Anionic phospholipids such as phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP 2 ) and phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate (PIP 3 ) are normally located in the inner leaflet of the plasma membrane, where these anionic phospholipids can regulate transmembrane proteins, including ion channels and transporters. Recent work has demonstrated that (1) ATP inhibits the renal epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) via a phospholipase C-dependent pathway that reduces PIP 2 , (2) aldosterone stimulates ENaC via phosphoinositide 3-kinase, and (3) PIP 2 and PIP 3 regulate ENaC. Several lines of evidence show that ATP stimulation of purinergic P2Y receptors hydrolyzes PIP 2 and that aldosterone stimulation of steroid receptors induces PIP 3 formation. These studies together suggest that one primary mechanism for regulating ENaC is by alteration of anionic phospholipids and that the receptor-mediated and hormonal regulation of ENaC works through a variety of signaling pathways, but many of these pathways finally alter ENaC activity by regulating the formation or degradation of anionic phospholipids. Therefore, changes in the concentration of PIP 2 and PIP 3 are hypothesized to participate in the regulation of ENaC by purinergic and corticoid receptors. The underlying mechanism may be associated with a physical interaction of the positively charged cytoplasmic domains of the -and ␥-ENaC with the negatively charged membrane phospholipids. The exact nature of this interaction will require further investigation. T he phospholipid compositions of the two leaflets of the lipid bilayer that forms the plasma membrane are strikingly different. Anionic phospholipids are normally located in the inner leaflet to form a negatively charged surface. However, whether the phospholipid asymmetry affects the function of transmembrane proteins remains largely unknown. Recent studies have shown that one of the anionic phospholipids, phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP 2 ), regulates Na ϩ -Ca 2ϩ exchangers and inward rectifier potassium channels (1-4). Besides PIP 2 , phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate (PIP 3 ), regulates ATP-sensitive potassium (K ATP ) channels (5,6). A model for the regulation of K ATP channels by anionic phospholipids has been proposed; the negatively charged head group of PIP 2 or PIP 3 locks the positively charged carboxyl terminus of K ATP channels in an open conformation and prevents ATP binding to the cytosolic terminus (7). These recent studies suggest that anionic phospholipids may interact with the positively charged cytoplasmic termini of other ion channels and transporters. In this review, we focus primarily on the mechanism by which changes in cellular anionic phospholipids such as PIP 2 and PIP 3 regulate the renal epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) and then speculate on a possible underlying mechanism.
Stimulation of Purinergic P2Y Receptors Decreases Membrane PIP 2 and ENaC ActivityIt is known that ATP binds to the purinergic P2Y receptor family, G protein-coupled receptors that activate phospholipase C (PLC...