Distinct functions of Crumbs regulating slit diaphragms and endocytosis in Drosophila nephrocytes.

Mammalian podocytes, the key determinants of the kidney's filtration barrier, differentiate from columnar epithelial cells and several key determinants of apical-basal polarity in the conventional epithelia have been shown to regulate podocyte morphogenesis and function. However, little is known about the role of Crumbs, a conserved polarity regulator in many epithelia, for slit-diaphragm formation and podocyte function. In this study, we used Drosophila nephrocytes as model system for mammalian podocytes and identified a conserved function of Crumbs proteins for cellular morphogenesis, nephrocyte diaphragm assembly/maintenance, and endocytosis. Nephrocyte-specific knock-down of Crumbs results in disturbed nephrocyte diaphragm assembly/maintenance and decreased endocytosis, which can be rescued by Drosophila Crumbs as well as human Crumbs2 and Crumbs3, which were both expressed in human podocytes. In contrast to the extracellular domain, which facilitates nephrocyte diaphragm assembly/maintenance, the intracellular FERM-interaction motif of Crumbs is essential for regulating endocytosis. Moreover, Moesin, which binds to the FERM-binding domain of Crumbs, is essential for efficient endocytosis. Thus, we describe here a new mechanism of nephrocyte development and function, which is likely to be conserved in mammalian podocytes.

Pals1 Haploinsufficiency Results in Proteinuria and Cyst Formation.

The nephron is the basic physiologic subunit of the mammalian kidney and is made up of several apicobasally polarized epithelial cell types. The process of apicobasal polarization in animal cells is controlled by the evolutionarily conserved Crumbs (CRB), Partitioning-defective, and Scribble protein complexes. Here, we investigated the role of protein associated with LIN-7 1 (Pals1, also known as Mpp5), a core component of the apical membrane-determining CRB complex in the nephron. Pals1 interacting proteins, including Crb3 and Wwtr1/Taz, have been linked to renal cyst formation in mice before. Immunohistologic analysis revealed Pals1 expression in renal tubular cells and podocytes of human kidneys. Mice lacking one Pals1 allele (functionally haploid for Pals1) in nephrons developed a fully penetrant phenotype, characterized by cyst formation and severe defects in renal barrier function, which led to death within 6-8 weeks. In Drosophila nephrocytes, deficiency of the Pals1 ortholog caused alterations in slit-diaphragm-like structures. Additional studies in epithelial cell culture models revealed that Pals1 functions as a dose-dependent upstream regulator of the crosstalk between Hippo- and TGF-ß-mediated signaling. Furthermore, Pals1 haploinsufficiency in mouse kidneys associated with the upregulation of Hippo pathway target genes and marker genes of TGF-ß signaling, including biomarkers of renal diseases. These findings support a link between apical polarity proteins and renal diseases, especially renal cyst diseases. Further investigation of the Pals1-linked networks is required to decipher the mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of these diseases.

Cellular vacuolization caused by overexpression of the PIKfyve-binding deficient Vac14L156R is rescued by starvation and inhibition of vacuolar-ATPase.

Phosphoinositides (PI) and converting enzymes are crucial determinants of organelle identity and morphology. One important endolysosomal specific PI is PI(3,5)P2, generated by the PIKfyve kinase, which orchestrates in combination with Vac14 and Fig4. Dysfunction of this complex leads to large intracellular vacuoles in various cell types and is linked to neurological diseases. Here, we characterize the vacuolization phenotype caused by overexpression of the PIKfyve binding deficient mutant Vac14L156R in podocytes, which represent specialized cells of the kidney. Vacuolization of podocytes, which was associated with strong maturation defects in the endolysosomal system, could be completely rescued by starvation or treatment of cells with the v-ATPase inhibitor Bafilomycin A1. Moreover, we elucidated a strong and reversible de-vacuolization effect of the cholesterol export inhibitor U18666A, which was accompanied by increased basification of the lysosomal pH values. Taken together, our data give new hints to potential therapeutic targets in the treatment of disease linked to intracellular vacuolization.

Tetraspanin CD63 controls basolateral sorting of organic cation transporter 2 in renal proximal tubules.

CD63 is a ubiquitously expressed member of the tetraspanin superfamily. Using a mating-based split-ubiquitin-yeast 2-hybrid system, pull-down experiments, total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy, Förster resonance energy transfer, and biotinylation assays, we found that CD63 interacts with human organic cation transporter 2 (hOCT2), which transports endogenous and exogenous substrates, such as neurotransmitters and drugs in several epithelial cells. CD63 overexpression affects cellular localization of hOCT2 expressed in human embryonic kidney (HEK)293 cells. Studies with CD63-knockout mice indicate that in renal proximal tubules, CD63 determines the insertion of the mouse ortholog of the transporter into the proper membrane domain and mediates transporter regulation by trafficking processes. In polarized Madin-Darby kidney canine kidney (MDCK) epithelial cells, CD63 and hOCT2 colocalize with the small GTPase Rab4, which controls the rapid recycling from sorting endosomes back to the cell surface. Suitable negative and positive control experiments were performed for each experimental approach. Empty vector transfected cells and wild-type mice were used as control. CD63 seems to play a role in the recycling of hOCT2 from endosomes to the basolateral membrane in polarized epithelia. These data indicate that CD63 has a previously uncharacterized function in regulating trafficking of specific membrane proteins in polarized cells.-Schulze, U., Brast, S., Grabner, A., Albiker, C., Snieder, B., Holle, S., Schlatter, E., Schröter, R., Pavenstädt, H., Herrmann, E., Lambert, C., Spoden, G. A., Florin, L., Saftig, P., Ciarimboli, G. Tetraspanin CD63 controls basolateral sorting of organic cation transporter 2 in renal proximal tubules.

TMEM16F Regulates Baseline Phosphatidylserine Exposure and Cell Viability in Human Embryonic Kidney Cells.

UNLABELLED: Background / Aims: TMEM16F is a transmembrane protein from a conserved family of Ca2+-activated proteins, which is highly expressed in several tissues. TMEM16F confers phospholipid scramblase activity and Ca2+-activated electrolyte channel activity. Potentially thereby, TMEM16F is involved in cell cycle control and apoptotic signaling. The present study evaluated the role of TMEM16F on cell proliferation and viability in Human Embryonic Kidney cells. METHODS: An inducible knockdown of TMEM16F was generated and markers of apoptosis and proliferation were assessed via flow cytometry, western blotting and MTT uptake assay under different conditions. RESULTS: TMEM16F knockdown resulted in attenuated growth of HEK293 cells. This observation correlated with an increased phosphatidylserine exposure and a decreased fraction of viable cells. Interestingly, the cells were not sensitized to Staurosporine- induced cell death. Western blot analyses displayed a parallel activation of pro- and antiapoptotic signaling pathways: Caspase 3 cleavage and Cyclin D1 abundance were simultaneously increased. Furthermore, knockdown of TMEM16F led to activation of AKT signaling. CONCLUSION: TMEM16F modifies viability of Human Embryonic Kidney cells via its function as a phospholipid scramblase and activation of AKT signaling pathways.

Trajectories and single-particle tracking data of intracellular vesicles loaded with either SNAP-Crb3A or SNAP-Crb3B.

Using a combined approach of pulse chase labeling and single-particle tracking of Crb3A or 3B loaded vesicles we collected trajectories of different vesicle population in living podocyte cells and evaluated statistically their different mobility patterns. Differences in their intracellular mobility and in their directed transport correspond well to the role of Crb3A and 3B in renal plasma membrane sorting (Djuric et al., 2016) [1].

The C-terminal domain controls the mobility of Crumbs 3 isoforms.

The physiological function of epithelia depends on an asymmetric distribution of their membrane domains. Polarity proteins play a crucial role for distribution processes, however, little is known about their mobility in epithelial cells. In this study, we analyzed the intracellular and plasma-membrane-associated mobility of fluorescence-labeled Crb3A and Crb3B. Both variants belong to the Crumbs protein family, which control size and identity of apical membranes in epithelial cells. Fluorescence recovery after photo-bleaching measurements revealed different mobilities for the two Crb3 variants. They also differentially affected mobility and localization of the Pals1/Mpp5 protein, which binds to Crb3A but not to Crb3B. In addition, tracking of intracellular vesicles indicated that Crb3A containing vesicles are slightly more immobile than Crb3B ones. Taken together, our data revealed different intracellular mobility patterns for Crb3A and Crb3B.

Evolutionary and molecular facts link the WWC protein family to Hippo signaling.

The scaffolding protein KIBRA (also called WWC1) is involved in the regulation of important intracellular transport processes and the establishment of cell polarity. Furthermore, KIBRA/WWC1 is an upstream regulator of the Hippo signaling pathway that controls cell proliferation and organ size in animals. KIBRA/WWC1 represents only one member of the WWC protein family that also includes the highly similar proteins WWC2 and WWC3. Although the function of KIBRA/WWC1 was studied intensively in cells and animal models, the importance of WWC2 and WWC3 was not yet elucidated. Here, we describe evolutionary, molecular, and functional aspects of the WWC family. We show that the WWC genes arose in the ancestor of bilateral animals (clades such as insects and vertebrates) from a single founder gene most similar to the present KIBRA/WWC1-like sequence of Drosophila. This situation was still maintained until the common ancestor of lancelet and vertebrates. In fish, a progenitor-like sequence of mammalian KIBRA/WWC1 and WWC2 is expressed together with WWC3. Finally, in all tetrapods, the three family members, KIBRA/WWC1, WWC2, and WWC3, are found, except for a large genomic deletion including WWC3 in Mus musculus. At the molecular level, the highly conserved WWC proteins share a similar primary structure, the ability to form homo- and heterodimers and the interaction with a common set of binding proteins. Furthermore, all WWC proteins negatively regulate cell proliferation and organ growth due to a suppression of the transcriptional activity of YAP, the major effector of the Hippo pathway.

The Vac14-interaction network is linked to regulators of the endolysosomal and autophagic pathway.

The scaffold protein Vac14 acts in a complex with the lipid kinase PIKfyve and its counteracting phosphatase FIG4, regulating the interconversion of phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate to phosphatidylinositol-3,5-bisphosphate. Dysfunctional Vac14 mutants, a deficiency of one of the Vac14 complex components, or inhibition of PIKfyve enzymatic activity results in the formation of large vacuoles in cells. How these vacuoles are generated and which processes are involved are only poorly understood. Here we show that ectopic overexpression of wild-type Vac14 as well as of the PIKfyve-binding deficient Vac14 L156R mutant causes vacuoles. Vac14-dependent vacuoles and PIKfyve inhibitor-dependent vacuoles resulted in elevated levels of late endosomal, lysosomal, and autophagy-associated proteins. However, only late endosomal marker proteins were bound to the membranes of these enlarged vacuoles. In order to decipher the linkage between the Vac14 complex and regulators of the endolysosomal pathway, a protein affinity approach combined with multidimensional protein identification technology was conducted, and novel molecular links were unraveled. We found and verified the interaction of Rab9 and the Rab7 GAP TBC1D15 with Vac14. The identified Rab-related interaction partners support the theory that the regulation of vesicular transport processes and phosphatidylinositol-modifying enzymes are tightly interconnected.

Polycystin-2 activity is controlled by transcriptional coactivator with PDZ binding motif and PALS1-associated tight junction protein.

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is the most frequent monogenic cause of kidney failure, characterized by the development of renal cysts. ADPKD is caused by mutations of the polycystin-1 (PC1) or polycystin-2 (PC2) genes. PC2 encodes a Ca(2+)-permeable cation channel, and its dysfunction has been implicated in cyst development. The transcriptional coactivator with PDZ binding motif (TAZ) is required for the integrity of renal cilia. Its absence results in the development of renal cysts in a knock-out mouse model. TAZ directly interacts with PC2, and it has been suggested that another yet unidentified PDZ domain protein may be involved in the TAZ/PC2 interaction. Here we describe a novel interaction of TAZ with the multi-PDZ-containing PALS1-associated tight junction protein (PATJ). TAZ interacts with both the N-terminal PDZ domains 1-3 and the C-terminal PDZ domains 8-10 of PATJ, suggesting two distinct TAZ binding domains. We also show that the C terminus of PC2 strongly interacts with PDZ domains 8-10 and to a weaker extent with PDZ domains 1-3 of PATJ. Finally, we demonstrate that both TAZ and PATJ impair PC2 channel activity when co-expressed with PC2 in oocytes of Xenopus laevis. These results implicate TAZ and PATJ as novel regulatory elements of the PC2 channel and might thus be involved in ADPKD pathology.