hg2+ sensitivity, we constructed a series of chimeras between mUT-A3 and fUT. The results indicate that residues in the final 121 amino acids of fUT contribute to Hg2+ sensitivity. However, a comparison of the COOH-terminal regions of mUT-A2 and mUT-A3 to fUT revealed no residues predicted to interact with mercurials, which were not present in mUT-A2 or mUT-A3. This would suggest that subtle differences in the folding of the COOH terminals of mUT-A2, mUT-A3, and fUT determine the accessibility of crucial residues within the M-I region to mercurials.
The amphibian urea transporter fUT and the mammalian isoform UT-B are sensitive to mercuricals. We have identified two residues which confer Hg2+ sensitivity within fUT. These two residues, C185 and H187, which lie in the putative integral membrane loop M-I, are absent from the UT-B family and suggest that the basis of sensitivity to Hg2+ varies between these two transporters. Interestingly, the cysteine and histidine residues responsible for Hg2+ sensitivity in fUT are preserved in the UTs from other amphibians (Bufo marinus, GenBank accession no. AB212932) and teleost fish (Takifugu rubripes, AB181946 [GenBank] ; Anguilla japonica, AB049726 [GenBank] ; Alcolapia grahami, AF278537 [GenBank] ; Danio rerio, AY788989 [GenBank] ; Opsanus beta, AF165893 [GenBank] ) but not elasmobranchs (Dasyatis sayi, AY277796 [GenBank] and AY277793 [GenBank] ; Triakis scyllium, AB094993 [GenBank] ; Squalus acanthias, AF257331 [GenBank] ). We predict that the UTs from amphibians and teleosts would also exhibit Hg2+ sensitivity, although this remains to be tested.
One surprising result was the rescue of Hg2+ sensitivity in fUT on the coexpression of the C185S and H187Y mutants. To date, there is no understanding of how the functional unit of urea transport forms. Two possibilities exist: each individual unit acts as a stand-alone urea channel, or, as has been proposed in a recent study, the functional urea channel is a dimer (10). While our results support this dimer hypothesis, without further studies it is not possible to exclude alternative explanations.
In conclusion, we have identified two residues in the M-I region that are required to confer Hg2+ sensitivity on the frog urea transporter fUT. Introducing these residues into mUT-A2 or mUT-A3 did not induce Hg2+ sensitivity in these proteins. Chimera studies indicated that addition residue(s) in the COOH terminal of fUT also contributes to Hg2+ sensitivity, although the identity of these residues still needs to be determined.
| GRANTS |
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| ACKNOWLEDGMENTS |
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| FOOTNOTES |
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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.
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