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Regulation of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator Cl- channel by specific protein kinases and protein phosphatases
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Regulation of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator Cl- channel by specific protein kinases and protein phosphatases

Herbert A Berger, Sue M Travis and Michael J Welsh
The Journal of biological chemistry, Vol.268(3), pp.2037-2047
1993
DOI: 10.1016/S0021-9258(18)53959-4
PMID: 7678414
url
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0021-9258(18)53959-4View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) is a regulated Cl- channel; in secretory epithelia, it is located in the apical membrane where it regulates transepithelial Cl- secretion. Previous studies have shown that cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) can phosphorylate and activate CFTR Cl- channels. We asked whether other kinases would phosphorylate CFTR in vitro and activate CFTR Cl- channels in excised, inside-out patches of membrane from NIH 3T3 fibroblasts stably expressing recombinant CFTR. We found that both Ca(2+)-independent and Ca(2+)-dependent isoforms of protein kinase C (PKC) activated the CFTR Cl- channel. Consistent with this finding, PKC also phosphorylated CFTR in vitro. In contrast, the multifunctional Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase failed to either activate or to phosphorylate CFTR Cl- channels, suggesting that this enzyme has no direct effect on CFTR. We found that cGMP-dependent protein kinase (cGK) (purified from bovine lung) phosphorylated CFTR in vitro. However, cGMP failed to increase the apical membrane Cl- permeability in human airway epithelia, and addition of cGMP, ATP, and cGK failed to activate CFTR Cl- channels. These results suggest that if cGK phosphorylates CFTR in vivo, it does so at sites not involved in CFTR Cl- channel activation. Because cAMP-dependent activation of CFTR Cl- channels and Cl- secretion in intact cells is reversible, we asked whether specific phosphatases can dephosphorylate and inactivate CFTR Cl- channels. Addition of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) decreased PKA-activated current by 67% within 10 min. The phosphatase inhibitor calyculin-A blocked the effect of PP2A. In contrast, neither protein phosphatases 1, 2B, nor two preparations of alkaline phosphatase inactivated PKA-phosphorylated CFTR Cl- channels. The effects of protein phosphatases on CFTR function were paralleled by their ability to dephosphorylate CFTR in vitro. Our data indicate that CFTR Cl- channels can be phosphorylated and activated by PKA as well as by Ca(2+)-dependent and Ca(2+)-independent isoforms of PKC and can be dephosphorylated and thus inactivated by PP2A.
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology Proteins Biological and medical sciences Miscellaneous Analytical, structural and metabolic biochemistry

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