Combined Kelch-like 3 and Cullin 3 Degradation is a Central Mechanism in Familial Hyperkalemic Hypertension in Mice.

BACKGROUND: Mutations in the ubiquitin ligase scaffold protein Cullin 3 (CUL3) gene cause the disease familial hyperkalemic hypertension (FHHt). In the kidney, mutant CUL3 (CUL3-Δ9) increases abundance of With-No-Lysine (K) Kinase 4 (WNK4), inappropriately activating sterile 20/SPS-1-related proline/alanine-rich kinase (SPAK), which then phosphorylates and hyperactivates the Na+Cl- cotransporter (NCC). The precise mechanism by which CUL3-Δ9 causes FHHt is unclear. We tested the hypothesis that reduced abundance of CUL3 and of Kelch-like 3 (KLHL3), the CUL3 substrate adaptor for WNK4, is mechanistically important. Because JAB1, an enzyme that inhibits CUL3 activity by removing the ubiquitin-like protein NEDD8, cannot interact with CUL3-Δ9, we also determined whether Jab1 disruption mimicked the effects of CUL3-Δ9 expression. METHODS: We used an inducible renal tubule-specific system to generate several mouse models expressing CUL3-Δ9, mice heterozygous for both CUL3 and KLHL3 (Cul3+/-/Klhl3+/- ), and mice with short-term Jab1 disruption (to avoid renal injury associated with long-term disruption). RESULTS: Renal KLHL3 was higher in Cul3-/- mice, but lower in Cul3-/-/Δ9 mice and in the Cul3+/-/Δ9 FHHt model, suggesting KLHL3 is a target for both WT and mutant CUL3. Cul3+/-/Klhl3+/- mice displayed increased WNK4-SPAK activation and phospho-NCC abundance and an FHHt-like phenotype with increased plasma [K+] and salt-sensitive blood pressure. Short-term Jab1 disruption in mice lowered the abundance of CUL3 and KLHL3 and increased the abundance of WNK4 and phospho-NCC. CONCLUSIONS: Jab1-/- mice and Cul3+/-/Klhl3+/- mice recapitulated the effects of CUL3-Δ9 expression on WNK4-SPAK-NCC. Our data suggest degradation of both KLHL3 and CUL3 plays a central mechanistic role in CUL3-Δ9-mediated FHHt.

Local and downstream actions of proximal tubule angiotensin II signaling on Na+ transporters in the mouse nephron.

The renal nephron consists of a series of distinct cell types that function in concert to maintain fluid and electrolyte balance and blood pressure. The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is central to Na+ and volume balance. We aimed to determine how loss of angiotensin II signaling in the proximal tubule (PT), which reabsorbs the bulk of filtered Na+ and volume, impacts solute transport throughout the nephron. We hypothesized that PT renin-angiotensin system disruption would not only depress PT Na+ transporters but also impact downstream Na+ transporters. Using a mouse model in which the angiotensin type 1a receptor (AT1aR) is deleted specifically within the PT (AT1aR PTKO), we profiled the abundance of Na+ transporters, channels, and claudins along the nephron. Absence of PT AT1aR signaling was associated with lower abundance of PT transporters (Na+/H+ exchanger isoform 3, electrogenic Na+-bicarbonate cotransporter 1, and claudin 2) as well as lower abundance of downstream transporters (total and phosphorylated Na+-K+-2Cl- cotransporter, medullary Na+-K+-ATPase, phosphorylated NaCl cotransporter, and claudin 7) versus controls. However, transport activities of Na+-K+-2Cl- cotransporter and NaCl cotransporter (assessed with diuretics) were similar between groups in order to maintain electrolyte balance. Together, these results demonstrate the primary impact of angiotensin II regulation on Na+ reabsorption in the PT at baseline and the associated influence on downstream Na+ transporters, highlighting the ability of the nephron to integrate Na+ transport along the nephron to maintain homeostasis.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Our study defines a novel role for proximal tubule angiotensin receptors in regulating the abundance of Na+ transporters throughout the nephron, thereby contributing to the integrated control of fluid balance in vivo.

The role of cyclooxygenase-2 in mechanical ventilation-induced lung injury.

Mechanical ventilation is necessary for patients with acute respiratory failure, but can cause or propagate lung injury. We previously identified cyclooxygenase-2 as a candidate gene in mechanical ventilation-induced lung injury. Our objective was to determine the role of cyclooxygenase-2 in mechanical ventilation-induced lung injury and the effects of cyclooxygenase-2 inhibition on lung inflammation and barrier disruption. Mice were mechanically ventilated at low and high tidal volumes, in the presence or absence of pharmacologic cyclooxygenase-2-specific inhibition with 3-(4-methylsulphonylphenyl)-4-phenyl-5-trifluoromethylisoxazole (CAY10404). Lung injury was assessed using markers of alveolar-capillary leakage and lung inflammation. Cyclooxygenase-2 expression and activity were measured by Western blotting, real-time PCR, and lung/plasma prostanoid analysis, and tissue sections were analyzed for cyclooxygenase-2 staining by immunohistochemistry. High tidal volume ventilation induced lung injury, significantly increasing both lung leakage and lung inflammation relative to control and low tidal volume ventilation. High tidal volume mechanical ventilation significantly induced cyclooxygenase-2 expression and activity, both in the lungs and systemically, compared with control mice and low tidal volume mice. The immunohistochemical analysis of lung sections localized cyclooxygenase-2 expression to monocytes and macrophages in the alveoli. The pharmacologic inhibition of cyclooxygenase-2 with CAY10404 significantly decreased cyclooxygenase activity and attenuated lung injury in mice ventilated at high tidal volume, attenuating barrier disruption, tissue inflammation, and inflammatory cell signaling. This study demonstrates the induction of cyclooxygenase-2 by mechanical ventilation, and suggests that the therapeutic inhibition of cyclooxygenase-2 may attenuate ventilator-induced acute lung injury.