K+ deficiency stimulates renal salt reuptake via the Na+-Cl− cotransporter (NCC) of the distal convoluted tubule (DCT), thereby reducing K+ losses in downstream nephron segments while increasing NaCl retention and blood pressure. NCC activation is mediated by a kinase cascade involving with no lysine (WNK) kinases upstream of Ste20-related proline-alanine-rich kinase (SPAK) and oxidative stress-responsive kinase-1 (OSR1). In K+ deficiency, WNKs and SPAK/OSR1 concentrate in spherical cytoplasmic domains in the DCT termed “WNK bodies,” the significance of which is undetermined. By feeding diets of varying salt and K+ content to mice and using genetically engineered mouse lines, we aimed to clarify whether WNK bodies contribute to WNK-SPAK/OSR1-NCC signaling. Phosphorylated SPAK/OSR1 was present both at the apical membrane and in WNK bodies within 12 h of dietary K+ deprivation, and it was promptly suppressed by K+ loading. In WNK4-deficient mice, however, larger WNK bodies formed, containing unphosphorylated WNK1, SPAK, and OSR1. This suggests that WNK4 is the primary active WNK isoform in WNK bodies and catalyzes SPAK/OSR1 phosphorylation therein. We further examined mice carrying a kidney-specific deletion of the basolateral K+ channel-forming protein Kir4.1, which is required for the DCT to sense plasma K+ concentration. These mice displayed remnant mosaic expression of Kir4.1 in the DCT, and upon K+ deprivation, WNK bodies developed only in Kir4.1-expressing cells. We postulate a model of DCT function in which NCC activity is modulated by plasma K+ concentration via WNK4-SPAK/OSR1 interactions within WNK bodies.

ObjectiveRenal salt retention due to excessive function of the renal NaCl cotransporter (NCC) along the distal convoluted tubule (DCT) plays a central role in the pathogenesis of hypertension. The Western type diet with high salt and low potassium content (HS/LK) has been shown to increase NCC activity by stimulating its phosphorylation via a kinase cascade comprising with‐no‐lysine kinases (WNKs) and a Ste20‐related kinase (SPAK). WNKs and SPAK have been shown to accumulate in perinuclear aggregates in response to potassium depletion, but the functional significance of these aggregates remained obscure. These structures may in part reflect a degradative pathway but may serve pooling functions as well.MethodsMice received HS/LK or control diets for 10 days. WNK1‐transfected DCT cells were exposed to vehicle, hyperosmotic stress, or potassium depletion. WNK1, WNK4, SPAK, phospho‐S383 SPAK, and various autophagy markers were studied by immunofluorescence and immunoblotting. Electron microscopy was applied for ultrastructural analysis.ResultsHS/LK diet induced accumulation of WNKs and SPAK in the form of perinuclear protein aggregates within DCT cells. These aggregates were rare in DCT of mice treated with control diet and virtually absent after administration of high potassium diet. The autophagy marker ATG5 was present in the aggregates and the 20S proteasome signal was intensified adjacently, whereas standard lysosomal markers showed no significant association with the punctate WNK/SPAK signal. Ultrastructural analysis of DCT in kidneys of mice treated with HS/LK revealed abundant aggresomes adjacent to rough endoplasmic reticulum and clathrin‐coated vesicles. Evaluation of cultured DCT cells transfected with WNK1 or KS‐WNK1 revealed formation of similar aggresomes in response to potassium depletion, whereas hyperosmotic stress induced formation of autophagosomes. Pretreatment of cells with proteasome inhibitor MG‐132 or autophagy/lysosome inhibitor bafilomycin A1 prior to potassium depletion substantially augmented the size of WNK1‐containing aggresomes.ConclusionChallenging of DCT epithelium induces the formation of perinuclear aggresomes which pool the components of the kinase cascade controlling NCC activity. From there, WNKs and SPAK may either be degraded via proteasomes or lysosomes, or reintroduced into the signal chain.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.