May 16, 2007; doi:10.1152/ajprenal.00064.2007.-The distal convoluted tubule (DCT) Na ϩ -Cl Ϫ cotransporter (NCC), the target of thiazide diuretics, is responsible for the reabsorption of 5-10% of filtered NaCl. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that acute infusion of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor captopril (at 12 g/min) for 20 min provokes trafficking of NCC from apical plasma membranes (APM) to subapical cytoplasmic vesicles (SCV), which is reversed by acute ANG II infusion (ANG II at 20 ng ⅐ kg Ϫ1 ⅐ min Ϫ1 along with 12 g/min captopril) for 20 min in male Sprague-Dawley rats (250 -350 g). By immuno-electron microscopy using an anti-NCC (D. Ellison) 71.5 Ϯ SD 4.9% of the NCC gold labeling was associated with the APM in control, sham operated, and infused rats, while captopril infusion reduced NCC in APM to 54.9 Ϯ 6.9% (P Ͻ 0.001) and markedly increased immunogold labeling of SCV. Subsequent infusion of ANG II with captopril restored NCC immunogold labeling of APM to 72.4 Ϯ 4.2%, that is, 20% of the total NCC trafficked between APM and SCV. Likewise, on density gradients of cortex, captopril provoked redistribution of 27.3% of total NCC from low-density APM-enriched membranes to higher-density membranes and ANG IIϩcaptopril restored 20.3% of the NCC to APM-enriched fractions. Redistribution occurred independent of a change in NCC total abundance. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that ACE inhibition provokes acute trafficking of NCC out of the plasma membrane, which likely decreases DCT Na ϩ reabsorption, while ANG II provokes rapid trafficking of NCC from stores in subapical vesicles to the plasma membrane, which likely increases DCT Na ϩ reabsorption. sodium transport; thiazide receptor; immunoelectron microscopy THE NA ϩ -CL Ϫ COTRANSPORTER (NCC) is expressed in the apical membrane of the distal convoluted tubule (DCT) and is the target of the thiazide diuretics, which are frequently used in the treatment of hypertension and edema (1, 29). The importance of NCC in the regulation of blood pressure and salt balance is demonstrated in the genetic disorder Gitelman's syndrome in which loss of function mutations in NCC results in salt wasting, hypokalemia, and hypotension (32). Studies in mice with NCC knocked out show that on low-sodium diets, blood pressure is significantly reduced from control (31).There are multiple mechanisms by which NCC could be regulated to control Na ϩ transport in the DCT. Many studies have shown that NCC abundance is regulated by stimuli, such as dietary salt, aldosterone escape, and mineralocorticoid receptor blockade (22,26,33,36), less is known about trafficking of NCC to and from the apical membrane as a way of regulating NCC. The potential importance of trafficking in the regulation of NCC has been demonstrated in vitro in Gitelman's syndrome where oocyte studies indicate that NCC is not processed properly in the endoplasmic reticulum, resulting in deficient trafficking of NCC to the plasma membrane (8,14). A previous study from this labora...

Yang LE, Sandberg MB, Can AD, Pihakaski-Maunsbach K, McDonough AA. Effects of dietary salt on renal Na ϩ transporter subcellular distribution, abundance, and phosphorylation status. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 295: F1003-F1016, 2008. First published July 23, 2008 doi:10.1152/ajprenal.90235.2008 diet the kidney increases urinary Na ϩ and volume excretion to match intake. We recently reported that HS provokes a redistribution of distal convoluted tubule Na ϩ -Cl Ϫ cotransporter (NCC) from apical to subapical vesicles and decreases NCC abundance. This study aimed to test the hypothesis that the other renal Na ϩ transporters' abundance and or subcellular distribution is decreased by HS diet. Six-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a normal (NS) 0.4% NaCl diet or a HS 4% NaCl diet for 3 wk or overnight. Kidneys excised from anesthetized rats were fractionated on density gradients or analyzed by microscopy; transporters and associated regulators were detected with specific antibodies. Three-week HS doubled Na ϩ /H ϩ exchanger (NHE)3 phosphorylation at serine 552 and provoked a redistribution of NHE3, dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPPIV), myosin VI, Na ϩ -Pi cotransporter (NaPi)-2, ANG II type 2 receptor (AT2R), aminopeptidase N (APN), Na ϩ -K ϩ -2Cl Ϫ cotransporter (NKCC2), epithelial Na ϩ channel (ENaC) ␤-subunit, and Na ϩ -K ϩ -ATPase (NKA) ␣1-and ␤ 1-subunits from low-density plasma membrane-enriched fractions to higher-density intracellular membrane-enriched fractions. NHE3, myosin VI, and AT 2R retraction to the base of the microvilli (MV) during HS was evident by confocal microscopy. HS did not change abundance of NHE3, NKCC, or NKA ␣ 1-or ␤1-subunits but increased ENaC-␤ in high-density intracellular enriched membranes. Responses to HS were fully apparent after just 18 h. We propose that retraction of NHE3 to the base of the MV, driven by myosin VI and NHE3 phosphorylation and accompanied by redistribution of the NHE3 regulator DPPIV, contributes to a decrease in proximal tubule Na ϩ reabsorption during HS and that redistribution of transporters out of low-density plasma membrane-enriched fractions in the thick ascending limb of the loop of Henle and distal nephron may also contribute to the homeostatic natriuretic response to HS diet. sodium chloride; kidney; natriuresis; salt-sensitive hypertension A HIGH DIETARY SODIUM LOAD provokes a thirst that increases extracellular fluid volume (ECFV), maintaining plasma Na ϩ concentration in a normal range (40). The kidneys affect natriuretic and diuretic responses to match salt and water output to intake and restore ECFV. If volume is not corrected, it provokes a generalized vascular contraction to normalize tissue blood flow, resulting in hypertension. Establishing the molecular mechanisms by which the kidney regulates Na ϩ and ECFV homeostasis under normal conditions is an important goal because it will identify candidates that may contribute to salt-sensitive hypertension (6). Na ϩ transport along the nephron can be regulated by altering 1) total transporter abundanc...

The distal convoluted tubule (DCT) apical Na(+)-Cl(-) cotransporter (NCC) is responsible for the reabsorption of 5-10% of filtered NaCl and is the target for thiazide diuretics. NCC abundance is increased during dietary NaCl restriction and by aldosterone and decreased during a high-salt (HS) diet and mineralocorticoid blockade. This study tested the hypothesis that subcellular distribution of NCC is also regulated in response to changes in dietary salt. Six-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a normal-salt diet (NS; 0.4% NaCl) for 3 wk, then switched to a HS diet (4% NaCl) for 3 wk or a low-salt diet (LS; 0.07% NaCl) for 1 wk. Under anesthesia, kidneys were excised, renal cortex was dissected, and NCC was analyzed with specific antibodies after either 1) density gradient centrifugation followed by immunoblotting or 2) fixation followed by immunoelectron microscopy. The HS diet decreased NCC abundance to 0.50 +/- 0.10 of levels in LS diet (1.00 +/- 0.23). The HS diet also caused a redistribution of NCC from low to higher density membranes. Immunoelectron microscopy revealed that NCC resides predominantly in the apical membrane in rats fed the LS diet and increases in subapical vesicles in rats fed the HS diet. In conclusion, a HS diet provokes a rapid and persistent redistribution of NCC from apical to subapical membranes, a mechanism that would facilitate a homeostatic decrease in NaCl reabsorption in the DCT to compensate for increased dietary salt.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors such as captopril, which block ANG II formation, are commonly used for treatment of hypertension. There is substantial evidence that the proximal tubule (PT) is a primary target site for captopril but the molecular mechanisms for its action in PT are not well defined. The aim of this study was to determine the physiological and molecular changes in PT provoked by acute captopril treatment in the absence of changes in blood pressure or glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Captopril (infused at 12 microg/min for 20 min) did not change blood pressure or GFR but induced an immediate (<10 min) increase in PT flow measured with a nonobstructive optical method (to 117 +/- 14% of baseline) along with a rapid diuresis from 2.1 +/- 0.6 mg/min (baseline) to 3.7 +/- 0.9 mg/min (captopril). Captopril also provoked a significant retraction of PT Na(+)/H(+) exchanger isoform 3 (NHE3), NHE regulatory factor (NHERF)-1, myosin-VI, and Na(+)-P(i) cotransporter type 2 (NaPi2), but not ACE, out of apical microvillus-enriched membranes. Proteomic analysis with MALDI-TOF MS revealed an additional eight abundant membrane-associated proteins that redistributed out of the microvillus-enriched membrane during captopril treatment: megalin, myosin II-A, clathrin, aminopeptidase N, DPPIV, ezrin, moesin, and vacuolar H(+)-ATPase subunit beta(2). In summary, captopril can rapidly depress PT reabsorption in the absence of a change in GFR or BP and provokes the redistribution of a set of transporters and transporter-associated proteins that likely participate in the decrease in PT reabsorption and may also contribute to the blood pressure-lowering effect of ACE inhibitors.

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