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The heteromeric inwardly rectifying Kir4.1/Kir5.1 K(+) channel underlies the basolateral K(+) conductance in the distal nephron and is extremely sensitive to inhibition by intracellular pH. The functional importance of Kir4.1/Kir5.1 in renal ion transport has recently been highlighted by mutations in the human Kir4.1 gene (KCNJ10) that result in seizures, sensorineural deafness, ataxia, mental retardation, and electrolyte imbalance (SeSAME)/epilepsy, ataxia, sensorineural deafness, and renal tubulopathy (EAST) syndrome, a complex disorder that includes salt wasting and hypokalemic alkalosis. Here, we investigated the role of the Kir5.1 subunit in mice with a targeted disruption of the Kir5.1 gene (Kcnj16). The Kir5.1(-/-) mice displayed hypokalemic, hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis with hypercalciuria. The short-term responses to hydrochlorothiazide, an inhibitor of ion transport in the distal convoluted tubule (DCT), were also exaggerated, indicating excessive renal Na(+) absorption in this segment. Furthermore, chronic treatment with hydrochlorothiazide normalized urinary excretion of Na(+) and Ca(2+), and abolished acidosis in Kir5.1(-/-) mice. Finally, in contrast to WT mice, electrophysiological recording of K(+) channels in the DCT basolateral membrane of Kir5.1(-/-) mice revealed that, even though Kir5.1 is absent, there is an increased K(+) conductance caused by the decreased pH sensitivity of the remaining homomeric Kir4.1 channels. In conclusion, disruption of Kcnj16 induces a severe renal phenotype that, apart from hypokalemia, is the opposite of the phenotype seen in SeSAME/EAST syndrome. These results highlight the important role that Kir5.1 plays as a pH-sensitive regulator of salt transport in the DCT, and the implication of these results for the correct genetic diagnosis of renal tubulopathies is discussed.

Using the patch-clamp technique, we investigated Cl- channels on the basolateral membrane of the connecting tubule (CNT) and cortical collecting duct (CCD). We found a approximately 10-pS channel in CNT cell-attached patches. Substitution of sodium gluconate for NaCl in the pipette shifted the reversal potential by +25 mV, whereas N-methyl-D-gluconate chloride had no effect, indicating anion selectivity. On inside-out patches, we determined a selectivity sequence of Cl- > Br- approximately NO3(-) > F-, which is compatible with that of ClC-K2, a Cl- channel in the distal nephron. In addition, the number of open channels (NP(o)) measured in cell-attached patches was significantly increased when Ca2+ concentration or pH in the pipette was increased, which is another characteristic of ClC-K. These findings suggest that the basis for this channel is ClC-K2. A similar Cl- channel was found in CCD patches. Because CNT and CCD are heterogeneous tissues, we studied the cellular distribution of the Cl- channel using recording conditions (KCl-rich solution in the pipette) that allowed us to detect simultaneously Cl- channels and inwardly rectifying K+ channels. We detected Cl- channels alone in 45% and 42% and K+ channels alone in 51% and 58% of CNT and CCD patches, respectively. Cl- and K+ channels were recorded simultaneously from two patches (4% of patches) in the CNT and from none of the patches in the CCD. This indicates that Cl- and K+ channels are located in different cell types, which we suggest may be the intercalated cells and principal cells, respectively.

Basolateral membranes of microdissected collagenase-treated fragments of renal tubules from the mouse were examined using the cell-attached and the cell-free variants of the patch-clamp technique. With a K(+)-rich solution in the pipette, a highly active, inwardly rectifying K+ channel was observed on intact cells of the cortical collecting tubule (CCT). The mean inward and outward conductances were 38.5 +/- 3.1 pS and 17.3 +/- 1.8 pS, respectively (n = 4). In contrast, cell-attached patches were usually inactive when a Na(+)-rich solution filled the patch pipette. However, another type of channel with a conductance of 20-30 pS exhibited a sparse activity in 4/20 CCT. In excised, inside-out patches, the most frequent channel in CCT had an ohmic unit conductance of 27.1 +/- 1.2 pS (n = 17), excluded anions (PCl/PNa = 0.09), discriminated little between NH4+, K+ and Na+ (PNH4/PNa = 1.5; PK/PNa = 0.9), and was much less permeable to Ca2+ and Ba2+ than to Na+ (PCa/PNa = 0.09; PBa/PNa approximately 0). The cation channel was moderately voltage-dependent, showing a decreased open probability (Po) at negative voltages. It was activated by internal calcium (threshold: 1 mumol/l-0.1 mmol/l calcium), and inhibited by the adenine nucleotides ATP, ADP and AMP with half-maximal inhibition of Po at 1.2 mumol/l AMP. As in other cell models, 3',5'-dichlorodiphenylamine-2-carboxylic acid blocked channel activity when added to the internal surface of the membrane patch. Extending our study to other parts of the renal tubule, we found that the basolateral membranes of the proximal (pars recta), distal convoluted, connecting and outer medullary collecting tubules, the thin descending limb and the medullary thick ascending limb all contained a similar Ca- and ATP-sensitive cation channel. The calcium sensitivity varied from one part to another.

The inside-out variant of the patch-clamp technique was used to investigate the properties of a K+ channel occurring in 20% of patches from two renal cell lines transformed with the wild-type simian virus 40 (SV40) (Vandewalle et al. J. Cell. Physiol. 141: 203-221, 1989). This channel was practically absent from the primary cultures of renal cortical cells from which the cell lines were originally derived. With identical K(+)-rich solutions on both sides of the membrane patch, the channel showed an inwardly rectifying current-voltage relationship with unit conductances of 151.8 +/- 4.8 pS at negative and 86.4 +/- 5.9 pS at positive voltages (n = 18). When K+ in the bath was replaced by Na+, a mean reversal potential of 57.0 +/- 5.2 mV (n = 6) was observed from which a K(+)-to-Na+ permeability ratio of 13 was calculated. The channel was insensitive to internal Ca2+ and was blocked by internal Ba2+. No clear dependence on voltage was apparent. This channel bears no resemblance to any epithelial K+ channel and may be a novel type of K+ channel. Its occurrence in two transformed cell lines with quite distinct phenotypes, one of proximal cells (RC.SV1) and the other of thick ascending limb cells (RC.SV2), suggests that transformation by SV40 might be responsible for its appearance.

The relative contributions of Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase pumps and Na(+)-K(+)-Cl- cotransport to total rubidium (Rb+) influx into primary cultures of renal tubule cells (PC.RC) and cells transformed either with the wild-type or a temperature-sensitive mutant of the simian virus 40 (SV40), were measured under various growth conditions. The Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase-mediated component represented 74% and 44-48% of total Rb+ influx into PC.RC and SV40-transformed cells, respectively. Proliferating transformed cells showed substantial ouabain-resistant bumetanide-sensitive (Or-Bs) Rb+ influx (41-45% of total) which indicated the presence of a Na(+)-K(+)-Cl- cotransport. The Or-Bs component of Rb+ influx was greatly reduced when temperature-sensitive transformed renal cells (RC.SVtsA58) grown in Petri dishes or on permeable filters were shifted from the permissive (33 degrees C) to the restrictive temperature (39.5 degrees C) to arrest cell growth. The ouabain-sensitive Rb+ influx mediated by the Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase, the total and amiloride-sensitive Na+ uptakes were not modified following inhibition of cell proliferation. A similar fall in the Or-Bs influx was obtained when renal tubule cells transformed by the wild-type SV40 (RC.SV) were incubated with the K+ channel blocker, tetraethylammonium (TEA) ion, which we had previously shown to arrest cell growth without affecting cell viability (Teulon et al.: J. Cell. Physiol., 151:113-125, 1992). Reinitiation of cell growth by removal of TEA or return to 33 degrees C of the temperature-sensitive cells restored the Or-Bs component of Rb influx. Taken together, these results indicate that the Na(+)-K(+)-Cl- cotransport activity is critically dependent on cell growth conditions.

The properties of an anion-selective channel observed in basolateral membranes of microdissected, collagenase-treated, cortical thick ascending limbs of Henle's loop from mouse kidney were investigated using patch-clamp single-channel recording techniques. In basal conditions, single Cl- currents were detected in 8% of cell-attached and excised, inside-out, membrane patches whereas they were observed in 24% of cell-attached and 67% of inside-out membrane patches when tubular fragments were preincubated with Forskolin (10(-5) M) or 8-bromo-cAMP (10(-4) M) and isobutylmethylxanthine (10(-5) M). The channel exhibited a linear current-voltage relationship with conductances of about 40 pS in both cell-attached and cell-free membrane configurations. A PNa+/PCl- ratio of 0.05 was estimated in the presence of a 142/42 mM NaCl concentration gradient applied to inside-out membrane patches. Anionic selectivity of the channel followed the sequence Cl- greater than Br- greater than NO3- much greater than F-; gluconate was not a permeant species. The open-state probability of the channel increased with membrane depolarization in cell-attached, i.e., in situ membrane patches. In excised, inside-out, membrane patches, the channel was predominantly open with the open-state probability close to 0.8 over the whole range of potentials tested (-60 to +60 mV). The channel activity was not a function of internal calcium concentration between 10(-9) and 10(-3) M. We suggest that this Cl- channel, whose properties are distinct from those in other epithelia, could account for the well-documented conductance which mediates Cl- exit in the basolateral step of NaCl absorption in thick ascending limb of Henle's loop.

The patch-clamp technique was used to investigate the properties of a cation-selective channel in the basolateral membrane of microdissected collagenase-treated fragments of cortical thick ascending limbs of Henle's loop from mouse kidney. The channel activity was seldom observed in cell-attached patches (2 out 15 studied cases). In inside-out excised patches immersed in symmetrical NaCl Ringer's solutions, the unit channel conductance was ohmic and ranged from 22 to 33 pS (mean, 26.8 +/- 0.6 pS, n = 24). When NaCl was replaced by KCl (n = 8) or sodium gluconate (n = 2) on the cytoplasmic side of the membrane, single-channel currents still reversed at 0 mV and the conductance was unchanged. The reversal potential was +28.8 +/- 0.4 mV (n = 8) when a NaCl concentration (140 vs. 42 mmol/l) gradient was applied, close to the expected value (approx. 30 mV) for a cation selective channel. The channel was found to discriminate poorly between Na+, K+, Cs+, and Li+ ions. The activity of the channel was not clearly voltage-dependent but was dependent upon the free Ca2+ concentration on the cytoplasmic side of the membrane. We conclude that the channel resembles the non-selective cation channel which has been previously described in several tissues.

The transepithelial potential difference (VTE) and transepithelial resistance (RTE) were determined along the length of the distal tubule of the amphibian Triturus alpestris. The site of impalements was determined at the end of each experiment by latex injection and microdissection. Two segments, differing by their distribution at the surface of the kidney, by their respective diameters and by their electrical properties could be identified: the early distal tubule (EDT) and the late distal tubule (LDT). VTE was invariably positive in the EDT; it increased from approximately + 5 mV to approximately + 22 mV within the first 30% of this segment and remained roughly constant distally to this site. RTE was estimated at 57 omega X cm2 in the EDT. The LDT exhibited essentially negative VTE figures with the exception of its very initial portion; the peak negativity at the end of the LDT was -35 mV. RTE was assessed from 8 measurements performed in the first 30% of the LDT; the tentative transepithelial resistance was 530 omega X cm2. Provisional evidence suggests that the transepithelial resistance of the terminal portion of the LDT may be substantially larger than the resistance measured in other parts of this segment.

Double-barreled microelectrodes selective to either potassium or sodium were used to determine the transepithelial potential difference (VTE) and the intraluminal activity of potassium (alpha LuK) or sodium (alpha LuNa) in the early distal tubule (EDT) of Triturus waltlii in vivo; luminal activities were compared with the corresponding plasma ion activities, alpha PtK and alpha PtNa. The transepithelial equilibrium potentials for potassium (EK(TE] and sodium (ENa(TE] were computed from the respective transmural chemical distributions: they were used to assess the transepithelial electrochemical potential differences [(V-EK)TE and (V-ENa)TE]. By dividing the raw data into three groups of 30% total tubular length (0-30, 31-60, 61-90%), the following results were obtained. 1) VTE increases from +15 to +20 mV (lumen positive) between the first and second portion of the EDT but remains constant thereafter. 2) The alpha LuK/alpha PtK ratio decreases steadily along the EDT from 1.92 to 1.66 and then to 1.32. 3) The values of alpha LuNa/alpha PtNa in the same three subdivisions are 0.79, 0.44, and 0.45. 4) The (V-EK)TE difference is largely positive along the whole EDT: +32, +33, and +27 mV. 5) The (V-ENa)TE difference declines from +9 mV (first portion) to values statistically not different from zero in the last two thirds of the EDT.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

1. Patch-clamp single-channel current recordings were used to study the inhibition of Ca2+-activated non-selective cation channels by internal nucleotides in patches excised from basolateral membranes of the thick ascending limb of Henle's loop of the mouse kidney. 2. The application of ATP, ADP or AMP to the cytoplasmic face of excised inside-out membrane patches reduced the open-state probability of the channels (Po) in a dose-dependent way without effect upon the unitary current amplitude. Dose-response curves gave half-maximal inhibitory concentrations of 20, 21 and 2.5 microM for ATP, ADP and AMP, respectively, while the Hill coefficient was close to one in all three cases. 3. Cyclic AMP partially inhibited channel activity (Po = 35 +/- 17% of control) only at high, unphysiological concentrations (10(-3) M) while adenosine (10(-3) M) had very little effect (Po = 83 +/- 7% of control). 4. Replacement of adenine with other purines (guanine, hypoxanthine) or pyrimidine (uridine) bases very largely reduced inhibitory activity. Cyclic GMP had no effect. 5. Non-hydrolysable analogues of ATP, AMP-PNP (10(-3) M) and ATP-gamma-S (5 x 10(-4) M), were effective inhibitors of the channel (Po = 24 +/- 7 and 9 +/- 4% of control, respectively.

We investigated the effects of internal pH on Ca-activated, nucleotide-inhibited nonselective cation channels in the basolateral membranes of mouse collecting tubules, using the inside-out variant of the patch clamp technique. pH modulated the channel open probability (Po), giving a bell-shaped curve peaking at pH 6.8/7.0: Po at pH 6.0 was 11 +/- 6% of Po at pH 7.2 and 32 +/- 7% at pH 8.0. The open and closed time distributions, best fitted to the sum of two exponentials, were differently sensitive to acid and alkaline conditions. Low pH reduced the short and long open times to 38 and 24% of their pH 7.2 values, while high pH produced a 4-fold increase in the long closed time. As previously reported, 4-acetamido-4'-isothiocyanatostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid (SITS) induced a quasi-permanent opening of the channel. The inhibition of the channel produced by high pH disappeared in the presence of SITS, while the inhibition produced by low pH was unaffected. These results suggest that the pH dependence of the channel is due to two separate mechanisms. pH was without effect on the ATP-evoked inhibition of the channel, while high pH profoundly reduced the steepness of the AMP inhibition curve, without altering the half-maximal inhibitory AMP concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]