Cotransporters are proteins responsible for the accumulation of nutrients, neurotransmitters, and drugs in cells. As forskolin has been shown to stimulate intestinal Na+/glucose cotransport, we have used electrophysiological techniques to examine the role of protein kinases in regulating Na+/glucose cotransporters, SGLT1, expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes. We monitored SGLT1 kinetics, the number of SGLT1 cotransporters in the plasma membrane, and plasma membrane area before and after activation of protein kinases. 8-Bromoadenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (8-Br-cAMP) and sn-1, 2-dioctanoylglycerol (DOG) were used as membrane permeable activators of protein kinases A (PKA) and C (PKC), respectively. In oocytes expressing rabbit SGLT1 8-Br-cAMP increased by 28 +/- 4% (n = 10), and DOG decreased by 51 +/- 5% (n = 13) the maximum rate of Na+/glucose cotransport. These reversible changes in the maximum transport rate occurred within minutes, and were accompanied by proportional changes in the number of cotransporters in the membrane and area of the plasma membrane. This suggests that protein kinases regulate rabbit SGLT1 activity by controlling the distribution of transporters between intracellular compartments and the plasma membrane, and that this occurs by exo- and endocytosis. Similar increases in maximum transport were obtained with activation of PKA in oocytes expressing rabbit, human, and rat SGLT1 isoforms, but with activation of PKC the response was isoform-dependent. PKC activation decreased the maximum rate of transport by rabbit and rat SGLT1, but increased transport by human SGLT1. We conclude that: (i) the regulation of SGLT1 expression in oocytes by protein kinases occurs mainly by regulated endo- and exocytosis; (ii) it is independent of consensus phosphorylation sites in the transporter; and (iii) the effect of a given kinase depends upon the actual sequence of the cotransporter expressed. These considerations may also apply to the regulation of other cotransporters by protein kinases in oocytes, cells, and tissues.

The kidney, and more specifically the proximal tubule, is the main site of elimination of cationic endogenous metabolites and xenobiotics. Although numerous studies exist on renal organic cation transport of rat and rabbit, no information is available from humans. Therefore, we examined organic cation transport and its regulation across the basolateral membrane of isolated human proximal tubules. mRNA for the cation transporters hOCT1 and hOCT2 as well as hOCTN1 and hOCTN2 was detected in these tubules. ؉ uptake by 29 ؎ 3% (n ‫؍‬ 10). hANP (10 nM) or 8-bromo-cGMP (100 M) also decreased ASP ؉ uptake by 17 ؎ 3 (n ‫؍‬ 9) or 32 ؎ 5% (n ‫؍‬ 10), respectively. We show for the first time that organic cation transport across the basolateral membrane of isolated human proximal tubules, most likely mediated via hOCT2, is electrogenic and regulated by protein kinase C, the cAMP-and the cGMP-dependent protein kinases.The proximal tubule is the site of secretion and reabsorption of endogenous metabolites and xenobiotics in the kidney. Many of these substances are organic cations. As several drugs are among these organic cations, specific knowledge about properties of organic cation transport in the human proximal tubule is of great importance. The first organic cation transporter was cloned from rat (rOCT1) in 1994 (1). The first human organic cation transporters (hOCT1 and hOCT2) were cloned 3 years later (2, 3), and three other members of this family (hOCTN1, hOCTN2, and hOCT3, originally named EMT) followed (4 -6). Previous functional studies (7, 8) on organic cation transport in the proximal tubule of the rat showed the differences between transport across the luminal or basolateral membrane. After cloning of the transporters data from functional investigations of these transporters together with those obtained by microperfusion experiments and transport studies with membrane vesicles (8 -12) led to a model of organic cation transport in the proximal tubule. OCTN1 was shown to be a H ϩ /organic cation exchanger (4, 13), whereas OCT1 has been characterized as a functionally different potential driven uniporter. Immunohistochemistry localized rOCT1 and rOCT2 to the basolateral membrane of proximal tubules (14 -16). The OCTN1 is most likely located in the luminal membrane of proximal tubules (17, 18). Thus, organic cation transporters expressed in the luminal and basolateral membranes of the proximal tubule are molecularly and functionally very different members of this protein family.After cloning of the first transporters, studies were performed to gain information on properties of these organic cation transporters expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes or cell lines (19 -21). From these studies we have information on their electrogeneity, substrate specificities, and inhibitors with K m and K i values for the distinct cation transporters from rat and man. The homologous transporters of these two species differ in K m and K i values for the investigated cations (19 -24). Properties found for the cloned rOCT1 and rOCT2 do not...

Properties and regulation of the human organic cation (OC) transporter type 2 (hOCT2) expressed in HEK-293 cells were extensively characterized using the fluorescent OC 4-[4-(dimethylamino)styryl]- N-methylpyridinium (ASP+). ASP+ uptake was electrogenic and inhibited by TPA+ (EC50 = 2.7 μM), tetraethylammonium (EC50 = 35 μM), cimetidine (EC50 = 36 μM), or quinine (EC50 = 6.7 μM). Stimulation with carbachol or ATP decreased initial uptake by 44 ± 3 ( n = 14) and 34 ± 4% ( n = 21), respectively, independently of PKC but dependent on phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K). PKA stimulation decreased uptake by 18 ± 4% ( n = 40). Inhibition of calmodulin (CaM), Ca2+/CaM-dependent kinase II, or myosin light chain kinase decreased uptake by 63 ± 2 ( n = 15), 40 ± 4 ( n = 30), and 31 ± 4% ( n = 16), respectively. Inhibition of CaM resulted in a significant change in the EC50 value for the inhibition of ASP+ uptake by tetraethylammonium. In conclusion, we demonstrate that the hOCT2 is inhibited by PI3K and PKA and activated by a CaM-dependent signaling pathway, probably via a change in substrate affinity.

Two novel alternatively spliced isoforms of the human two‐pore‐domain potassium channel TREK‐2 were isolated from cDNA libraries of human kidney and fetal brain. The cDNAs of 2438 base pairs (bp) (TREK‐2b) and 2559 bp (TREK‐2c) encode proteins of 508 amino acids each. RT‐PCR showed that TREK‐2b is strongly expressed in kidney (primarily in the proximal tubule) and pancreas, whereas TREK‐2c is abundantly expressed in brain. In situ hybridization revealed a very distinct expression pattern of TREK‐2c in rat brain which partially overlapped with that of TREK‐1. Expression of TREK‐2b and TREK‐2c in human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells showed that their single‐channel characteristics were similar. The slope conductance at negative potentials was 163 ± 5 pS for TREK‐2b and 179 ± 17 pS for TREK‐2c. The mean open and closed times of TREK‐2b at −84 mV were 133 ± 16 and 109 ± 11 μs, respectively. Application of forskolin decreased the whole‐cell current carried by TREK‐2b and TREK‐2c. The sensitivity to forskolin was abolished by mutating a protein kinase A phosphorylation site at position 364 of TREK‐2c (construct S364A). Activation of protein kinase C (PKC) by application of phorbol‐12‐myristate‐13‐acetate (PMA) also reduced whole‐cell current. However, removal of the putative TREK‐2b‐specific PKC phosphorylation site (construct T7A) did not affect inhibition by PMA. Our results suggest that alternative splicing of TREK‐2 contributes to the diversity of two‐pore‐domain K+ channels.

The human organic cation transporter type 1 (hOCT1) is an important transport system for small organic cations in the liver. Organic cation transporters are regulated by different signaling pathways, but the regulation of hOCT1 has not yet been studied. In this work, we have for the first time investigated the regulation of hOCT1. hOCT1 was expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells (CHO-hOCT1) and in human embryonic kidney cells (HEK293-hOCT1). Its activity was monitored using microfluorimetry with the fluorescent organic cation 4-(4-(dimethylamino)styryl)-N-methylpyridinium (ASP(+)) as substrate. hOCT1 expressed in CHO-cells was inhibited by protein kinase A (PKA) activation (1 microM forskolin, -58 +/- 6%, n = 12), calmodulin inhibition (0.1 microM calmidazolium, -68 +/- 3%, n = 6; 10 microM ophiobolin A, -48 +/- 10%, n = 7), calmodulin-dependent kinase II inhibition (1 microM KN62, -78 +/- 4%, n = 12), and inhibition of p56(lck) tyrosine kinase (10 microM aminogenistein, -35 +/- 7%, n = 12). The apparent affinities for TEA(+) were lower in CHO-hOCT1 than in HEK293-hOCT1, while those for TPA(+) and quinine were almost identical; the rank order of EC(50) values (TPA(+) > quinine > TEA(+)) was independent of the expression system. EC(50) values for TEA(+) in CHO-hOCT1 or HEK293-hOCT1 were increased under calmidazolium incubation (6.3 and 1.4 mM, respectively). hOCT1 was inhibited by PKA and endogenously activated by calmodulin, calmodulin-dependent kinase II, and p56(lck) tyrosine kinase. Regulation pathways were the same in the two expression systems. Since apparent substrate affinities depend on activity of regulatory pathways, the expression system plays a role in determining the substrate affinities.