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Departments of Medicine (L.A.-B.) and Cell Biology (J.B.), Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030
| Abstract |
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C subunits with SUR restores
normal KATP channel activity | I. Introduction |
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-subunits of
the amiloride-sensitive, non-voltage-gated epithelial Na+
channels, ENac, activate channel activity resulting in Liddles
syndrome (OMIM 177200), which is associated with hypertension and
hypokalemia. Various episodic disorders have been shown to arise from
mutations of voltage-dependent ion channels in nerve and muscle.
Periodic paralysis I, or hypokalemic periodic paralysis (OMIM 170400),
results from mutations in the gene encoding the
1-subunit of the
muscle dihydropyridine-sensitive calcium channel, while periodic
paralysis II, hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (OMIM 170500), is
associated with mutations in the gene encoding a voltage-gated
Na+ channel subunit. Mutations and CAG repeat expansions in
the gene encoding a second Ca2+ channel
1-subunit
isoform, termed isoform 4, have been identified in familial hemiplegic
migraine 1 (OMIM 141500), episodic ataxia type 2 (OMIM 108500), and
spinocerebellar ataxia 6 (OMIM 183086). Mutations in the genes that
encode potassium channels, perhaps the most diverse class of ion
channels, give rise to a number of disorders; for example, variants of
the long QT syndrome, LQT1 (OMIM 192500) and LQT2 (OMIM 152427) are
caused by mutations in a voltage-gated K+ channel, KVLQT1,
and in HERG (human ether-a-go-go related gene), a
Ca2+-modulated K+ channel, respectively.
Mutations in the KCNJ1 gene encoding ROMK1, the first discovered
potassium inward rectifier (1) give rise to the antenatal variant of
Bartters syndrome with renal tubular hypokalemic alkalosis (OMIM
601678). Finally, mutations in the gene encoding a water channel,
aquaporin 2, cause the renal form of diabetes insipidus (OMIM 125800).
Ion channelopathies have been reviewed recently (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17). The reader is
referred to the extensive bibliographies cited in the Online Mendelian
Inheritance in Man database (http://www3.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Omim/) for
references to each of the channelopathies cited above and for current
information on others. Our objective is to review the molecular biology of ATP-sensitive K+ channels, or KATP channels, which are present in pancreatic ß-cells in the islets of Langerhans where they play a key role in stimulus-secretion coupling by providing a link between changes in metabolism and membrane electrical activity. Evidence suggests this channel is regulated by changes in adenine nucleotide levels, an increase in the ATP/ADP ratio, resulting from changes in glucose metabolism, and is the target for a class of drugs called sulfonylureas used in the treatment of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Closure of KATP channels as a result of increased glucose metabolism or by sulfonylureas leads to the release of insulin. Nearly 50 mutations in either of the two subunits that make up the ß-cell KATP channel, namely, the high-affinity sulfonylurea receptor, SUR1, and the K+ inward rectifier, KIR6.2, are responsible for a channelopathy, the recessive genetic form of persistent hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia of infancy (PHHI), characterized by the uncoupling of glucose metabolism from ß-cell electrical activity (see Refs. 18, 19, 20, 21 for reviews). Investigation of this recessive form of PHHI has led to the identification of at least two other causes of dominant forms of persistent neonatal hypoglycemia and should provide insight into the regulation of the insulin-secretory pathway in both normal and in diabetic individuals.
The objective of this article is to review developments in the molecular biology of ATP-sensitive potassium channels. We will focus mainly on recent studies of the molecular biology of the "classic" ß-cell type KATP channels composed of the high-affinity sulfonylurea receptor, SUR1 (OMIM 600509), and KIR6.2, a potassium inward rectifier subunit (OMIM 600937), but will draw comparison with the striated and smooth muscle type channels where appropriate. Over the last several years, the subunits of the ß-cell KATP channel have been cloned, expressed, and reconstituted into functional nucleotide-sensitive channels and have been used to investigate their overall structure and regulation by nucleotides, potassium channel openers, and sulfonylureas. The availability of cDNAs for SUR1 (22) allowed the isolation of the low-affinity sulfonylurea receptors, SUR2A and SUR2B (23, 24). In humans, the mRNAs encoding the SUR2A and SUR2B receptors originate from a single SUR2 gene by differential splicing of the last exon (19). Two KIR6.x isoforms have been cloned, KIR6.1 (uKATP-1) (25) and KIR6.2 (BIR) (26). Interestingly, the SUR and KIR genes are paired on human chromosomes, with SUR1 and KIR6.2 adjacent on chromosome 11, and SUR2 and KIR6.1 near each other on chromosome 12. When the low-affinity receptors are reconstituted with KIR6.1 or KIR6.2, they produce KATP channels with distinctive pharmacologies which, along with their tissue distribution, suggest they make up the cardiac-skeletal and vascular smooth muscle KATP channels (23, 24, 27, 28, 29).
| II. How Are KATP Channels Defined? |
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-helices that form the pore, or of amino acids
within the gate. Silent intervals or gaps delineate the bursts. The
application of ATP, without Mg2+, reduces the time spent in
the open state (the mean open time) by prolonging the lifetime of the
gaps and by shortening the duration of the bursts (38, 39). MgATP also
inhibits channel activity. The IC50 for inhibition of the
ß-cell channel, SUR1/KIR6.2, by MgATP is reported to be
higher than for ATP4- (40), while the reverse has been
reported for the cardiac KATP channel,
SUR2A/KIR6.2 (41). The IC50 values for
inhibition by ATP have generally been reported to be higher for the
cardiac than for the ß-cell channel, although the variation of the
IC50 values, as well as the Hill coefficients, is quite
large for both (42). Our own values for the human
SUR1/KIR6.2 (ß-cell) and SUR2A/KIR6.2
(ventricular myocyte) channels are in the low micromolar range,
5
and 20 µM, respectively, with Hill coefficients near 1
with no dependence on Mg2+ (28). Whether the reported
variations in ATP sensitivity are due to tissue- specific
regulatory factors vs. experimental problems has not been
resolved. In the absence of Mg2+, ADP is also inhibitory.
Under physiological conditions with Mg2+ present, ADP
stimulates ATP-inhibited channels, providing one route for regulation
(43, 44).
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| III. How Do KATP Channels Affect the Membrane Potential of Pancreatic ß-Cells? |
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As illustrated in Fig. 3
, VM in the ß-cell is regulated
by glucose metabolism. When the external glucose concentration is less
than 3 mM, VM is near -65 to -70 mV.
Increasing the external glucose causes gradual depolarization to a new
steady-state level. Further increases cause the membrane to depolarize
to a threshold potential, near -50 mV, where electrical activity,
due in part to Ca2+ currents through voltage-dependent
Ca2+ channels, is initiated. Several types of pumps
and ion channels have been identified in ß-cells, which could or have
been suggested to contribute to this observed electrical bursting
behavior, including the following.
1. Na+/K+ ATPase. The asymmetric distribution of sodium and potassium ions is maintained by the ß-cell Na+/K+ ATPase, which has been identified and subjected to limited study (65, 66). The activity of this enzyme is generally considered insensitive to KATP channel blockers and openers, although high concentrations of glibenclamide have been reported to be inhibitory (67). Inhibition of the Na+/K+ ATPase with ouabain results in membrane depolarization and release of insulin. In a recent report, Ding et al. (56) used manipulations of the activity of the Na+/K+ ATPase to change the ATP/ADP ratio and affect KATP channel activity and suggest that a fall in [ATP]i (and presumably an increase in [ADP]i), terminates a burst of electrical activity.
2. Na+ channels. Early studies on the effects of
veratridine and tetrodotoxin suggested that Na+ channels
were functionally important for insulin release from pancreatic islets
(68, 69), although Donatsch et al. (70) found tetrodotoxin
did not affect insulin release from mouse islets. Several reports have
described a transient, voltage-dependent, inward Na+
current that is blocked by tetrodotoxin (71, 72). The canine channel
shows steep activation and inactivation between -50 and -40 mV (73, 74). Philipson et al. (75) identified Na+
channel subunit cDNAs in canine, human, and rodent islets, and in
hamster and mouse insulinoma cell lines, which are most closely related
to the rat brain III
1 isoform of Na+ channel subunits.
This conductance could play a role in the initial depolarization, but
its role is usually discounted in rodent ß-cells because the voltage
dependence of inactivation of the rodent channel suggests it will be
largely inactive (71, 76). Na+ channels may contribute to
the action potential in canine and human ß-cells (73, 74), but their
role is generally believed to be minimal.
3. Chloride channels. Several reports have suggested chloride ions can affect insulin release and ß-cell electrical activity (77, 78). The mechanism(s) of these effects are not known, and it is unclear whether or not chloride ions are passively distributed across the ß-cell membrane. Kinard and Satin (79) have identified an ATP-sensitive chloride channel in ß-cells, termed ICl,islet, which is activated by cAMP, glibenclamide (110 µM), and cell swelling. Decreasing [ATP]i reduces the amplitude of the current; thus, Kinard and Satin suggest this channel may be under metabolic control. ICl,islet mediates a large inward current that would depolarize the ß-cell membrane. A second, Ca2+-dependent Cl- conductance has been described recently in the ßTC-3 ß-cell line (80), but its physiological significance is uncertain.
4. Ca2+ channels. The importance of Ca2+ in insulin release has been reviewed by many others (81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88). Insulin release is attenuated in Ca2+-deficient media and by the action of Ca2+ channel blockers. The early reports describing Ca2+ currents in ß-cells (89, 90, 91) were followed by others identifying at least two types of Ca2+ channels in ß-cells, which could be distinguished by their kinetics and pharmacology (71, 72, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96). The larger conductance channel has the properties of a fast deactivating, dihydropyridine-sensitive L-type Ca2+ channel with an activation threshold near -30 mV. The smaller conductance is similar to the T-type Ca2+ channel, is slowly deactivated, and has a lower activation threshold, near -50 mV. The T-type channel is not sensitive to dihydropyridines, but is inhibited by NiCl2, a selective inhibitor of other T-type calcium channels (96). It has been suggested that the slow T-type channel could be responsible for the slow Ca2+ waves, while the L-type channels contribute the spikes. The evidence for and against this idea has been reviewed by Satin and Smolen (58). The possible involvement of T-type channels in control of insulin secretion has become more accessible with the cloning of these channels (97, 98) and the finding of T-type channel mRNAs in the pancreas. In addition to the voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels, a glucose-activated calcium channel has been reported in ß-cells (99).
5. Ca2+-release-activated nonselective cation channels (ICRAN). Several lines of evidence indicate the importance of a nonselective cation channel, which is activated by depletion of internal Ca2+ stores, in the regulation of ß-cell electrical bursting. This current has been termed ICRAN (60, 100, 101) or ICRAC for Ca2+ release-activated currents (102, 103, 104, 105). The use of the term ICRAC in this context appears to be somewhat unfortunate and this channel, which has a conductance in the 2040 picosiemens (pS) range, should not be confused with the low-conductance Ca2+ release-activated Ca2+ channel, ICRAC, described previously (106, 107, 108).
Dukes et al. (60) have reviewed the evidence for the role of ICRAN in bursting. This model underscores the importance of Ca2+ mobilization from the endoplasmic reticulum through activation of the inositol triphosphate (IP3) receptor by IP3 which is generated by membrane depolarization. Emptying of internal Ca2+ stores signals ICRAN to open. Under physiological conditions Na+ is the primary current carrier; thus, as described above, the increased Na+ permeability depolarizes the ß-cell causing L-type Ca2+ channels to open, which provides Ca2+ to help refill internal calcium stores. Replenishment reduces the signal to and activity of ICRAN, allowing the cell to repolarize and continue cycling. Since the extent of repolarization will be determined by the K+ permeability and will determine whether bursting continues, this is one potential control point for KATP channels. Coupling the control of ICRAN to emptying of internal Ca2+ stores is able to explain the effects of compounds such as maitotoxin (109, 110, 111), which activates ICRAN, and thapsigargin, an inhibitor of the endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ pump [sarcoplasmic or endoplasmic reticulum Ca-ATPase (SERCA)] (112, 113), on ß-cell membrane potential and insulin release (105, 114, 115). How the filling level of the internal Ca2+ store is determined and the nature of the chemical signal that passes to ICRAN remains to be elucidated.
6. Potassium channels. In addition to KATP
channels, other K+ channels have been identified in
pancreatic ß-cells. This area has been reviewed recently by Dukes and
Philipson (87) and need not be repeated beyond indicating that delayed
rectifier channels (Kv1.x), Ca2+-activated K+
channels (maxi-K), an
-adrenoreceptor-activated K+
channel, and G protein-gated K+ channels
(KIR3.1, 3.2 and 3.4) have all been identified in ß-cells
either by electrical recording or molecular biological methods. The
Ca2+-activated K+ channel was proposed to play
a role in bursting, but inhibitors of this channel have little effect
on electrical activity.
What role do KATP channels play in bursting? There is general agreement that KATP channels are the predominant conductance in a ß-cell in low glucose, and that the initial depolarization, which starts a train of bursts, results from an increase in glucose metabolism, which reduces their activity. The action of sulfonylureas is readily understood within this context. Sulfonylureas close KATP channels, in effect mimicking the signal from glucose metabolism, thus depolarizing the ß-cell membrane. Titration of KATP channel activity with tolbutamide will lead to bursting at intermediate glucose concentrations (116, 117). The action of a KCO is also readily understood. The application of diazoxide inhibits insulin release by hyperpolarizing ß-cells by opening more KATP channels, thus shifting VM more toward EK. The question of how KATP channels participate in the actual dynamics of bursting is controversial. Using whole-cell recording, Smith et al. (118) were unable to see changes in conductance in KATP channels during bursting, indicating they are not involved in the dynamics of bursting. Larsson et al. (119) have reported the reverse: that the conductance of KATP channels oscillates during slow bursting in single mouse ß-cells and in small clusters of ß-cells. Rosario et al. (120) have demonstrated bursting in ß-cells, incubated with high extracellular Ca2+, when KATP channels were blocked by sulfonylureas. These results indicate KATP channels are not essential for bursting to proceed, but that residual channel activity may play a role in normal repolarization. Finally, if KATP channels are stimulated by diazoxide during an episode of bursting, the increase in K+ permeability hyperpolarizes the ß-cell membrane and thereby terminates bursting. These results have led to the idea that there are both KATP channel-dependent and independent mechanisms for controlling insulin secretion (see for example Refs. 121, 122, 123).
The physiological ligand(s) or mechanism(s) controlling
KATP channels remains somewhat controversial. In excised,
inside-out patches, the application of ATP results in channels closing
(Fig. 1
), which led to the early suggestion that changes in the
intracellular concentration of ATP might regulate ß-cell
KATP channels (30, 124). However, the IC50 for
inhibition of channel activity was determined to be in the 1050
µM range, well below the millimolar concentrations
estimated for intracellular ATP levels (125, 126, 127); when millimolar
concentrations of ATP were applied to the intracellular face of excised
patches, KATP channel activity was strongly inhibited.
Subsequent studies showed that MgADP could open KATP
channels inhibited by ATP, implying that the ADP/ATP ratio was the
important variable (43, 44, 128, 129, 130). As described below, studies on
channels reconstituted from a mutant SUR1 identified in a PHHI patient
and wild-type KIR6.2 are consistent with this idea and
suggest further that fluctuations in the intracellular ADP
concentration that occur as a result of glucose metabolism (126, 127, 131) are a critical regulator in ß-cells.
| IV. KATP Channel Subunits |
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1. Cloning of KIR6.x cDNAs. Using a fragment of KIR3.1 (GIRK1) cDNA as a probe, Inagaki et al. (144) cloned KIR6.1 (ruKATP-1) from a rat library. The tissue distribution of KIR6.1 was broad; hence the designation "u" KATP-1 for ubiquitous. Expression of KIR6.1 in HEK293 cells suggested it formed a K+ channel whose activity was blocked by 1 mM ATP, and activated by diazoxide, but was not inhibited by sulfonylureas. Subsequent expression of KIR6.1 in other cell types has failed to generate novel K+ channel activity with similar properties (145, 146), and it is unclear whether the original observation was due to coupling of KIR6.1 to an unidentified SUR-like protein in HEK293 cells (21), to mischaracterization of an endogenous channel, or to having a sufficiently high level of expression to overcome a KIR retention signal. This report further added to the confusion surrounding the cloning and identification of KATP channels since KIR1.1 (1), KIR3.4 (147), and KIR6.1 (144) were all reported initially to be ATP-sensitive potassium channels.
KIR6.1 was not detected in ß-cell lines, and Inagaki et al. (144) used the KIR6.1 cDNA to clone the cDNA for KIR6.2 (originally designated BIR for ß-cell inward rectifier). Subsequent work showed that KIR6.2 mRNA was relatively abundant in pancreatic islets and ß-cell lines and was expressed in brain, heart, and skeletal muscle (see Ref. 21 for a review). The KIR6.2 gene was found to contain no introns and is therefore relatively easy to obtain using the PCR.
KIR6.1 and KIR6.2 have significant blocks of
identical sequence. Seventy percent, 276 of the 390 residues in human
KIR6.2, are identical to those of KIR6.1 after
conservative alignment (Fig. 5
). We have
marked the proposed transmembrane helices and the P loop by comparison
with the KcsA structure and have marked the approximate positions of
the PHHI mutations described below. KIR6.1 has several
intriguing features, including a triple repeat at its C-terminal end,
S(M/I)RRNN.
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TC-6 pancreatic
-cell line (134, 156), heart (157, 158), and from
brain (148, 149, 159, 160). Some effort was made to solubilize and
purify these proteins, and Bernardi et al. (161) reported
the purification of a 150-kDa high-affinity sulfonylurea
receptor from brain.
A significant advance in the biochemistry of these receptors came with
the realization that [3H]glibenclamide could function as
a photoaffinity probe and would label a polypeptide with an apparent
molecular mass of 140 kDa in rat ß-cell tumor membranes (151). A
125I-labeled derivative of glibenclamide,
[125I]iodoglibenclamide (152) (Fig. 2
), identified a
similar protein in membranes isolated from HIT T15 cells and had the
advantage of higher specific activity, which made studies of the
receptor and its purification feasible. Nelson et al. (154)
investigated the photolabeling of membrane proteins by this reagent and
showed that the 140-kDa protein accounted for most of its high-affinity
binding activity, KD
5 nM, in HIT T15 cell
membranes. Rajan et al. (134) and Ronner et al.
(156) used [125I]iodoglibenclamide and
[3H]gli-benclamide, respectively, to identify the
high-affinity receptor in
TC-6 cells, a glucagon-secreting cell
line. Both groups characterized the sulfonylurea-sensitive
KATP channels in these cells by rubidium efflux and
single-channel recording and concluded they were equivalent to the
ß-cell channel.
Schwanstecher et al. (162) synthesized a 4-azidosalicyloyl
analog of glibenclamide, 125I-iodo-azidoglibenclamide (Fig. 2
), and demonstrated that this derivative would photolabel a 38- to
40-kDa protein in addition to SUR1 (163). Competition binding
experiments indicated that both the novel 38-to 40-kDa species and
SUR1 were labeled with 125I-iodo-azidoglibenclamide with
the same apparent KD. As described below, the 38- to 40-kDa
species is KIR6.2.
2. SUR1 is differentially glycosylated. Labeling of
TC-6
cells with [125I]iodoglibenclamide showed two labeled
species with estimated molecular masses of 140 kDa and 150170 kDa,
the latter being a diffuse band (134). The higher molecular mass
receptor accounted for approximately half of the high-affinity labeling
in
TC-6 cells. Competition binding studies demonstrated that the two
receptors had the same affinity for iodoglibenclamide, KD
3.5 nM. Rajan et al. (134) suggested the
150- to 170-kDa receptor resulted from differential glycosylation, but
at the time the possibility of an additional gene product could not be
eliminated. Nelson et al. (164) demonstrated that the 140
and 150- to 170-kDa receptors were present in several other cell types.
In RINm5F and
TC-6 cells the two glycosylated species are present in
about equal amounts, while in HIT cells the predominant species was the
140-kDa receptor, with the 150- to 170-kDa species accounting for less
than 10% of the high-affinity binding activity. Ozanne et
al. (165) used [3H]glibenclamide to label receptors
in rat pancreatic islets, insulinomas, and CRI-G1 cells and were able
to identify both forms of the receptor. The 150- to 170-kDa species was
the major form in islets and insulinomas, while the 140-kDa species was
predominant in CRI-G1 cells.
Biochemical studies indicate the mass difference between the two forms of the receptor is the result of differential glycosylation (164). Photolabeling of membranes isolated from RINm5F cells grown in tunicamycin, which blocks N-linked glycosylation, produced a single photolabeled band with an estimated mass of 137 kDa, distinct from the 140-kDa species. A 137-kDa species was also generated by digestion with endoglycosidases. The 140 and 150- to 170-kDa receptors could be separated using concanavalin A and wheat germ agglutinin, the 140 kDa receptors binding to concanavalin A-agarose, while the 150- to 170-kDa receptors bound to wheat germ agglutinin-agarose. The results indicate that the 140-kDa receptors are "core" glycosylated with mannose-containing glycosyl groups that bind to concanavalin A, while the 150- to 170-kDa receptors are "complex" glycosylated with terminal sialic acid residues that bind to wheat germ agglutinin (164). Since core glycosylation takes place in the endoplasmic reticulum after protein synthesis, while trimming of the mannose chains and addition of sialic acid groups takes place in the medial Golgi, the data indicate that the 150- to 170-kDa species is the "mature" form of the receptor and is either in, or in transit to, the plasma membrane. This is consistent with the results of Ozanne et al. (165) showing that the "immature" 140-kDa receptors in insulinomas were found in internal membranes, whereas the 150- to 170-kDa receptors were in granules and plasma membranes. The results raise questions about how glycosylation of SUR1 is regulated, whether the core glycosylated receptors on internal membranes might have a function apart from KATP channels, and whether the subunits can traffic independently to the plasma membrane. For example, Eliasson et al. (166) have suggested that sulfonylureas can stimulate insulin secretion independently of their blockage of KATP channels, perhaps acting through SUR1 in granule membranes.
The available sequence and site-directed mutagenesis has confirmed
there are two N-glycosylation sites in SUR1 at residues 10 and 1050.
The N10Q or N1050Q mutations partially eliminate glycosylation, while
the double mutant is not glycosylated. All three of the glycosylation
mutants generate channels when expressed with KIR6.2,
although the number of channels, estimated by
86Rb+ efflux, is reduced (J. P. Clement
IV and J. Bryan, unpublished data). Interestingly, the glycosylation
patterns of SUR1 appear to differ between endocrine and neuronal
tissues as well as
- and ß-cell lines (164). The SUR1 in brain,
for example, appears to be only the highly glycosylated form (162).
3. Linking the sulfonylurea receptor with KATP channel activity. The link between sulfonylurea receptors and KATP channels was the subject of some early controversy. The simple view that receptor and channel might be a single entity (167) was questioned by Khan et al. (168), who reported the dissociation of KATP channel activity and sulfonylurea receptors in a rat insulin-secreting clonal cell line, CRI-D11. Aguilar-Bryan et al. (169) produced evidence that receptor and channel activity were lost in parallel during serial passage of HIT cells at approximately the same passage number at which glucose sensitivity for insulin release was lost (170). These studies have not been reexamined using the molecular probes now available, and it is unclear, for example, whether the CRI-D11 cells actually have active KIR6.2 channels, without receptors, or whether high passage HIT cells have lost KIR6.2 in addition to SUR1.
4. Receptor purification. Hamster SUR1, prelabeled with [125I]iodoglibenclamide, was purified from HIT cell membranes using chromatographic and electrophoretic methods (22, 164). The general strategy was to prelabel the receptor with [125I]glibenclamide, then purify the iodinated protein. The end point was obtaining sufficient pure receptor for N-terminal peptide sequencing. The purification has been described in detail (164, 171) and will not be discussed further. The availability of cloned cDNAs has allowed introduction of specific markers, for example hexa-histidine tags, to facilitate purification of expressed recombinant receptors (146, 172) and KIR6.x subunits.
5. Cloning strategy. The N-terminal protein sequence was used to design oligonucleotide primers for amplification of a small segment of the SUR1 cDNA by the PCR (22, 164). The resulting cDNA fragment was used to screen hamster, rat, mouse, and human pancreatic cDNA libraries to obtain full-length clones that encode homologous proteins with molecular masses of approximately 176 kDa (1582 amino acids for the rodent receptors and 1581 or 1582 amino acids for the human receptor). The cDNA and gene sequences for SUR1 and SUR2 are readily available through the National Library of Medicine (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Web/Search/index.html).
6. SUR1 is a member of the ATP-binding cassette superfamily.
The rodent and human SUR1 sequences are quite similar with absolute
identities of >90%. Blast searches (173) of the Genbank database show
similarities between SURs and a large number of ABC proteins
including multidrug resistance proteins (174), multidrug
resistance associated proteins (MRPs) (175), CFTRs (176), canalicular
multispecific organic anion transporter (177, 178), and the
cadmium-binding protein YCF1 (179). Dendrograms and the overall
topology of SURs indicate they can be placed within the MRP subfamily
of ABC proteins (180) with two potential nucleotide-binding folds
(NBFs), multiple TMDs, and a very hydrophobic segment at their N
termini. The greatest sequence similarities are in the NBFs that have
the Walker A (-GlyXXGlyXGlyLysSer/Thr-, where X is any amino acid) and
B (-YYYYAsp-, where Y is a hydrophobic amino acid) consensus motifs
(181) and a conserved -LeuSerGlyGlyGln- sequence in the segment linking
the two Walker motifs. NBF1 matches this motif exactly, while NBF2 has
a somewhat degenerate sequence, -PheSerGlnGlyGln- (SUR1),
-PheSerValGlyGln- (SUR2). Manavalan et al. (182) have noted
the similarity of the NBF sequence between CFTR and G proteins. X-ray
crystal structures for the three major classes of GTPases, the small
p21ras-like proteins, the heterotrimeric G proteins, and
EF-Tu, indicate that the Walker A motif interacts with Mg2+
and with the oxygen atoms of the
- and ß- phosphates (see Ref. 183
for a review). The Gln in the -LeuSerGlyGlyGln- linker sequence has
been proposed to act as a general base during nucleotide hydrolysis,
but this has been difficult to establish (184). The lack of a structure
for the NBFs of the ABC cassette proteins has hindered progress. The
recent preliminary report on the determination of the structure of an
NBF from the ribose transporter by Armstrong et al. (185)
should allow major advances in this area. A major question with regard
to the sulfonylurea receptors is whether they can
hydrolyze ATP, and, if so, how this hydrolysis is coupled to the
regulation of channel activity. The purification and ATPase activity of
the closely related MRP1 protein have been described (186).
Interestingly, the ATPase activity of this ABC protein is stimulated
several fold by low concentrations of nucleoside diphosphates (187).
7. Proposed membrane topology for SUR1. Aguilar-Bryan et al. (22) predicted a topology for SUR1 based on plots of hydrophobicity and hydrophobic moments using the analysis of Eisenberg and colleagues (188). The constraints on the proposed topology were that the N terminus, glycosylated at N10 (22), was extracellular and the two NBFs were intracellular. The resulting model consisted of nine TMDs followed by a nucleotide-binding fold, NBF1, a second transmembrane region with four spanning helices followed by a second nucleotide-binding fold, NBF2 (i.e., 9 TMDNBF14 TMDNBF2). This topology resembled the model originally put forward for MRP1 (175). Tusnády et al. (180) have revised the model of the MRP subfamily using multisequence alignments of recently cloned ABC proteins. Their model, 11 TMDNBF16 TMDNBF2, emphasizes the existence within the MRP subfamily proteins of an multidrug resistance protein-like core consisting of 6 TMDNBF16 TMDNBF2. This core is preceded, in the MRP subfamily, by a highly hydrophobic N-terminal extension with 5 or more TMDs. Work is needed to establish the topology experimentally and to determine what function the additional TMDs might have. We have discussed the topology of the receptors in more detail elsewhere (19).
8. Expression of SUR1 cDNAs. Transfection of SUR1 cDNAs into COSm6 cells lacking endogenous sulfonylurea receptors led to the expression of proteins that could be photolabeled with [125I]glibenclamide and had an apparent mobility on SDS polyacrylamide gels equivalent to the native receptor (22). The discrepancy in mass between 176 kDa predicted from the cDNA sequence and 140 kDa estimated by gel electrophoresis is artifactual. Purification of receptors tagged with hexa-histidine at either the N- or C termini yield the same size protein. Membranes isolated from COS cells expressing the recombinant hamster and rat receptors contained high-affinity [125I]glibenclamide-binding activity with KDs of 10 and 2 nM, respectively (22). These values were in good agreement with a value of 5 nM determined for the native hamster receptor in isolated HIT cell membranes (19, 154, 169). Efforts to show that COS cells expressing SUR1 alone had novel K+ channel activity were unsuccessful, suggesting other components were required to form a KATP channel. A puzzling result, from these early studies, was that only the 140-kDa core glycosylated protein was expressed, while the 150- to 170-kDa receptors were not detected.
| V. Reconstitution of KATP Channel Activity from SUR1 and KIR6.2 |
|---|
|
|
|---|
|
A. The question of "promiscuous coupling" of SUR1 with other
inward rectifiers
The full range of inward rectifiers that SUR1 will partner with
has not been established. Ämmälä et al.
(202) showed that KIR6.1 and SUR1 would form
KATP channels, but these were not characterized. These
authors also argued for greater promiscuity and pairing of the receptor
with KIR1.1 (ROMK1) and KIR3.4
(rcKATP-1/CIR/GIRK4). Clement et al. (146) have confirmed
that KIR6.1 and SUR1 produce metabolically activated
KATP channels, while coexpressing SUR1, and
KIR1.1 (ROMK1) or KIR3.4 (CIR, rcKATP) failed
to show association or KATP channel activity. Using
Xenopus oocytes, Gribble et al. (145) were unable
to reproduce the original observations on coupling of SUR1 to ROMK1 and
showed that KIR2.1 also failed to couple to SUR1. We infer
that, although all the potential inward rectifier candidate subunits
have not been screened, the degree of promiscuity involved in
KATP channel formation will not be large. Wellman et
al. (203) have reached a similar conclusion using coronary
arterial myocytes. Interestingly, the reports on the
SUR1/KIR6.1 channel have all been with intact cells, since
observations on excised patches have been hampered by rapid channel
rundown (145).
| VI. KATP Channel Structure |
|---|
|
|
|---|
A. KIR6.2 forms the pore of a KATP channel
An early question was which subunit formed the pore or permeation
pathway of the channel and whether a part of SUR was involved. Two
lines of evidence have been developed that show that KIR6.2
subunits are sufficient to form the permeation pathway. Clement
et al. (146) and Shyng et al. (204) showed that
substitution of an aspartate for the asparagine at position 160, N160D,
produced strongly rectifying channels; whereas asparagine, in the
wild-type channel produced weaker rectification. The result did not
eliminate the possibility that SUR1 could contribute directly to the
permeation pathway, but did indicate that the M2 segments of
KIR6.2, like those of other inward rectifiers, were part of
the permeation pathway. The discovery that truncated KIR6.2
subunits, missing 1635 amino acids from their C-terminal ends, can
assemble a K+ channel provided a direct demonstration that
SUR1 was not required to form the pore (51). These findings suggested
that the underlying architecture of the pore of KATP
channels would resemble that of the other members of the
KIR channel family.
B. SUR1 and KIR6.x are physically associated
The requirement for coexpression of both SUR and KIR
to make an ATP-sensitive K+ channel implied these subunits
were associated, but other alternatives were possible. Al-Awqati
(205), for example, proposed that SUR might regulate a physically
separate potassium channel by releasing ATP, as CFTR has been proposed
to regulate the outwardly rectifying chloride channel (206, 207). The first direct evidence that SUR1 was associated with a second
subunit came from the work of Schwanstecher, Panten, and
colleagues (162, 163) as mentioned above. These authors developed
an azido derivative of glibenclamide,
[125I]azidoglibenclamide (Fig. 2
), and demonstrated that
in addition to labeling SUR1 in brain membranes, an additional 38-kDa
protein displayed high-affinity labeling. The identification of the
38-kDa component as KIR6.2 became clear from
[125I]azidoglibenclamide labeling studies on COS cells
expressing the cloned subunits (146). In these experiments SUR1
photolabeled independently of KIR6.2, but
KIR6.2 did not bind glibenclamide directly and was only
labeled when coexpressed with SUR1. These findings implied that
125I-iodo-azidoglibenclamide was bound to SUR1 and that
KIR6.2 must be in close proximity, since the lifetime of
the photo-activated species is brief.
C. Coexpression with KIR6.2 affects the maturation of
SUR1
The finding that coexpression of SUR1 and KIR6.2
affected the maturation or glycosylation state of the receptor provided
additional support for subunit association, provided a means to
demonstrate complex formation directly, and was the first indication
that SUR-KIR assembly was needed for SUR to traffick to the
plasma membrane. Expression of SUR1 alone generated the immature
140-kDa core glycosylated receptor, while coexpression with
KIR6.2 also generated mature complex glycosylated receptors
(146). Chromatography on wheat germ agglutinin was used to show that
KIR6.2 was preferentially associated with mature SUR1 and
was assembled into a stable multimer that could be isolated after
solubilization in digitonin (146). These findings suggested a plausible
assembly pathway in which the immature receptor associates with
KIR6.2 in the endoplasmic reticulum and maturation to the
complex glycosylated form occurs in the medial Golgi as the assembled
channel moves to the plasma membrane. These results agree with the
observations of Ozanne et al. (165) that the 150-kDa species
of SUR1 is in plasma membranes. It was not clear whether
KIR6.2 could traffic independently to the plasma membrane,
but the result indicated SUR1 did not move efficiently through the
medial Golgi in the absence of KIR. The later observation
that C-terminally truncated KIR6.2 subunits could generate
K+ channels raised the question of whether KIR
subunits could traffic independently to the plasma membrane (51).
D. Complex glycosylated SUR1 and KIR6.2 assemble a
large multimer
The finding that maturation of SUR1 was coupled with expression of
KIR6.2 and that these subunits assembled a stable complex
argued that the multimer might be the channel itself. The mass of the
stable multimer, estimated by sucrose gradient sedimentation, was
approximately 950 kDa, consistent with a large channel composed of four
complex glycosylated SUR1 subunits plus four KIR6.2
subunits (an expected protein mass of
885 kDa = 4 x
176 kDa + 4 x 45 kDa, plus an unspecified carbohydrate mass)
(146).
E. A 1:1 stoichiometry of SUR to KIR is both necessary
and sufficient to make KATP channels
The simplest model for the assembly of SUR1 with
KIR6.2 was a 1:1 association. Therefore, cDNAs encoding
fusion proteins with defined stoichiometries were engineered to
determine whether a 1:1 SUR/KIR stoichiometry was both
sufficient and necessary for the formation of functional
KATP channels (146). Expression of
SUR1
KIR6.2, a fusion of the N terminus of
KIR6.2 with the C terminus of SUR1 through a 6-glycine
linker produced potassium-selective channels that were activated by
metabolic poisoning and inhibited by sulfonylureas.
Single-channel recording showed that the SUR1
KIR6.2
channels were weak inward rectifiers, which had the same conductance as
unfused channels, although the sensitivity to both ATP and
glibenclamide were reduced. Sucrose gradient analysis showed that
SUR1
KIR6.2, like the wild-type subunits, produced a
950-kDa multimer. The results showed that a 1:1 stoichiometry was
sufficient for formation of KATP channels.
Expression of a "triple" fusion construct,
SUR1
(KIR6.2)2, with a defined 1:2
stoichiometry, did not generate ATP-sensitive potassium currents.
However, the triple fusion could be rescued by coexpression with
monomeric SUR1, implying that the additional receptor(s) reestablished
the required 1:1 stoichiometry. The SUR1 +
SUR1
(KIR6.2)2 channels had the same
conductance properties as unfused channels, but were less sensitive to
both ATP and sulfonylureas. The results showed that a 1:1
stoichiometry was necessary for assembly of KATP channels
and, together with the mass estimates, argued for a tetrameric
organization similar to other members of the KIR channel
family.
F. Other KIR channels are tetramers
Several reports (208, 209) indicate that the KIR
channels, like the KV channels (138, 139, 210, 211, 212), are
tetrameric. Glowatzki et al. (208) coexpressed weak
(KIR1.1, ROMK1) and strong (KIR4.1, BIR10)
inward rectifiers and observed intermediate rectification properties
expected from the assembly of heterologous channels. The differential
sensitivity of these channels to voltage-dependent block by spermine
was used to study the distribution of channel types assembled in
cotransfected cells. Five types were identified that approximated the
binomial distribution expected for a pore composed of four subunits.
The polyamine binding site, in the pore, is therefore assumed to be
assembled from amino acids contributed by four M2 segments. Yang
et al. (209) studied the subunit stoichiometry of the
strongly rectifying KIR2.1 channel (IRK1) by fusing
subunits to form multimers, a strategy that had been used earlier by
Liman et al. (211) on KV1.1 (RCK1) channels. The
trimeric and tetrameric constructs, (KIR2.1)3
and (KIR2.1)4, both produced channels.
Coexpression of the strongly rectifying wild-type trimers with a weakly
rectifying mutant monomer produced a heterologous channel with
intermediate rectification and weaker affinity for spermidine, while
coexpression of the mutant monomer with the wild-type tetramer did not
affect rectification or polyamine binding. The results were consistent
with a tetrameric channel.
G. The stoichiometry of active ß-cell KATP channels
is (SUR1/KIR6.2)4
A strategy based on the formation of heterologous channels was
used to show that functional KATP channels are tetramers
(146). cDNAs were engineered to express triple-fusion proteins,
SUR1
(KIR6.2)2 and
SUR1
(KIR6.2N160D)2, which
generated moderate or strongly rectifying channels, respectively, when
rescued by SUR1 monomers. When these constructs were coexpressed, three
classes of channels could be identified: the parental weak and strong
rectifiers plus a third species with intermediate rectification. The
presence of a species with intermediate rectification implies the pore
is constructed from two triple-fusion proteins, one with wild-type
KIR6.2, the other with KIR6.2N160D.
Shyng and Nichols (213) used SUR1
KIR6.2 constructs
engineered with and without the N160D mutation to reach the same
conclusion, and similar results with triple-fusion constructs
were obtained by Inagaki et al. (214).
Clement et al. (146) specifically proposed that active
channels are composed of four complex glycosylated receptors
interacting with four KIR6.x subunits, which form the
K+ selective pore (SUR1/KIR6.2)4.
The observation that the fusion channels were active suggested that the
N terminus of KIR6.2 may be near the C terminus of SUR1 in
the ß-cell channel, where it may serve a role in the transduction of
nucleotide-induced conformational changes from the receptor to the
pore. This model, illustrated in Fig. 6
, further suggests the possibility of extensive cooperative interactions
between the eight nucleotide-binding domains, four
sulfonylurea-binding sites, and four potassium channel
opener (diazoxide)-binding sites.
|
| VII. Regulation of KATP Channel Activity |
|---|
|
|
|---|
1. Refreshment. When a patch containing KATP channels is excised into an ATP-free solution, channels open, as was first described by Noma for cardiac myocytes (31) and by Cook and Hales (30) and Trube and Hescheler (32) for pancreatic ß-cells. These channels lose their activity or "rundown" as a function of time. Activity can be restored, or "refreshed," by brief application of MgATP at millimolar concentrations. Refreshment can be thought of as switching the channel from a nonoperational to an operational state. The transition to an operational state requires hydrolysable nucleotides and is not supported by nonhydrolysable ATP analogs or by hydrolysable nucleotides in the absence of Mg2+ or Mn2+. Several possible explanations have been put forward to explain the biochemical basis for this switching, including phosphorylation/dephosphorylation reactions (see Refs. 218, 219 but also Refs. 220, 221, 222, 223 for another view), uncoupling of KATP channels from the actin cytoskeleton (223), and hydrolysis of anionic phospholipids, which are proposed to stabilize the channel in the operational state (224, 225). It is unclear whether one or all of these mechanisms is a critical factor in rundown and refreshment of channels in excised patches. Perhaps more importantly, it is not certain whether there is a physiological analog of rundown in intact cells where the level of MgATP is in the millimolar range. One could propose a coupling between metabolism and, for example, a phosphorylation/dephosphorylation cycle that controls KATP channel openings. This idea has been explored by Ribalet et al. (226) but has not received general support.
2. Inhibition. The application of ATP, with or without Mg2+, to the intracellular face of an excised patch inhibits KATP channels. The IC50 or Ki values for this inhibition are quite low, estimated at 5 to 10 µM for the pancreatic ß-cell channel and for reconstituted SUR1/KIR6.2 channels (26), and in the range of 8 to >500 µM for the native cardiac channel and from approximately 20 (28) to 100 µM or more (23, 29) for reconstituted SUR2A/KIR6.2 channels. These values predict approximately 99% inhibition of the ß-cell channel, assuming a cytosolic [ATP]i level near 1 mM. This exquisite sensitivity to ATP has been a source of confusion when coupled with the idea that ATP is the regulator of channel activity. It is worth noting that several studies have suggested, and continue to suggest, that fluctuations in [ATP]i regulate KATP channels either through large changes in the concentration of ATP (40) or through compartmentalization models that propose significant local changes in [ATP] (see for example Ref. 227).
Various mechanisms have been proposed to explain the discrepancy and render KATP channels less sensitive to ATP. For example, the inhibitory effect of MgATP has been reported to be weaker than ATP4-, for the ß-cell channel, although Findlay (41) has reported the reverse for the cardiac channel. An early proposal by Ashcroft and Kakei (40), therefore, suggested the idea that a significant fraction of the total ATP would be complexed with Mg2+ at the intracellular free Mg2+ concentration (0.51 mM) (see Refs. 228, 229 for reviews); therefore, the concentration of ATP4- would be closer to the IC50 determined for KATP channels, thus allowing variations in ATP to regulate channel activity directly. Our own studies on the Mg2+ dependence of the ATP inhibition of KATP channel activity have failed to show significant effects. In a different vein, Cook et al. (230) pointed out, in their spare-channel hypothesis, that the high sensitivity of KATP channels to ATP is required to inhibit the large number of channels (assumed in the model to be 10,000 per ß-cell). Thus while approximately 99% of the channels were inhibited, the remaining channels were sufficient to maintain the resting membrane potential in ß-cells, which are small and have a high membrane impedance. According to the spare-channel hypothesis, the exquisite sensitivity of the ß-cell KATP channel to ATP is a necessity rather than a problem.
Studies on cells expressing a mutant of SUR1, identified in a patient
with familial hyperinsulinism, argue against ATP as the physiological
regulator of KATP channels. This mutation, a
gly
arg at position 1479 in NBF2 (189),
uncouples the inhibition of KATP channels by ATP from their
activation by MgADP and thus provides a tool to distinguish between
regulation by changes in ATP vs. ADP. Coexpression of
SUR1G1479R with wild-type KIR6.2 produces
K+ channels that are inhibited by ATP4-, or
MgATP, in excised patches with nearly the same IC50 as
native or wild-type reconstituted channels, but are not activated by
MgADP (189). The SUR1G1479R/KIR6.2 channels are
not activated by metabolic inhibition in which [ATP]i is
reduced and [ADP]i increases, conditions that strongly
activate wild-type channels. Inhibition by 2-deoxyglucose and
oligomycin in the absence of glucose cannot lower the
[ATP]i sufficiently to activate these KATP
channels with an altered response to MgADP. Similarly, in PHHI
ß-cells the G1479R channels are blocked by ATP and apparently fail to
respond to fluctuations in ADP. The result implies that fluctuations of
[ATP]i alone are not sufficient to trigger insulin
secretion in these patients and indicate ADP is a critical factor.
3. Stimulation. While ATP inhibits channel activity, the application of MgADP was shown to stimulate channel openings in the absence of added ATP and could activate channels inhibited by ATP (43, 44). The presence of Mg2+ is critical: ADP and other nucleoside diphosphates, in the absence of Mg2+, inhibit KATP channel activity. These observations, on excised patches, led to the idea that the ADP/ATP ratio was critical for regulation of KATP channel activity (43, 44). In ß-cells, for example, increased glucose metabolism was proposed to reduce [ADP]i and increase [ATP]i (see, for example, Ref. 216 for a recent review). The expectation was that the decrease in [ADP]i would reduce channel activity (and any increase in [ATP]i would do the same) and thus lead to membrane depolarization, activation of voltage-gated Ca2+ channels, increased [Ca2+]i, and initiation of the exocytosis of insulin. These studies pointed to the importance of ADP as a potential regulator of KATP channels in ß-cells, while similar studies have shown the importance of ADP for regulation of cardiac KATP channels (231, 232).
What is the evidence that the ADP/ATP ratio changes? Direct measurements of the ADP/ATP ratio under different metabolic conditions are difficult to make, but several reports in ß-cells (126, 127, 216, 233) and cardiomyocytes (234) are in accord with this general model. The specific experiments support the idea that [ATP]i increases, while [ADP]i is reduced during periods of increased glucose metabolism. The magnitude of the measured increase in the ATP/ADP ratio depends on the method of assay. Ghosh et al. (126) reported an increase, measured by microchemical methods, but questioned its statistical significance. Detimary et al. (235) used cultured islets to show that degranulation of ß-cells, by preincubation in glucose, reduced the level of a nucleotide compartment, presumably insulin granules, with an ATP/ADP ratio near 1. Cultured islets showed an increase in the ATP/ADP ratio of 2.4 to >8 when incubated with 2 and 20 mM glucose, respectively. Detimary et al. (127) also developed a lysed cell protocol, which distinguished a diffusible cytosolic pool of nucleotides from a nondiffusible pool located within the insulin-containing granules. Incubation of islets in 20 mM glucose did not affect the nondiffusible pool but caused a change in the ATP/ADP ratio from 3.8 to 12.1, over a range of 220 mM glucose, in the diffusible pool. Matschinsky and colleagues used 31P-nuclear magnetic resonance techniques on ßTC3 and ßHC9 ß-cell lines and estimated that the concentration of free ADP dropped from approximately 35 µM to 20 µM when cells were perfused with a high concentration, 25 mM, of glucose (216).
Cook and colleagues (128) developed a semiquantitative model to explain the regulation of KATP channel activity in ß-cells. In their model, KATP channels were tonically inhibited by [ATP]i at concentrations estimated to be in the millimolar range, well above the values (10 µM) required to half-maximally inhibit activity of the ß-cell channel. In resting or fasting ß-cells in a low glucose milieu, inhibition by ATP is relieved by elevated MgADP, which opens a small, but sufficient, number of KATP channels to hold VM near -60 mV, below the threshold for activation of voltage-gated Ca2+ channels. Increased glucose metabolism causes [ADP]i to fall; thus KATP channels close and VM shifts to more positive values, which triggers insulin release through activation of Ca2+ channels. Cooperativity built into the model increases the steepness of the response curve, thus reducing the magnitude of the change in [ADP]i required for regulation. This model relies heavily on the spare channel hypothesis (230) and the idea that maintaining the resting membrane potential of a ß-cell requires openings of only a small number of K+ channels.
The general wisdom is that ß-cells have several thousand KATP channels, but the evidence in support of this figure is somewhat difficult to track down. Rorsman and Trube (124) estimated an average of 500 channels per mouse ß-cell from whole-cell recordings during dialysis with ATP-free solution. Ohno-Shosaku et al. (236) estimated the channel density at 1.5 per µm2 and calculated an average of 750 channels per ß-cell based on a spherical cell of 13 µm diameter. Misler et al. (44) reported a greater density, 8 channels per µm2, although it is not clear whether this was an average value. The number of sulfonylurea receptors in RINm5f cells was estimated from [3H]glibenclamide binding studies at approximately 5120 ± 500 per ß-cell (237). This would yield a maximum of about 1250 KATP channels per ß-cell, assuming all the receptors are assembled as tetramers and are surface accessible.
It is interesting to note that, during the nearly 20 yr
KATP channels have been studied, there are numerous
published examples of ATP inhibition curves, but the number of studies
aimed at providing a quantitative basis for understanding stimulation
by MgADP are remarkably few. It is essentially impossible to draw
quantitative conclusions about this model, although it appears
qualitatively correct. The experiments with the SUR1G1479R
channels, for example, provide strong support, and other SUR1 mutations
produce a similar phenotype. Mutations in the conserved
lysine residues in the Walker A motifs in both NBFs of SUR1
have been made (lys719
ala and
lys1384
met) and shown to result in
loss of activation by ADP (190, 238) while maintaining sensitivity to
ATP. It seems reasonable to conclude that, in the ß-cell, ATP acts on
KATP channels to maintain an operational state,
i.e., minimize "rundown," and to inhibit channel
activity, while fluctuations in ADP regulate opening of the channel
when the rate of glucose metabolism changes. What is needed to validate
this model for the ß-cell is quantitative data on the actual
physiological variation in [ADP]i with glucose metabolism
and data indicating that ß-cell KATP channels respond to
variations in the ADP/ATP ratio within this physiological range.
A. How do ATP and ADP exert their effects on KATP
channels?
It is not understood, at the molecular level, how ATP and ADP
exert their effects on KATP channels. Several factors need
to be investigated and integrated into a coherent regulatory scheme,
including the number and location of the nucleotide binding sites, a
determination of whether sulfonylurea receptors, like
other members of the ABC superfamily, have ATPase activity and, if so,
how hydrolysis is involved in gating of these channels. It will be
necessary to understand how potassium channel openers exert their
effects and what relationship their action has to activation of
KATP channels by MgADP.
B. Where are the nucleotide-binding sites located?
1. SUR binds ATP. Amino acid sequence similarities placed the
sulfonylurea receptors in the ATP-binding cassette
superfamily and predicted that SURs have two NBFs, while
KIR6.1 and KIR6.2 were members of the inwardly
rectifying K+ channel family with no obvious
nucleotide-binding motif. Thus family lineage, plus the observation
that the SUR2A/KIR6.2 channels displayed a somewhat higher
IC50 for ATP inhibition (23) than the
SUR1/KIR6.2 channels, suggested the receptor was the
nucleotide sensor. As described below, the situation has become more
complicated.
Ueda et al. (239) have shown that [32P] 8-azido ATP can be used to photolabel SUR1. Based on the pattern of labeling of receptors with mutations in the conserved Walker A motifs of NBF1 and NBF2, high- and low- affinity ATP-binding sites were distinguished, and NBF1 was identified as the high-affinity site. MgADP reduced labeling and was proposed to antagonize binding of ATP at NBF1 by its interaction with NBF2. Ueda et al. (239) further suggested that incubation of SUR1 with 8-azido ATP at 37 C induced a conformational change that made nucleotide binding tighter and more stable. The results demonstrate SUR1 can bind ATP as anticipated and appeared to identify a stable, long-lived ATP-liganded state of SUR1 with no apparent relationship to inhibition of KATP channels.
Figure 7
illustrates several properties
of the photolabeling of SUR1 with [32P] 8-azido ATP and
competition with unlabeled 8-azido ATP and ATP. Qualitatively similar
results were obtained with ATP4-, ADP3-,
MgATP, MgADP, and several nonhydrolysable analogs. It is difficult to
interpret the results of the experiments done in the presence of
Mg2+ since these membrane preparations contain adenylate
kinase, which readily converts ADP to ATP plus AMP. In addition, it is
uncertain whether SURs have an intrinsic ATPase activity; thus we
have not tried to determine an apparent IC50 for
nucleotides in the presence of divalent cations. The estimated
IC50 for 8-azido ATP4- is approximately 1
µM and approximately 1015 µM for
ATP4-, in general agreement with the data of Ueda et
al. (239). Interestingly, this is the range where
ATP4- half-maximally inhibits KATP channels
(Fig. 1
for example) and would be consistent with binding of
ATP4- to SUR1, serving to inhibit channel activity. On the
other hand, we estimate the off rate for 8-azido ATP bound to SUR1 to
be approximately 10 min at 25 C (Fig. 7
), several orders of magnitude
slower than would be expected from patch-clamp experiments. Thus, while
the affinity of SUR1 for ATP4- appears to be consistent
with that observed for inhibition of KATP channels, the
kinetics of dissociation are markedly slower than expected.
|
- and ß-phosphates has no effect on the
ATP sensitivity of reconstituted channels (190), although Ueda et
al. (239) show that SUR1K719R does not photolabel with
[32P] 8-azido ATP. These results imply there is another
site(s) for binding of inhibitory ATP to KATP channels.
2. ATP can interact directly with KIR6.2. Tucker
et al. (51) have shown that expression of C-terminally
truncated KIR6.2 subunits generated K+ channels
that were inhibited by ATP. Since these truncated subunits were not
associated with SUR (see Fig. 6
), the result indicated nucleotides
could interact directly with a "primary" inhibitory ATP-binding
site on KIR6.2. Removal of 18, 26, and 36 (
C18,
C26,
and
C36, respectively) amino acids from the C terminus of
KIR6.2 produced K+ channels, while
C41
showed no activity. The
C26 and
C36 channels were the most active
and had conductance properties similar to the SUR/KIR6.2
channels. The truncated channels showed rundown and refreshment as
described above, but were not activated by MgADP or potassium channel
openers such as diazoxide and were not inhibited by
sulfonylureas. Thus, these regulatory functions were
presumed to require SUR, and coexpression of KIR6.2
C
subunits with SUR1 restored these properties. The
IC50 values for inhibition of the
KIR6.2
C channels by ATP4- were 100200
µM with no significant Mg2+ dependence. These
values were 20- to 40-fold higher than for the SUR1/KIR6.2
channels. Coexpression of SUR1 with KIR6.2
C26 reduced
the IC50 for ATP inhibition, leading to the idea that SUR1
could "enhance" the inhibitory effect of ATP. The nature of the
ATP-binding site was not clear, although the authors put forward a
simple charge argument and showed that substitution of
glutamine for lysine 185 markedly reduced the
sensitivity to ATP (IC50 > 1 mM). An extensive
series of site-directed mutations did not define a binding site but did
indicate that substitution at positions near the mouth of the pore and
in the N terminus would also reduce the sensitivity to ATP. The
interpretation of the site-directed mutation experiments has been
confounded by the realization that a given substitution can alter both
the apparent affinity for ATP and the open channel probability, making
it difficult to determine whether a particular residue is part of a
binding site or part of a link between a binding site and the channel
gate. The results with C-terminally truncated channels are important
and provide direct evidence that KIR6.2 forms the
KATP channel pore and that ATP can directly affect its
activity.
Shyng et al. (238) have proposed a model in which SUR1 acts to "sensitize" the KIR6.2 channel to inhibition by ATP, a process akin to the enhancement described by Tucker et al. (51). Shyng et al. (238) propose that SUR1 can be switched into a state, designated the "off" state, which cannot sensitize KIR6.2. ATP hydrolysis, at one or both NBFs, switches SUR to the off state, thus blocking sensitization, while MgADP and potassium channel openers, like diazoxide, are argued to stabilize the off state and block sensitization. Mutations in the NBFs that prevent or slow hydrolysis are expected to reduce entry into the off state, thus maintaining these channels in a sensitized state. Although other interpretations are possible, in the simplest incarnation of this model, the function of SUR1 is to control the affinity of the primary inhibitory ATP-binding site on KIR6.2, with higher affinity for ATP equating to a reduced open probability, Po, of a single channel.
C. C-terminally truncated KIR6.2 channels show
abnormal kinetics
While the single-channel conductance of the homomeric
KIR6.2
C channels was equivalent to that of the
SUR/KIR6.2 channels, analysis of their single-channel
kinetics revealed substantial differences in basic gating properties
(240). As shown in Fig. 1
, SUR1/KIR6.2 channels exhibit
bursting behavior with a burst consisting of a number of fast openings
defined by brief closures. Bursting in the KIR6.2
C
channels is markedly attenuated with less than two openings in an
average burst (see Fig. 8
). The average
lifetime of these fast openings is also reduced by about 3-fold. The
KIR6.2
C channels spend most of their time in long
closed states analogous to the interburst intervals seen in
SUR1/KIR6.2 channels. The result is a marked decrease in
the maximal open probability. Under equivalent conditions, we estimate
the maximal Po of the KIR6.2
C channels to be 0.09
vs. 0.69 for SUR1/KIR6.2 channels.
|
C subunits with SUR
restores normal KATP channel activity
C channels has provided
data on the properties of the pore in the absence of SUR, they have
also underscored exactly how dependent the properties of normal
KATP channels are on the interactions between both
subunits. It is clear that coexpression of KIR6.2
C
subunits with SUR1 restores sensitivity to sulfonylureas,
potassium channel openers, and stimulation by nucleoside diphosphates
(51). In addition, coexpression nearly restores the normal bursting
pattern giving a maximal Po of 0.49 for the SUR1/KIR6.2
C
channels (240). Finally, coexpression reduces the sensitivity to
inhibition by ATP, suggesting that SUR may increase the affinity of
KIR6.2 for ATP, either by an allosteric mechanism or by
formation of a shared binding site. A comparison of single-channel
records from KIR6.2
C and SUR1/KIR6.2
C
channels with the wild-type channel illustrates the highly integrated
nature of the two subunits within a KATP channel (Fig. 8
E. Why are KIR6.2 channels silent?
The initial reconstitution studies failed to detect K+
channels when KIR6.2 was expressed without SUR1 (26), a
result that has been confirmed by others. The reasons for this silence
or latency were unclear, but recent results suggest a fascinating
story, the outlines of which are just becoming clear. The finding that
KIR6.2
C subunits could form K+ channels,
albeit with abnormal properties, provided a means to measure the
effects of coexpression with SUR1 on trafficking. Babenko et
al. (240) showed that coexpression with SUR1 increased the transit
of KIR6.2
C subunits to the plasma membrane by about
8-fold. John et al. (241) showed that very strong
overexpression of full-length KIR6.2, or KIR6.2
tagged with GFP, the green fluorescent protein, in HEK cells produced
K+ channels with properties similar to the C-terminally
truncated KIR6.2 channels. This was the first demonstration
that full-length KIR6.2 could generate channels and
effectively ruled out the possibility that the C terminus blocked
channel activity. The results suggested that the C terminus affected
trafficking in some unspecified fashion. Schwappach et al.
(242) have shown that the C-terminal sequence of KIR6.2
(and KIR6.1) has an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) retention
signal that keeps full-length KIR6.2 from reaching the
plasma membrane under normal conditions. Using a quantitative assay to
measure surface expression of KIR6.2, Schwappach et
al. (242) could demonstrate that coexpression with SUR1 increased
transit approximately 500-fold. Transfer of the KIR6.2
C-terminal sequence to other membrane proteins caused their retention
in the ER. Truncation of the C terminus of KIR6.2 thus
allows its limited expression at the plasma membrane, yielding the
results seen by Tucker et al. (51). The most likely
explanation for the observations of John et al. (241) is
that the retention mechanism can be overcome when levels of expression
are sufficiently high. How SUR interacts with KIR to
abrogate the retention signal promises to be an interesting story, but
it is not at all clear why nature has gone to such lengths to control
surface expression of this inward rectifier.
F. The N terminus of KIR6.2 limits burst duration
The C terminus of KIR6.2 is not the only interesting
cytoplasmic domain. Truncation of the N terminus of KIR6.2
has proven to be equally informative. Deletion of 3040 amino acids
does not affect surface expression but has a profound effect on
bursting activity (240). SUR1/
N32KIR6.2 channels, for
example, burst continuously with few interburst intervals. The maximal
open probability, Po
0.95, is the value expected from a channel
displaying only the fast closures observed within a normal burst. We
have interpreted these results to imply that the N terminus of
KIR6.2 limits the time the channel spends in a bursting
state and speculate that SUR affects bursting through its interaction
with the N terminus.
G. Where do the openers bind and how do they work?
A diverse group of compounds, referred to as potassium channel
openers or KCOs, are able to open KATP channels and thus
hyperpolarize cells. Clinically, these compounds have been used for the
treatment of hyperinsulinemic states and as smooth muscle relaxants for
hypertension. The literature in this area is voluminous, and a complete
review is beyond the scope of this article. Reviews may be found in
Refs. 243, 244, 245, 246, 247, 248, 249, 250, 251, 252, 253 . This area has been hampered by the lack of means to
study specific KATP channel isoforms, but this problem
should now be more accessible by reconstitution of the SUR2A and SUR2B
receptors with both KIR6.1 and KIR6.2 (23, 24, 254), as described above.
Electrophysiological studies indicate that activation of KATP channels in excised patches requires hydrolysable nucleotides and Mg2+ (238, 255, 256, 257, 258, 259, 260, 261, 262, 263), consistent with a requirement for ATP hydrolysis. Several of these studies point out that ADP in the presence of ATP or ADP alone will potentiate the effect of KCOs. The latter observations are consistent with the presence of adenylate kinase and conversion of ADP to ATP; thus it is not clear whether ADP and KCOs can act synergistically. Several reports have argued that the stimulatory effect of KCOs is through direct competition with ATP (257, 264, 265), although this is not firmly established.
The target site for potassium channel openers is assumed to be the sulfonylurea receptor, based on observations that the response of reconstituted KATP channels to either diazoxide, cromakalim, or pinacidil is correlated with the SUR subtype (23, 24). A comparison of the pharmacology of the SUR2A/KIR6.2 (23) and SUR2B/KIR6.2 (24) channels indicates the C-terminal end of SUR is a critical determinant for KCO response and selectivity. The SUR1 and SUR2B C termini, for example, are similar, and channels formed from these receptors appear to share responsiveness to diazoxide, while the SUR2A/KIR6.2 channel shows essentially no response to diazoxide.
Attempts to develop membrane-binding assays for channel openers from responsive tissues have been largely unsuccessful, although in some cases tissue and whole-cell binding has been detected. The most successful efforts have employed [3H]P1075, a pinacidil analog that activates smooth muscle KATP channels at concentrations of 2030 nM and channels from isolated rat aortic rings and myocytes (248, 266). This line of research has recently shown that ATP is required for [3H]P1075 binding to isolated cardiac and skeletal muscle membranes (267, 268). Biochemical studies on membranes isolated from cells transfected with SUR2A and B (269, 270) suggest two plausible reasons for the earlier difficulties: low receptor concentration and a requirement for Mg2+ and hydrolysable nucleotides. Schwanstecher et al. (269) show that SUR2B has a KD of approximately 25 nM for P1075, while binding of this compound to SUR1 and SUR2A is low. Binding requires MgATP; nonhydrolysable ATP analogs will not support [3H]P1075 binding. Consistent with the electrophysiological data (189, 190, 238), binding of the opener is impaired by mutations in the NBFs. The suggestion is that nucleotide binding and hydrolysis by SUR are important for the binding of P1075. The results appear to argue against direct competition between ATP and KCOs. The availability of binding assays opens the way for the experiments with different KCOs and for the structure-function studies with the SUR subtypes needed to establish the number and location of KCO-binding sites on KATP channels and to correlate binding with channel subtype responses.
H. Do SURs have ATPase activity?
Although there is no direct biochemical evidence that SURs are
ATPases, the indirect evidence is reasonably strong. First, the
similarity of the NBFs of SURs to those of other members of the
ATP-binding cassette superfamily suggests they will hydrolyze ATP.
Second, as discussed, several aspects of channel function require
Mg2+ and hydrolysable nucleotides, particularly refreshment
and the regulation of channel activity by MgADP and potassium channel
openers. As indicated above, refreshment is not well understood and may
require additional kinases or cytoskeletal elements that require ATP.
MgADP and KCOs, on the other hand, interact with SUR, and their effects
show a strong requirement for divalent cations such as Mg2+
or Mn2+, and for the presence of a hydrolysable nucleotide.
It is not clear, in most cases, whether ATP is required or other
nucleotides will substitute. For example, MgADP has been observed to
substitute for ATP and support the action of diazoxide, while
,ß-methylene ADP does not (263). This could be interpreted as a
requirement for ADP hydrolysis, but probably reflects the generation of
ATP by adenylate kinase. This is an area that needs to be developed and
should provide insight into the regulation of these channels.
I. Do SURs have transport activity?
Membership in the ATP-binding superfamily suggests SURs may have
an endogenous transport function. To our knowledge, the possibility
that SURs are involved in transport has not been tested in any
systematic fashion. One possibility, based on suggestions from the CFTR
field, is that SUR might transport nucleotides (205). While this has
not been disproved rigorously, there is no direct evidence in support
of nucleotide transport at this time.
J. Is there an endogenous substrate?
A frequently raised question concerns the nature of the putative
"endogenous" ligand, which sulfonylureas may mimic or
replace. Virsolvy-Vergine et al. (271) have addressed this
question directly using competition assays in which peptide fractions
isolated from brain were tested for their ability to displace
[3H]glibenclamide from either brain or ß-cell
membranes. This work led to the isolation of two peptides,
- and
ß-endosulfines (272, 273). Both molecules were reported to interact
with the high-affinity receptor, and ß-endosulfine was reported to
stimulate insulin release from a ß-cell line.
-Endosulfine, a
77-amino acid protein (Mr = 13,196), has been cloned and is
similar to two phosphoproteins, ARPP-16 (96 amino acids) and ARPP-19
(112 amino acids), Mr
16,000 and 19,000, respectively.
The sequence similarity is striking, with 65 identical amino acids over
the 77 residues of
-endosulfine. ARPP-16 and -19 are believed to be
splice variants of a single gene since their amino acid sequences are
identical except for an additional 16 amino acids at the N terminus of
ARPP-19 (274). ARPP-16 is present mainly in dopamine-innervated regions
of the brain, while ARPP-19 is more widely distributed being present in
all tissues in the adult rat (275). The phosphorylation of both ARPP-16
and -19 is regulated by cAMP and by vaso- active intestinal peptide
in cultured striatal cells (276).
-Endosulfine is believed to be the
product of a separate gene and has a wide tissue distribution (277).
Expression of recombinant
-endosulfine in a bacteria produces a
protein with an apparent molecular mass of 23,000 Da, which competes
with [3H]glibenclamide for binding to SUR1
(Ki
1 µM), inhibits
SUR1/KIR6.2 channels expressed in Xenopus
oocytes (EC50
1 µM) and stimulates insulin
release from MIN6 cells in the same concentration range. Heron et
al. (277) suggest that
-endosulfine may act as an endogenous
regulator of KATP channels in ß-cells.
| VIII. Human SUR1 and KIR6.2 Genes |
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| IX. KATP Channels and Persistent Hyperinsulinemic Hypoglycemia of Infancy (PHHI) |
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The diagnosis of hyperinsulinism, considered here as an inappropriately high insulin level, low blood ketone levels, and low free fatty acid levels at the time of hypoglycemia, can result from several genetic alterations. At the suggestion of Dr. Franz Matschinsky, we will name the familial hyperinsulinemic disorders for which a responsible gene has been identified, first by designating them as hyperinsulinemic and second by designating the affected molecule. For example, hyperinsulinism associated with a mutation in the sulfonylurea receptor would be designated "HI-SUR1." As we are reviewing KATP channels, we will focus mainly on mutations in channel subunits that give rise to hyperinsulinism, but information on the causes of persisting hypoglycemia in newborns is widening and teaching us much about the heterogeneity of this disease. It is clear that KATP channel defects are not the sole cause. Additional mutations in other pathways have been identified as discussed briefly below, and focal and diffuse histopathological forms of the disease have been identified and partially related to KATP channel defects. It has also become clear that nesidioblastosis is not the pathognomonic histopathological lesion for PHHI.
A. HI-glucokinase (GK)
GK, or hexokinase IV, found in ß-cells is responsible for
conversion of glucose to glucose-6-phosphate and is generally
considered to be the ß-cell "glucose sensor" (216). Mutations in
GK have been identified as one cause of maturity onset diabetes of the
young (MODY 2), where increases in the Km of GK
are correlated with an increase in the concentration of glucose needed
for insulin release. Glaser et al. (279) described an
informative mutation in GK which lowers the Km
and results in hypoglycemia. The mutation, val
met, V408
M, causes a rare, mild dominant form of PHHI, which
responds clinically to diazoxide. No homozygotes have been identified,
suggesting that two copies of the allele may be lethal.
B. HI-GlnDH
Zammarchi et al. (280) and Weinzimer et al.
(281) described a mild, dominant form of hyperinsulinism associated
with hyperammonemia. Several patients from unrelated families, who
responded to diazoxide but were poorly responsive to octreotide, have
been identified. This form of hyperinsulinism appears to be the result
of excessive oxidation of glutamate via glutamine dehydrogenase. Enzyme
studies indicate that the glutamine dehydrogenase in two unrelated
patients with this disorder was less sensitive to GTP, a negative
allosteric effector, as a result of mutations in the C terminus of the
enzyme (282).
C. HI-"unknown"
Kukuvitis et al. (283) reported on PHHI in a French-
Canadian kindred. Mutations in KATP channel subunits
and GK were ruled out as potential causes. These patients responded to
diazoxide, confirming they have functional KATP channels.
Familial clustering suggested that this may be another mild dominant
form of PHHI, but the susceptibility locus has not been identified. In
several populations studied, approximately 50% of the cases fall
within this unknown category.
D. HI-KIR6.2
Three mutations that produce persisting hypoglycemia due to
hyperinsulinism have been identified in KIR6.2 (Fig. 5
).
Although as described below, mutations in SUR1 were the first to be
associated with hyperinsulinism and are more frequent, mutations in
KIR6.2 produce the same phenotype and provide a genetic
confirmation of the biochemical and electrophysiological data that
KIR6.2 is the partner for SUR1 in ß-cells.
Thomas et al. (284) reported on a KIR6.2
mutation, a leu
pro change, L147P, near the
external side of M2, which demonstrated that mutations in the inward
rectifier led to PHHI. This mutation was identified in a child of
Iranian origin, the progeny of a marriage of first cousins. Diagnosis
of PHHI was based on an insulin level of more than 30 mU/ml with a
glucose level less than 30 mg/dl and a requirement of more than 15 mg
glucose kg/min to maintain euglycemia. The substitution of a proline in
M2 has a large effect on KATP channel activity; when
engineered and expressed with wild-type SUR1,
KIR6.2L147P does not produce KATP
channels and does not co-photolabel with
[125I]iodoazidoglibenclamide (J. Bryan, unpublished
data). It is not clear whether the protein is folded correctly and/or
fails to associate with SUR1.
Nestorowicz et al. (285) described a nonsense mutation in KIR6.2 that truncates the protein after 12 amino acids, Y12X. The patient was homozygous for this mutation. When Y12X was engineered into KIR6.2, as expected for a 12-residue peptide that is missing all of the elements required to form the K+ channel pore, it did not form a functional channel when coexpressed with wild-type SUR1.
Sharma and Aguilar-Bryan (unpublished data) identified a third
KIR6.2 mutant, a trp
arg change,
W91R, near the external side of M1. This mutation was identified in a
newborn, the product of a marriage of first cousins of Palestinian
descent. Clinical treatment with diazoxide and somatostatin was not
successful; a partial pancreatectomy was performed when the patient was
2 weeks of age, and a second resection was necessary 4 weeks later.
When coexpressed with wild-type SUR1,
KIR6.2W91R failed to produce active channels.
E. HI-SUR1
A number of studies indicated that, in most instances, PHHI was an
autosomal recessive disorder (summarized in Ref. 20). Two groups (286, 287) independently mapped the major susceptibility gene to the short
arm of chromosome 11 at 11p1415.1 using multiplex families. In
situ hybridization mapped the SUR1 gene to the same region (288).
It was apparent that loss of KATP channel activity in
pancreatic ß-cells might be expected to give the PHHI phenotype. As
described above, KATP channels set the ß-cell resting
membrane potential below the threshold for activation of voltage-gated
Ca2+ channels. In the absence of some compensatory
mechanism, the loss of ß-cell KATP channel activity would
lead to constitutive membrane depolarization, spontaneous voltage-gated
Ca2+ channel activity, and a sustained increase in
intracellular Ca2+ levels. The loss of K+
channel activity would therefore effectively uncouple membrane
electrical activity from metabolism and would result in persistent
insulin release, regardless of the blood glucose level (18, 289).
The discovery of two separate splice site mutations that segregated
with the disease phenotype in affected children from nine different
families provided the first evidence that SUR1 was a PHHI
susceptibility gene (288). The first two mutations discovered were in
intron 32 and exon 35, respectively. [Note, in the Permutt review
article (20), the authors have used an early numbering of the SUR1
exons where the 3'-most exon is defined as exon 1. The human SUR1
sequence(s) in Genbank begin with exon 1 at the N terminus; we will use
this numbering convention throughout.] The intron 32 allele is a g
a
mutation identified in 1 PHHI affected children from consanguineous
mating. This mutation eliminates an NciI restriction
endonuclease recognition site; homozygous loss of this site
cosegregated with the disorder within the two families. The g
a
mutation was at a position -9 from the 3'-end of intron 32 (Fig. 9
).
The resulting sequence, -gcc cag ccc cagCAC- caused usage
of three cryptic splice sites within exon 33 in place of the normal
wild-type splicing. The "alternative" splicing was expected to
produce transcripts encoding truncated receptors of three different
sizes missing NBF2. The exon 35 allele is also a G
A mutation in the
last position of the exon (Fig. 9
). This change eliminates an
MspI site; homozygous loss of this site was observed to
cosegregate with the phenotype in 8 families and was missing in 12
affected children from 6 families of Saudi Arabian and 1 of German
origin. The G
A mutation in the last position of the exon weakens the
splice site and results in the skipping of exon 35. The exon deletion
causes a frame shift that results in a premature stop 24 codons beyond
the end of exon 34, again producing a transcript that encodes a
truncated receptor missing most of NBF2. RT-PCR was used to clone a
pancreatic cDNA product missing the 109-bp segment, showing that the
altered transcript was expressed.
A screen for SUR1 mutations in 25 probands from Ashkenazi Jewish
families affected with PHHI uncovered an additional mutation, a
deletion of codon 1388 resulting in a loss of a phenylalanine residue,
F1388 (290). In some patients this mutation was present in the
homozygous state and in others it was present as a compound
heterozygote with known SUR1 mutations or mutations yet to be
identified.
Thomas et al. (291) reported on three additional mutations
in the region of NBF1. Two of these mutations are expected to lead to
severe truncations of SUR1 in or near NBF1, while the third mutation
results in a gly
val substitution at position
716, G716V, in the Walker A motif.
Nichols et al. (189) reported on a missense mutation, G1479R, in the second NBF, which is informative about the mechanism of nucleotide regulation as discussed below. This mutation was identified by Dr. Ann Nestorowicz in Dr. Alan Permutts laboratory in a patient of Iraqi and Moroccan Jewish extraction (20) who was diagnosed with PHHI by Drs. Heddy Landau and Benjamin Glaser (Hebrew University, Hadassah Medical Center, Jerusalem). The patient is a compound heterozygote, with the G1479R allele on one chromosome and a second, unidentified allele on the other. As described above, when the G1479R mutation was engineered into hamster SUR1 and expressed with wild-type KIR6.2, the resulting channel displayed a novel phenotype with normal inhibition by ATP, but reduced stimulation by MgADP.
A number of new mutations have been identified in patients with PHHI
from different ethnic groups (Ref. 292) and N. Sharma and L.
Aguilar-Bryan, unpublished data). We have summarized as many of these
mutations as are available in Fig. 9
. Some of these mutations
have been engineered into the hamster or human SUR1 and examined for
KATP channel activity after coexpression with wild-type
KIR6.2 (Ref. 292 and L. Aguilar-Bryan, N. Sharma, A.
Crane, G. Gonzalez, and J. Bryan, unpublished data). A number of these
mutations are associated with severe forms of the disease and show no
KATP channel activity in the reconstitution assays. This
includes a failure to show increased
sulfonylurea-sensitive 86Rb+
efflux upon metabolic poisoning. Several of these mutations behave like
the G1479R mutation and retain some sensitivity to diazoxide. With the
exception of the severe truncations and the G716V mutation, the SUR1
mutants retain high-affinity sulfonylurea binding
activity, suggesting their folding is not completely aberrant. Detailed
examination of these mutations should provide further insight into the
regulation of KATP channels.
| X. Linking PHHI to Defects in KATP Channel Activity |
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88 nM to 177 nM). The
results confirmed the hypothesis put forward earlier that loss of
KATP channel activity should produce the PHHI phenotype
(18). The missing link in this study was a direct connection between a
mutation(s) in one of the KATP channel subunits and the
loss of channel activity. These five patients had no parental
consanguinity, no other affected siblings, and a preliminary, but not
exhaustive, screen for SUR1 and KIR6.2 mutations was
negative (L. Aguilar-Bryan, unpublished data). Thus, although the
physiology was compelling, one could argue that the genetic defect lay
elsewhere in these patients.
B. PHHI ß-cells with the SUR1 exon 35 mutation lack
KATP channel activity
A direct demonstration that a known SUR1 mutation results in the
loss of KATP channel activity in patient ß-cells was made
for the exon 35 mutation. Dunne et al. (294) analyzed islet
cells obtained by pancreatectomy from one newborn diagnosed with PHHI.
Analysis of patient DNA indicated she was homozygous for the exon 35
G
A mutation. She was not responsive to diazoxide or to nifedipine
and required continuous infusion of glucose (18 mg/kg/min) to remain
euglycemic. Subtotal (95%) pancreatectomy was insufficient to reduce
her insulin levels, and removal of 99% of the pancreas was necessary
to control her hypoglycemia. Electrical recording from ß-cells
isolated from the surgical specimens demonstrated KATP
channel activity was absent, but voltage-gated Ca2+
channels were spontaneously active. As in the five infants studied
previously (293), ß-cell cytosolic Ca2+ levels were
elevated beyond control cell values (83 vs. 115
nM) as determined by fluorescence measurements. A parallel
mutation engineered into hamster SUR1 did not generate KATP
channel activity when cotransfected into COS cells with wild-type
KIR6.2. Photolabeling studies on the parallel mutation
indicate that a truncated receptor is produced and retains
high-affinity sulfonylurea binding activity. Preliminary
results indicate that the truncated receptor is able to associate with
and co-photolabel KIR6.2. These studies have been repeated
with ß-cells from a second newborn homozygous for the same allele,
with essentially the same results (M. Dunne, K. Lindley, A.
Aynsley-Green, and L. Aguilar-Bryan, unpublished data). In
addition, four different mutations have been identified in patients
previously diagnosed with sporadic PHHI whose ß-cells were shown to
lack KATP channel activity. The overwhelming conclusion is
that mutations in SUR1 result in the loss of KATP channel
activity that leads to PHHI. This indicates that KATP
channels are the predominant mechanism that human ß-cells use to set
their resting membrane potential; there is no evidence for redundancy
of SUR1, KIR6.2, or KATP channel functions.
This conclusion emphasizes the key link that KATP channels
form in the closed negative feedback loop that regulates insulin
release and validates our initial hypothesis that this recessive
familial form of PHHI is a potassium channel disease (18).
C. Why is there a lack of dominant negative mutations?
Although analysis of PHHI mutations in SUR1 and
KIR6.2 is at an early stage, given the multimeric structure
of KATP channels it is not clear why dominant negative
mutations in either subunit have not been discovered. It is not clear,
for example, whether the truncated SUR1 subunits produced by the exon
35 mutation can assemble a tetrameric channel. The exon 35 mutation,
and other identified mutations, lead to severe hypoglycemia only in the
homozygous condition. The heterozygous parents are apparently
normoglycemic and asymptomatic. Thus, dominant negative effects are
either small or the fraction of normal channels produced in the
heterozygotes is sufficient to maintain the ß-cell resting membrane
potential. If assembly of a single-mutant receptor into the tetramer is
sufficient to block channel activity, we expect only 6.25% of the
KATP channels to be functional in the heterozygotes if the
assembly of channel subunits is random. One possible explanation for
the failure to identify dominant negative mutations could lie in the
spare channel hypothesis (230), if 67% of the KATP
channels in a ß-cell are sufficient for adequate regulation.
Additional studies on the heterozygous parents could prove informative
on this issue.
D. Development of mouse models
Miki et al. (295) have shown that a dominant negative
effect can be observed by overexpression of a mutant KIR6.2
subunit. Transgenic mice expressing KIR6.2 carrying the
"weaver" mutation, G132S, have low blood glucose at birth as a
result of unregulated insulin secretion. Four weeks after birth these
animals develop hyperglycemia, with reduced insulin secretion as a
result of ß-cell destruction. Reconstitution experiments indicate
KIR6.2G132S can compete with wild-type
KIR6.2 and suppress KATP channel activity.
Interestingly the weaver mutation in KIR3.2 (GIRK2) shows
altered cation selectivity and leads to neuronal cell death (296, 297),
suggesting this mutation in KIR6.2 could have similar
consequences.
Knockout mice missing both KIR6.2 and SUR1 are being generated and should prove to be interesting and informative regarding KATP channel function in the pancreas and other tissues.
| XI. Other Issues |
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More detailed comparisons of pancreatic tissue from patients with PHHI and normal individuals has failed to confirm this initial suggestion. Gould et al. (303, 304) reported an increase in total endocrine cell volume in PHHI patients but concluded the "typical features of nesidioblastosis" were also present in normal age-matched controls. They introduced the term "nesidiodysplasia" to define the abnormal growth, distribution, and regulation of endocrine cells when present in association with endocrine abnormality. Rahier et al. (305, 306) reached a similar conclusion after comparing 15 hypoglycemic infants diagnosed with PHHI to 23 normoglycemic controls; "nesidioblastosis was not a specific feature of the pancreas in infantile hypoglycemia, being observed in age-matched controls as well." Nesidioblastosis has also been identified in other pathologies such as multiple endocrine neoplasia, cystic fibrosis, and pancreatitis, without hypoglycemia; therefore it is clear at this point, that nesidioblastosis is not the pathognomonic lesion of PHHI (307).
B. "Diffuse" vs. "focal" forms of PHHI
In addition to the heterogeneous genetic causes of PHHI, at least
two histopathological forms of hyperinsulinism have been distinguished
by morphology (308, 309): a focal type, which shows nodular
or adenomatous hyperplasia of a particular area within the normal
pancreas, and a diffuse type, which involves the entire
pancreas and is characterized by irregularly sized islets and
ducto-insular complexes, both with hypertrophied ß-cells with larger
nuclei. The two forms of PHHI have different times of onset and degree
of severity (310); the diffuse form is more severe, develops within the
first 48 h after birth, and requires a large resection or total
pancreatomy to control hypoglycemia, while the focal form is less
severe and is identified in patients that develop hypoglycemia several
weeks after birth. The focal form can be controlled by resection of the
lesion (310, 311). Sempoux et al. (310) analyzed the
pancreata from 25 PHHI infants with diffuse or focal forms and
evaluated ß-cell hyperactivity by determining the size of the nuclei
and cytoplasm. Infants diagnosed with the diffuse form of
hyperinsulinemia had larger ß-cell nuclear radii than infants
diagnosed with the focal form. In addition, the cytoplasmic volume was
greater in the diffuse form. These two parameters allowed
discrimination between the two different forms of the disease.
Infants with PHHI who have had a 95% pancreatectomy frequently develop diabetes mellitus; therefore, distinguishing between the focal and diffuse forms of the disorder is of importance (see for example Refs. 312, 313 for discussion). Toward this end, two methods have been recently employed. Dubois et al. (314) have used pancreatic venous sampling (315, 316, 317), a technique in which catheters are used to sample blood from different areas of the pancreas and "map" local insulin release, to differentiate diffuse vs. focal forms of PHHI at time of surgery. Similarly, the analysis of small specimens from the head, isthmus, body, and tail by means of frozen sections has been used to differentiate between the focal and diffuse forms. Rahier et al. (318) employed this approach and used nuclear size to discriminate the two forms in a study of 20 infants diagnosed with PHHI in the first few hours after birth who were nonresponsive to diazoxide. These methods show promise as a means for discriminating between the focal and diffuse forms of PHHI and minimizing the extent of surgery required to control hypoglycemia (319, 320).
Is there a relationship between the genetic causes of PHHI and the two morphological forms? A recent report by de Lonlay et al. (321) suggests this possibility in some instances. These authors reported on 16 cases of "sporadic" PHHI, 10 identified with the focal form, and 6 with the diffuse form. Analysis of DNA isolated from the foci of identified focal PHHI suggested genomic imprinting, with a specific loss of maternal alleles from the chromosome 11p15.1 region where the SUR1 and KIR6.2 genes map. A similar loss was not observed in DNA taken from cells outside the foci or in samples taken from the pancreata of patients diagnosed with the diffuse form of PHHI. de Lonlay et al. (321) show that a somatic event resulting in deletion of the maternal alleles has occurred and that a clonal expansion of the cells carrying the deletion gives rise to a focus of ß-cells missing KATP channels as a result of a mutation in SUR1 on the paternal chromosome. The development of this area should prove interesting.
| XII. KATP and NIDDM |
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A. ß-Cell type KATP channels in the brain
Several early binding studies established the presence of
high-affinity glibenclamide receptors, presumably SUR1, in the brain
(148, 158, 160, 327, 328, 329), and one of the earliest reports of
purification of the high-affinity receptor was from porcine brain
(161). Autoradiography with 3H- and 125I-
labeled glibenclamide have been used to localize receptors to
regions of the brain (330, 331, 332, 333, 334). These studies localize SUR1 in various
areas of the brain. Mourre et al. (330), using
[3H] glibenclamide, indicate that the density of
receptors is "particularly important in the substantia nigra
reticulata, the septohippocampal nucleus, the globus pallidus, the
neocortex, the molecular layer of the cerebellum, and the CA3 field and
dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. They note that the "hypothalamic
areas, medulla oblongata and spinal cord" contained lower
amounts of glibenclamide receptors. Treherne and Ashford (331),
also using [3H]glibenclamide, note the "highest levels
of glibenclamide binding were found in the substantia nigra with high
levels in the globus pallidus, cerebral cortex, hippocampus and
caudate-putamen, intermediate levels in the cerebellum, and low levels
in the hypothalamus and pons." These authors mention that only low
levels of binding were observed in glucose-responsive regions of
the brain known to respond to sulfonylureas. Gehlert
et al. (334), using [125I]iodoglibenclamide,
report the "highest levels of binding were seen in the globus
pallidus and ventral pallidum followed by the septohippocampal nucleus,
anterior pituitary, the CA2 and CA3 region of the hippocampus, ventral
pallidum, the molecular layer of the cerebellum and substantia nigra
zona reticulata. The hilus and dorsal subiculum of the hippocampus,
molecular layer of the dentate gyrus, cerebral cortex, lateral
olfactory tract nucleus, olfactory tubercle and the zona incerta
contained relatively high levels of binding. A lower level of binding
(approximately 3- to 4-fold) was found throughout the remainder of the
brain."
In situ hybridization has been used to localize SUR1 and
KIR6.2 mRNAs in rodent brain (335). There was extensive
overlap of the two signals with each other and extensive overlap with
the earlier studies using radiolabeled glibenclamide. Figure 10
gives an example of the localization
of SUR1 by in situ hybridization in adult rat brain.
|
-Aminobutyric acid release in
the substantia nigra has also been shown to be affected by local
glucose concentrations, presumably through an action on
KATP channels (363). It will be of great interest to
determine the effects of SUR1 and KIR6.2 knockouts on
neural behavior. | XIII. The Leptin Connection |
|---|
|
|
|---|
The development of hyperinsulinemia as a result of a leptin deficiency or loss of the leptin receptor in db/db mice suggested leptin might suppress insulin secretion under normal conditions (366, 367), and the long form of the leptin receptor is found in islets and ß-cell lines (368). A study on the isolated, perfused rat pancreas failed to show an effect of leptin on glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (369, 370), while leptin is reported to suppress insulin release from isolated ß-cells (197, 371) and from the perfused pancreas of ob/ob mice (371). This effect appears to involve KATP channels, as Kieffer et al. (197) and Harvey et al. (372) have reported that leptin activates a sulfonylurea-suppressible K+ conductance in the insulinoma ßTC3 and CRI-G1 insulin-secreting cell lines, respectively. The time course of channel activation is slow, occurring for more than approximately a 10-min period, suggesting an indirect link between activation of the leptin receptor and the channel. In this regard, Harvey and Ashford (201) have reported that application of tyrosine kinase inhibitors to CRI-G1 cells produced an activation of a K+ conductance similar to that seen with leptin, while whole-cell dialysis with the tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor orthovanadate blocked the action of leptin and tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Serine/threonine-specific protein phosphatase inhibitors neither blocked nor reversed the action of leptin on KATP channels. The authors conclude that leptin activation appears to require inhibition of tyrosine kinases and subsequent dephosphorylation. Harvey and Ashford (200) further suggest that opening of KATP channels by leptin may occur through the activation of PI 3-kinase as wortmannin, a PI 3-kinase inhibitor, blocked activation of the K+ conductance by tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Interestingly, Harvey and Ashford (200) report that insulin can reverse the activating effect of leptin on K+ channels and will block the effect if applied before leptin. Unraveling how activation of the leptin receptor up-regulates KATP channels promises to be exciting and to give deeper insight into the metabolic alterations associated with both obesity and NIDDM.
| XIV. Summary and Conclusions |
|---|
|
|
|---|
The key role KATP channels play in the regulation of insulin secretion in response to changes in glucose metabolism is underscored by the finding that a recessive form of persistent hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia of infancy (PHHI) is caused by mutations in KATP channel subunits that result in the loss of channel activity. KATP channels set the resting membrane potential of ß-cells, and their loss results in a constitutive depolarization that allows voltage-gated Ca2+ channels to open spontaneously, increasing the cytosolic Ca2+ levels enough to trigger continuous release of insulin. The loss of KATP channels, in effect, uncouples the electrical activity of ß-cells from their metabolic activity. PHHI mutations have been informative on the function of SUR1 and regulation of KATP channels by adenine nucleotides. The results indicate that SUR1 is important in sensing nucleotide changes, as implied by its sequence similarity to other ABC proteins, in addition to being the drug sensor. An unexpected finding is that the inhibitory action of ATP appears to be through a site located on KIR6.2, whose affinity for ATP is modified by SUR1. A PHHI mutation, G1479R, in the second NBF of SUR1 forms active KATP channels that respond normally to ATP, but fail to activate with MgADP. The result implies that ATP tonically inhibits KATP channels, but that the ADP level in a fasting ß-cell antagonizes this inhibition. Decreases in the ADP level as glucose is metabolized result in KATP channel closure.
Although KATP channels are the target for sulfonylureas used in the treatment of NIDDM, the available data suggest that the identified KATP channel mutations do not play a major role in diabetes. Understanding how KATP channels fit into the overall scheme of glucose homeostasis, on the other hand, promises insight into diabetes and other disorders of glucose metabolism, while understanding the structure and regulation of these channels offers potential for development of novel compounds to regulate cellular electrical activity.
| Footnotes |
|---|
1 Supported by NIH Grants DK-44311, DK-52771, and DK-50750, the
Juvenile Diabetes Foundation International, and the American Diabetes
Association. ![]()
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