Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator Gating Research Articles

Protein kinase A phosphorylation potentiates cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator gating by relieving autoinhibition on the stimulatory C terminus of the regulatory domain

Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) is a chloride channel activated by protein kinase A (PKA) phosphorylation on the regulatory (R) domain. Phosphorylation at several R domain residues stimulates ATP-dependent channel openings and closings, termed channel gating. To explore the protein segment responsible for channel potentiation and PKA-dependent activation, deletion mutations were constructed by removing one to three protein segments of the R domain including residues 708-759 (ΔR708-759), R760-783, and R784-835, each of which contains one or two PKA phosphorylation sites. Deletion of R708-759 or R760-783 had little effect on CFTR gating, whereas all mutations lacking R784-835 reduced CFTR activity by decreasing the mean burst duration and increasing the interburst interval (IBI). The data suggest that R784-835 plays a major role in stimulating CFTR gating. For ATP-associated regulation, ΔR784-835 had minor impact on gating potentiation by 2'dATP, CaATP, and pyrophosphate. Interestingly, introducing a phosphorylated peptide matching R809-835 shortened the IBI of ΔR708-835-CFTR. Consistently, ΔR815-835, but not ΔR784-814, enhanced IBI, whereas both reduced mean burst duration. These data suggest that the entirety of R784-835 is required for stabilizing the open state of CFTR; however, R815-835, through interactions with the channel, is dominant for enhancing the opening rate. Of note, PKA markedly decreased the IBI of ΔR708-783-CFTR. Conversely, the IBI of ΔR708-814-CFTR was short and PKA-independent. These data reveal that for stimulating CFTR gating, PKA phosphorylation may relieve R784-814-mediated autoinhibition that prevents IBI shortening by R815-835 This mechanism may elucidate how the R domain potentiates channel gating and may unveil CFTR stimulation by other protein kinases.

Energy Balance and Mechanisms of Weight Gain with Ivacaftor Treatment of Cystic Fibrosis Gating Mutations

To determine if ivacaftor treatment results in weight gain and improved pulmonary function in people with cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator gating mutations. Children and adults with cystic fibrosis and at least 1 cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator gating mutation were evaluated in this observational study before and after 3 months of ivacaftor treatment. Body size and composition, total energy expenditure, resting energy expenditure (REE%) as percent predicted, coefficient of fat absorption (CFA%), fecal calprotectin, fecal elastase, and quality of life were assessed. Some outcomes were explored by pancreatic status. There were 23 patients (5-61 years of age) who completed the study; 70% had pancreatic insufficiency (PI). Patients gained 2.5 ± 2.2 kg (P < .001) with increased (P < .05) fat-free mass (0.9 ± 1.9 kg) and fat mass (1.6 ± 1.5 kg). REE% decreased by 5.5 ± 12.0% (P < .05), fecal calprotectin decreased by 30 ± 40 µg/g stool (P < .01), and total energy expenditure was unchanged. Improvements were greater for PI than patients who were pancreatic-sufficient. CFA% increased significantly only with PI. The change (Δ) in weight was positively correlated with the percent change in forced expiratory volume at 1 second (r = 0.46; P = .028) and ΔCFA% (r = 0.47; P = .032) and negatively with ΔREE% (r = -0.50; P = .017). Together, ΔREE%, ΔCFA%, and the percent change in forced expiratory volume at 1 second explained 58% of the variance in weight gain (adjusted R2 = 0.579; P = .0007). Growth status and muscle strength improved, as did quality of life in several domains. Fecal elastase increased in most patients with pancreatic sufficiency, with no change in those with PI. Mechanisms identified for ivacaftor-associated weight gain were decreased REE, gut inflammation, and fat malabsorption (CFA). ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02141464.

Synergistic Potentiation of Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator Gating by Two Chemically Distinct Potentiators, Ivacaftor (VX-770) and 5-Nitro-2-(3-Phenylpropylamino) Benzoate.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is caused by loss-of-function mutations of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene encoding a phosphorylation-activated but ATP-gated chloride channel. Previous studies suggested that VX-770 [ivacaftor, N-(2,4-di-tert-butyl-5-hydroxyphenyl)-4-oxo-1,4-dihydroquinoline-3-carboxamide], a CFTR potentiator now used in clinics, increases the open probability of CFTR by shifting the gating conformational changes to favor the open channel configuration. Recently the chloride channel blocker and CFTR potentiator 5-nitro-2-(3-phenylpropylamino) benzoate (NPPB) has been reported to enhance CFTR activity by a mechanism that exploits the ATP hydrolysis-driven, nonequilibrium gating mechanism unique to CFTR. Surprisingly however, NPPB increased the activity of nonhydrolytic G551D-CFTR, the third most common disease-associated mutation. Here, we further investigated the mechanism of NPPB's effects on CFTR gating by assessing its interaction with well-studied VX-770. Interestingly, once G551D-CFTR was maximally potentiated by VX-770, NPPB further increased its activity. However, quantitative analysis of this drug-drug interaction suggests that this pharmacologic synergism is not due to independent actions of NPPB and VX-770 on CFTR gating; instead, our data support a dependent mechanism involving two distinct binding sites. This latter idea is further supported by the observation that the locked-open time of a hydrolysis-deficient mutant K1250A was shortened by NPPB but prolonged by VX-770. In addition, the effectiveness of NPPB, but not of VX-770, was greatly diminished in a mutant whose second nucleotide-binding domain was completely removed. Interpreting these results under the framework of current understanding of CFTR gating not only reveals insights into the mechanism of action for different CFTR potentiators but also brings us one step forward to a more complete schematic for CFTR gating.

Direct effects of 9-anthracene compounds on cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator gating.

Anthracene-9-carboxylic acid (9-AC) has been reported to show both potentiation and inhibitory effects on guinea-pig cardiac cAMP-activated chloride channels via two different binding sites, and inhibition of Mg(2+)-sensitive protein phosphatases has been proposed for the mechanism of 9-AC potentiation effect. In this study, we examined the effects of 9-AC on wild-type and mutant human cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) chloride channels expressed in NIH3T3 or CHO cells. 9-AC inhibits whole-cell CFTR current in a voltage-dependent manner, whereas the potentiation effect is not affected by membrane potentials. Anthracene-9-methanol, an electro-neutral 9-AC analog, fails to block CFTR, but shows a nearly identical potentiation effect, corroborating the idea that two chemically distinct sites are responsible, respectively, for potentiation and inhibitory actions of 9-AC. 9-AC also enhances the activity of deltaR-CFTR, a constitutively active CFTR mutant whose R-domain is removed. In excised inside-out patches, 9-AC increases Po by prolonging the mean burst durations and shortening the interburst durations. We therefore conclude that two different 9-AC binding sites for potentiation and inhibitory effects on CFTR channels are located outside of the R-domain. We also speculate that 9-AC potentiates CFTR activity by directly affecting CFTR gating.

A conditional probability analysis of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator gating indicates that ATP has multiple effects during the gating cycle.

ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters bind and hydrolyze ATP. In the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator Cl(-) channel, this interaction with ATP generates a gating cycle between a closed (C) and two open (O1 and O2) conformations. To understand better how ATP controls channel activity, we examined gating transitions from the C to the O1 and O2 states and from these open states to the C conformation. We made three main observations. First, we found that the channel can open into either the O1 or O2 state, that the frequency of transitions to both states was increased by ATP concentration, and that ATP increased the relative proportion of openings into O1 vs. O2. These results indicate that ATP can interact with the closed state to open the channel in at least two ways, which may involve binding to nucleotide-binding domains (NBDs) NBD1 and NBD2. Second, ATP prolonged the burst duration and altered the way in which the channel closed. These data suggest that ATP also interacts with the open channel. Third, the channel showed runs of specific types of open-closed transitions. This finding suggests a mechanism with more than one cycle of gating transitions. These data suggest models to explain how ATP influences conformational transitions in cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator and perhaps other ABC transporters.

Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator Gating Requires Cytosolic Electrolytes

Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), which causes cystic fibrosis when nonfunctional, is an anion channel and a member of the ATP binding cassette superfamily. After phosphorylation, CFTR gates by binding and hydrolyzing ATP. We show that CFTR open probability (P(o)) also depends on the electrolyte concentration of the cytosol. Inside-out patches from Calu-3 cells were transiently exposed to solutions of 160 mm salt or solutions in which up to 90% of the salt was replaced by nonionic osmolytes such as sucrose. In lowered salt solutions, CFTR P(o) declined within 1 s to a stable lower value that depended on the electrolyte concentration, (K(1/2) approximately 80 mm NaCl). P(o) was rapidly restored in normal salt concentrations without regard to the electrolyte species. Reducing external electrolytes did not affect CFTR P(o). The same results were obtained when CFTR was stably phosphorylated with adenosine 5'-O-(thiotriphosphate). The decrease in P(o) resulted entirely from an increase in mean closed time. Increasing ATP levels up to 20-fold did not counteract the effect of low electrolytes. The same effect was observed for CFTR expressed in C127 cells but not for a different species of anion channel. Cytosolic electrolytes are an unsuspected, essential cofactor for CFTR gating.