J Physiol Society Membership
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
 QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     


J Physiol Volume 582, Number 3, 1037-1046, August 1, 2007 DOI: 10.1113/jphysiol.2007.137265
This Article
Right arrow Abstract Freely available
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Supplemental data
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
582/3/1037    most recent
jphysiol.2007.137265v1
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Sohn, J.-W.
Right arrow Articles by Ho, W.-K.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Sohn, J.-W.
Right arrow Articles by Ho, W.-K.
Related Collections
Right arrow Cellular

RELATED PAPERS

Decrease in PIP2–channel interactions is the final common mechanism involved in PKC- and arachidonic acid-mediated inhibitions of GABAB-activated K+ current

Jong-Woo Sohn1, Ajin Lim1, Suk-Ho Lee1 and Won-Kyung Ho1

1 National Research Laboratory for Cell Physiology and Department of Physiology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Jongno-gu, Seoul 110–799, Korea


    Abstract
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
We showed in our previous study that in hippocampal CA1 neurons the stimulation of muscarinic receptors inhibited the GIRK current (IGIRK) via a PLC/PKC pathway, whereas group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR) inhibited IGIRK via a PLA2/arachidonic acid pathway. In this study, we present evidence that receptor-mediated signalling pathways activated by the two Gq-coupled receptors (GqPCRs) converge on the inhibition of GIRK channel–PIP2 interaction. IGIRK was activated in acutely isolated hippocampal CA1 neurons by repetitive application of baclofen, a GABAB receptor agonist, with a 2–3 min interval. When both CCh and DHPG were pretreated before the second IGIRK activation, the magnitude of the second IGIRK was 52.2 ± 2.5% of the first IGIRK, which was not significantly different from the magnitude of inhibition by CCh or DHPG alone. This result shows that the effects of muscarinic receptor and group I mGluR stimulation on IGIRK are not additive but occlusive, suggesting that each pathway may converge to a common mechanism that finally regulates IGIRK. To test the involvement of PIP2 in this mechanism, the effect of CCh and DHPG on IGIRK was tested in cells loaded with exogenous PIP2. The inhibition of IGIRK by CCh or DHPG was almost completely abolished in PIP2-loaded cells. We confirmed that the inhibition of IGIRK by direct application of phorbol ester or arachidonic acid was also completely reversed in PIP2-loaded cells. These results indicate that the decrease in PIP2–channel interactions is the final common mechanism responsible for GqPCR-induced inhibitions of IGIRK mediated by PKC and arachidonic acid.

(Received 23 May 2007; accepted after revision 19 June 2007; first published online 21 June 2007)
Corresponding author W.-K. Ho: Department of Physiology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 28 Yonkeun-Dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul 110–799, Korea. Email: wonkyung{at}snu.ac.kr


    Introduction
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) has recently received much attention as a signalling molecule which regulates the activity of various ion channels and transporters (Hilgemann et al. 2001). It is not yet clear how PIP2 is used by cells to control their activities in normal signalling mechanisms, but two possibilities can be proposed. The first possibility, which has been widely investigated, is that receptor stimulation-induced changes in membrane PIP2 concentration affect the activity of PIP2-sensitive channels. Since PIP2 is a substrate for phospholipase C (PLC), which is activated by Gq-coupled receptor (GqPCR) stimulation, most studies as to how changes in PIP2 might regulate ion channels have focused on investigating whether the effect of GqPCR is mediated via PIP2 depletion. We and others reported that the inhibition of G protein-gated inwardly rectifying K+ (GIRK) channels in cardiac mycocytes by various GqPCRs was well explained by PIP2 depletion occurring during Gq-coupled PLC activation (Cho et al. 2001a, 2005b; Meyer et al. 2001). Muscarinic inhibition of M current (Zhang et al. 2003; Suh et al. 2004; Winks et al. 2005) and Ca2+ current (Gamper et al. 2004) in neurons has also been explained by PIP2 depletion. Although there are many more studies supporting the PIP2 depletion hypothesis, direct evidence demonstrating that PIP2 depletion can indeed occur in response to Gq/PLC activation to the extent that it affects activities of PIP2-sensitive channels is still lacking (Nasuhoglu et al. 2002b; Horowitz et al. 2005). Whether the PIP2 change is global or local is another issue that remains to be solved. These questions involve very complicated issues, including diffusion properties of PIP2 in the membrane (Cho et al. 2005a), localization of lipid kinases and phosphatases and their Ca2+ dependency for activation (Delmas et al. 2002; Gamper et al. 2004).

The other possibility for PIP2 involvement in ion channel regulation is via changes in channel–PIP2 interaction. This is well known as the activation mechanism of GIRK channels by Gi/o-coupled receptor stimulation, in that binding of Gbeta{gamma} subunits released from Gi/o protein to GIRK channels stabilizes channel–PIP2 interaction leading to channel opening (Huang et al. 1998; Sui et al. 1998). However, whether a decrease in channel–PIP2 interaction is involved in GqPCR-mediated inhibition of PIP2-sensitive channels has not been well studied.

In our previous study, we showed in acutely isolated hippocampal CA1 neurons that stimulation of muscarinic receptors inhibited the GIRK current (IGIRK) via the PLC/protein kinase C (PKC) pathway, whereas group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR) inhibited IGIRK via the phospholipase A2 (PLA2)/arachidonic acid pathway (Sohn et al. 2007). We found in the present study that muscarinic receptor and group I mGluR-mediated inhibition of IGIRK is not additive but occlusive, suggesting that each pathway may converge on a common mechanism that finally regulates IGIRK. We then found that exogenous PIP2 application effectively abolished the IGIRK inhibitions induced not only by receptor stimulation but also by a PKC activator or arachidonic acid. These results suggest that both the muscarinic receptor–PLC–PKC pathway and the mGluR–PLA2–arachidonic acid pathway inhibit IGIRK by a common mechanism, the decrease in channel–PIP2 interaction.


    Methods
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Preparation of isolated hippocampal neurons

Hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons were isolated as previously described (Sohn et al. 2007). Protocols were approved by the Animal Care Committee at Seoul National University. Briefly 9- to 12-day-old Sprague–Dawley rats were decapitated under pentobarbital anaesthesia. The brain was quickly removed and submerged in ice-cold artificial cerebrospinal fluid (ACSF, see below) saturated with 95% O2 and 5% CO2. Transverse hippocampal slices (400 µm thick) were prepared using a vibrating microtome (VT1000S, Leica, Germany). After a 30 min recovery period at 32°C, the slices were treated with protease type XIV (1 mg/5 ml, Sigma, USA) for 30–60 min, and subsequently with protease type X (1 mg/5 ml, Sigma) for 10–15 min at 32°C. The slices were allowed to recover during a 1 h incubation period at room temperature. The CA1 region was identified and punched out under a binocular microscope (SZ40, Olympus, Japan), placed in a recording chamber containing normal Tyrode solution (see below) and mechanically dissociated using a Pasteur pipette to release individual neurons. The dissociated neurons were allowed to adhere to the bottom of the recording chamber for 10–20 min. Cells identified as pyramidal neurons typically had a large pyramidal-shaped cell body with a thick apical dendritic stump.

Solutions and drugs

ACSF contained (mM): NaCl 125, NaHCO3 25, KCl 3, NaH2PO4 1.25, CaCl2 2, MgCl2 1, glucose 10, sucrose 5, vitamin C 0.4, bubbled with mixture of 95% O2 and 5% CO2 to a final pH of 7.4. Normal Tyrode solution contained (mM): NaCl 150, KCl 5, CaCl2 2, MgCl2 1, glucose 10, Hepes 10, adjusted to pH 7.4 with Tris-OH. The high K+ normal Tyrode solution contained (mM): NaCl 95, KCl 60, CaCl2 2, MgCl2 1, glucose 10, Hepes 10, adjusted to pH 7.4 with Tris-OH. Nystatin perforation pipette solution contained (mM): KCl 40, potassium methanesulphonate 120, Hepes 10, adjusted to pH 7.3 with KOH. In supplemental material Fig. 1, the conventional whole cell configuration was used to deliver diC8-PIP2 into the cell with pipette solution containing (mM): potassium gluconate 110, KCl 30, Hepes 20, Mg-ATP 4, Na-vitamin C 4, Na-GTP 0.3, EGTA 0.1, adjusted to pH 7.3 with KOH.


Figure 1
View larger version (23K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]

 
Figure 1.  The inhibitory effects of IGIRK by CCh and DHPG are not additive
Nystatin-perforated whole cell current traces at a holding potential of –80 mV in high K+ normal Tyrode external solution ([K+]o = 60 mM). Baclofen at 100 µM was applied for 30–60 s to activate IGIRK and 10 µM CCh (Aa) or 50 µM DHPG (Ab) was applied as a pretreatment before the second IGIRK activation as indicated by the horizontal lines above the trace. Ac, both CCh and DHPG were applied as a pretreatment before the second IGIRK activation. B, normalized average current traces obtained from the current traces in the dashed rectangles in Ac (I1 and I2,CCh+DHPG). Open circles indicate I1 and filled circles indicate I2,CCh+DHPG. C, the peak amplitudes of I2, I2,CCh, I2,DHPG and I2,CCh+DHPG were 92.3 ± 1.7% (n = 8), 54.8 ± 1.3% (n = 8), 51.4 ± 0.6% (n = 10) and 52.2 ± 2.5% (n = 7) of I1,peak, respectively. Statistical values of the peak amplitudes of I2, I2,CCh, I2,DHPG versus I1,peak in C are from Fig. 2 in Sohn et al. (2007). Error bars indicate S.E.M.

 
Stock solutions of baclofen (Tocris, UK), 3,5-dihydroxyphenylglycine (DHPG, Tocris), carbachol (CCh, Sigma) and linopirdine (Tocris) were made by dissolving in de-ionized water and were stored stored at –20°C. On the day of the experiment one aliquot was thawed and used. Stock solutions of phorbol-12,13-dibutyrate (PDBu, Biomol), 4{alpha}-PDBu (Biomol), bisindolylmaleimide I (GF109203X, Sigma) and arachidonic acid (Calbiochem) were made by dissolving in DMSO (Sigma). The concentration of DMSO in the external solution was maintained below 0.1%.

Delivery of PIP2 to Cells

DiC16-PIP2, diC8-PIP2 or diC16-phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate (PI-4-P) (Echelon biosciences, USA) was dissolved in de-ionized water to make a stock solution (1 µg µl–1) and stored at –20°C. On the day of experiments one aliquot was thawed and used. Phosphoinositide (PI)–histone carrier complex was prepared by mixing 2 µl of 1 µg µl–1 PI stock solution in de-ionized water with 2 µl of 0.5 mM Shuttle PIPTM carrier-1 solution (Molecular probes, USA). The PI-carrier complex was put into the internal solution to make a final PIP2 (or PI-4-P) concentration of 10–30 µM. Cells were loaded with PIP2 via the patch pipette. Fluorescence (7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazole; NBD)-labelled PIP2 was handled identically. In supplemental material Fig. 1, only diC8-PIP2 (30 µM, without histone carrier) was included in the patch pipette for the conventional whole-cell loading of PIP2.

Electrophysiological recordings

Voltage clamp recordings of membrane currents were performed at room temperature using an EPC-10 amplifier (HEKA Elektronik, Germany), while the cells were superfused with the high K+ external solutions (60 mM [K+]o) by gravity flow. To ensure a rapid solution turnover, the rate of superfusion was maintained at ~5 ml min–1, which corresponded to 50 bath volumes (100 µl) per minute. The holding potential was –80 mV and the recording was performed in a perforated patch configuration by using nystatin (200 µg ml–1, MP biomedicals, USA) at a sampling rate of 10 Hz filtered at 1 kHz. In experiments which tested the effects of CCh, linopirdine (10 µM) was added to the external solution to exclude the influence of muscarinic inhibition of M current. Data were acquired using an IBM-compatible computer running Pulse software v8.67 (HEKA Elektronik). The patch pipettes were pulled from borosilicate capillaries (Hilgenberg-GmbH, Germany) using a Narishige puller (PC-10, Narishige, Japan). The patch pipettes had a resistance of 3–5 M{Omega} when filled with the above pipette solutions.

Data analysis

Data were analysed using IgorPro (version 4.1, WaveMetrics, USA) and Origin (version 6.0, OriginLab Corp., USA) software. Statistical data are expressed as means ± S.E.M., where n represents the number of cells studied. The peak IGIRK amplitudes were determined as follows. Baseline currents were subtracted from IGIRK traces and normalized to the peak amplitude of the first IGIRK. The normalized IGIRK traces under each experimental condition were averaged to reduce noise and minimize artifacts. This method produced a representative IGIRK trace, as shown in Fig. 1B, from which we could determine the peak IGIRK amplitudes. The significance of differences between the peaks was evaluated using Student's t test with a confidence level of P < 0.05.


    Results
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
CCh- and DHPG-mediated inhibition of IGIRK is not additive but occlusive

In acutely isolated hippocampal CA1 neurons, we recorded membrane currents using a nystatin-perforated whole-cell patch clamp technique at a holding potential of –80 mV, while cells were perfused with a high K+ bath solution (60 mM [K+]o). When baclofen (100 µM), a GABAB receptor agonist, was applied to the bath solution, IGIRK was activated promptly and underwent variable degrees of desensitization (Fig. 1A). We confirmed that the current recovered almost completely when baclofen was applied repetitively at intervals of 2–3 min (Sohn et al. 2007).

The pretreatment of cells with CCh (Fig. 1Aa) or DHPG (Fig. 1Ab) significantly reduced IGIRK. We showed in our previous study that the inhibition of IGIRK by CCh (muscarinic receptor stimulation) and that by DHPG (group I mGluR stimulation) occurred to a similar extent (the data are plotted again in Fig. 1C), but the mechanism was different (Sohn et al. 2007). The effect of CCh was mediated by the PLC/PKC pathway, while the effect of DHPG was mediated by the PLA2/arachidonic acid pathway. To investigate whether the effects of PKC and arachidonic acid on GIRK channels occur independently or via a common mechanism, we tested whether the effect of CCh and that of DHPG are additive or occlusive. The simultaneous application of CCh and DHPG before the second application of baclofen inhibited IGIRK (Fig. 1Ac), but the degree of inhibition appeared similar to that by CCh (Fig. 1Aa) or by DHPG alone (Fig. 1Ab). To demonstrate the average effect, the current trace was normalized to the peak current amplitude of I1 and the data obtained from seven cells were averaged (see methods), and the normalized average current trace of I1 (open circles) during 40 s (dashed rectangles indicated in Fig. 1Ac) was superimposed with that of I2 (filled circles) in the presence of both CCh and DHPG (Fig. 1B). I2,peak was 52.2 ± 2.5% (n = 7) of I1,peak, which was not significantly different from the results with CCh or DHPG alone (Fig. 1C; P > 0.05). These results suggest that the signalling pathways for IGIRK inhibition by CCh and DHPG may converge on a common mechanism downstream of PKC and arachidonic acid. To test whether PIP2 is involved in IGIRK inhibition by CCh and DHPG as a common mechanism, we tested the effect of CCh and DHPG in cells loaded with exogenously applied PIP2.

High PIP2 mobility enables PIP2 loading via patch pipettes

Cells could be loaded with PIP2 by using two different methods: external application of PIP2 together with carrier and direct application to the cytosol using a patch pipette in the whole cell mode. Since IGIRK could be recorded in a more stable way with the nystatin-perforated patch clamp technique, we preferred using the first method. We found that the best method of PIP2 loading for hippocampal neurons was to apply PIP2 locally using PIP2-containg patch pipettes, as was described in Cho et al. (2005b, 2006). NBD-labelled PIP2 was used to confirm the loading process of PIP2 into the cells, since NBD-labelled probes are fluorescent only when they are incorporated into membranes. A typical example is shown in Fig. 2A. When a patch pipette containing 16 µM of NBD-diC16-PIP2 with histone carrier was attached to the cell membrane (left panel), we could readily observe the bright fluorescence signals from the patch of the membrane and the entire membrane became visible (centre panel) within 1 min. Soon after, the whole cell was labelled (right panel), and fluorescence intensity increased gradually, reaching its maximum within 10 min, suggesting that both lateral diffusion and transmembrane diffusion of PIP2 is rapid in hippocampal neurons. Considering that PIP2 mobility is extremely low in cardiac myocytes (Cho et al. 2005a), this result is particularly interesting since it demonstrates the cell-type specific difference in PIP2 mobility.


Figure 2
View larger version (35K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]

 
Figure 2.  Loading of hippocampal neurons with NBD-labelled PIP2
A, NBD-labelled diC16-PIP2 (16 µM) was loaded via a patch pipette (left panel). Fluorescence signals were observed over the entire membrane including apical dendrite (arrow) within 1 min (centre panel). The whole cell was labelled, and the fluorescence intensity increased gradually to reach its maximum within 10 min (right panel). Times indicated above the panels are those from the attachment of the pipette to the cell. Scale bar = 10 µm. B, loading with 16 µM diC16-PIP2 did not affect the activation of IGIRK by baclofen, and I2,peak was 89.7 ± 2.0% (n = 8) of I1,peak.

 
Inhibitory effects of CCh or DHPG on IGIRK are reversed by PIP2 loading

During the course of PIP2 loading, we could record current since nystatin was also included in the pipette solutions. Current recordings usually started 10 min after the giga-seal was made. When IGIRK was activated by successive applications of baclofen during PIP2 loading, we could not find any significant difference compared to the results obtained using pipette solutions without PIP2 (Fig. 2B). I2,peak was 89.7 ± 2.0% (n = 8) of I1,peak, not significantly different from that in the control condition (92.3 ± 1.7%; n = 8, Fig. 2D in Sohn et al. 2007). It was also noted that the average amplitudes of I1 were not significantly different between the cells patched with PIP2-free (117.3 ± 22.0 pA, n = 8) and PIP2-containing (113.8 ± 15.8 pA, n = 8) solutions. The fact that additional PIP2 does not potentiate the activation of IGIRK may suggest that PIP2 binding of GIRK channels in the presence of baclofen is already saturated at the normal concentration of PIP2.

Subsequently, we tested if the application of PIP2 could reverse the inhibitory effects of CCh or DHPG on IGIRK. As shown in Fig. 3A, the inhibitory effects of both agonists were almost completely abolished with diC16-PIP2 (16 µM) in the patch pipette. To examine whether this effect is specific to PIP2, or an artifact originating from the loading method using carrier, we tested the effect of loading diC16-PI-4-P with the same carrier, and confirmed that the inhibitory effect of CCh remained unchanged in this condition (I2,CCh,peak = 49.9 ± 1.4% of I1,peak, n = 6). The effect of PIP2 was dependent on the concentration of PIP2 and the recovery was partial at lower concentrations. In the presence of 10 µM diC16-PIP2, the peak amplitude of I2,CCh and that of I2,DHPG were 79.0 ± 1.3% (n = 7) and 74.0 ± 2.1% (n = 7) of I1,peak, respectively (Fig. 3C). The effect of PIP2 was also dependent on the acyl chain length. DiC8-PIP2 was less potent than diC16-PIP2, in that 16 µM diC8-PIP2 did not completely abolish the inhibitory effects of CCh and DHPG on IGIRK (Fig. 3B and C). This result may suggest that PIP2 concentration in the membrane reaches higher levels when pipettes contain PIP2 with a longer acyl chain.


Figure 3
View larger version (25K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]

 
Figure 3.  PIP2 reversed IGIRK inhibition by CCh or DHPG in a concentration and acyl chain length dependent manner
A, the inhibition IGIRK by CCh (Aa) or DHPG (Ab) was almost completely reversed when loaded with 16 µM diC16-PIP2. B, normalized average current traces of cells which were patched with 16 µM diC8-PIP2 (middle traces) or 16 µM diC16-PIP2 (lower traces) in the pipette solution. Open circles indicate I1 and filled circles indicate I2,CCh or I2,DHPG. C, concentration and acyl chain length dependence in the effect of PIP2. I2,CCh in the presence of diC8-PIP2 or diC16-PIP2 was 70.1 ± 2.1% (n = 5) and 79.0 ± 1.3% (n = 7) of I1,peak, respectively, at 10 µM, and was 83.1 ± 3.3% (n = 7) and 100.3 ± 3.0% (n = 8) of I1,peak, respectively, at 16 µM. I2,DHPG in the presence of diC8-PIP2 or diC16-PIP2 was 69.5 ± 2.1% (n = 5) and 74.0 ± 2.1% (n = 7) of I1,peak, respectively, at 10 µM, and was 80.3 ± 3.6% (n = 6) and 101.4 ± 1.8% (n = 9) of I1,peak, respectively, at 16 µM. Normalized average current traces with no PIP2 (upper traces) in B and statistical data for no PIP2 in C are from Fig. 2 in Sohn et al. (2007). Error bars indicate S.E.M.

 
To further confirm the effect of PIP2, we established the conventional whole cell configuration to deliver PIP2 into the cytosol, as used in previous studies (Gamper et al. 2004; Brown et al. 2005; Robbins et al. 2006). Without PIP2 in the patch pipette, I2,CCh and I2,DHPG were 56.4 ± 2.3% (n = 6) and 51.2 ± 1.6% (n = 5) of I1,peak, respectively. In the presence of 10 µM diC8-PIP2 in the pipette solution, CCh-mediated inhibition was not affected (I2,peak = 51.5 ± 1.5% of I1,peak), indicating that the carrier-mediated PIP2 delivery system is more efficient than whole cell PIP2 delivery. Furthermore, diC16-PIP2 is more efficiently loaded to the cell membrane due to its higher partition coefficient (Cho et al. 2006). However, when diC8-PIP2 was increased to 30 µM, the effects of CCh or DHPG were completely blocked. In the presence of 30 µM PIP2, I2,CCh and I2,DHPG were 98.5 ± 2.6% (n = 8) and 98.0 ± 2.5% (n = 7) of I1,peak, respectively (supplemental Fig. 1).

PIP2 reverses IGIRK inhibition by phorbol ester and arachidonic acid

To investigate whether receptor-induced PIP2 depletion is prerequisite for PKC-mediated IGIRK inhibition, we tested if direct activation of PKC by phobol ester inhibits IGIRK. In control, the PKC activator PDBu significantly inhibited IGIRK when applied as a pretreatment (Fig. 4A and B, left), whereas the inactive analogue 4{alpha}-PDBu did not inhibit IGIRK (Fig. 4D). The I2,peak in the presence of PDBu was reduced to 54.7 ± 2.0% of I1,peak (n = 7), whereas that in the presence of 4{alpha}-PDBu was 90.7 ± 1.7% of I1,peak (n = 4). The effect of PDBu was significantly reduced by GF109203X, a PKC inhibitor (Fig. 4B, right). The result that PDBu-induced inhibition of IGIRK in normal PIP2 concentration occurs to a similar extent with IGIRK inhibition by muscarinic receptor stimulation may suggest that PIP2 depletion is not a prerequisite for M1/M3 receptor/PKC-mediated IGIRK inhibition.


Figure 4
View larger version (22K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]

 
Figure 4.  PDBu-induced IGIRK inhibition was reversed with PIP2
A, PDBu (0.1 µM), a PKC activator, was applied as a pretreatment before the activation of I2. B, normalized average current traces. The inhibitory effect of PDBu on IGIRK (left) was almost completely reversed by pretreatment with GF109203X (0.1 µM), a PKC inhibitor, before the application of PDBu (right). Open circles indicate I1 and filled circles indicate I2,PDBu. C, normalized average current traces. The cells were patched with pipette solutions containing 30 µM of diC16-PIP2. D, the I2,peak in the presence of PDBu or 4{alpha}-PDBu was 54.7 ± 2.0% (n = 7) and 90.7 ± 1.7% (n = 4) of I1,peak, respectively. The peak amplitude of I2,PDBu in the presence of GF109203X or diC16-PIP2 was 92.8 ± 4.5% (n = 6) and 97.1 ± 1.5% (n = 6) of I1,peak, respectively. *P < 0.05. GFX = GF109203X. Error bars indicate S.E.M.

 
We then tested whether the inhibitory effect of PDBu on IGIRK was reversed by PIP2 loading. As shown in Fig. 4C, the inhibitory effect of PDBu on IGIRK was fully reversed when 30 µM of diC16-PIP2 was included in the pipette solution. The fact that the effect of direct PKC activation, not accompanied by receptor-induced PIP2 depletion, is also reversed by exogenous PIP2 application may suggest that the mechanism of action of PKC is to decrease the PIP2 affinity of the channel.

We repeated similar experiments to test if direct application of arachidonic acid inhibits IGIRK and this effect is reversed by PIP2. When we pretreated the cell with arachidonic acid before the second application of baclofen, IGIRK was reduced dose-dependently. The peak amplitudes of I2 in the presence of 4 µM and 7 µM arachidonic acid (I2,AA) were 78.4 ± 2.1% (n = 4) and 59.4 ± 0.7% (n = 7) of I1,peak, respectively. The inhibitory effect of arachidonic acid was fully reversed in PIP2-loaded cells (Fig. 5A and B), suggesting that arachidonic acid-induced inhibition of IGIRK is also mediated by a decrease in PIP2 affinity of the channel.


Figure 5
View larger version (18K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]

 
Figure 5.  Arachidonic acid-mediated IGIRK inhibition was reversed with PIP2
A, the pretreatment of cells with arachidonic acid before I2 activation inhibited IGIRK (upper panel). DiC16-PIP2 reversed the effect of arachidonic acid partially (10 µM, lower left) or completely (16 µM, lower right) depending on the concentration. Open circles indicate I1 and filled circles indicate I2,AA. B, the peak amplitude of I2,AA was 59.4 ± 0.7% (n = 7) of I1,peak. When the cell was loaded with 10 µM or 16 µM PIP2 via a patch pipette, the peak amplitude of I2,AA was 74.1 ± 1.8% (n = 6) and 104.3 ± 2.7% (n = 7) of I1,peak, respectively. AA = arachidonic acid. Error bars indicate S.E.M.

 

    Discussion
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
We have demonstrated in this study that the inhibition of IGIRK by receptor stimulation and that by direct application of PKC activator or arachidonic acid were reversed completely by exogenous application of PIP2. Together with the results of the previous study showing that wortmannin did not block the recovery of the receptor-mediated channel inhibition (Sohn et al. 2007), we suggest that PIP2 depletion plays a minor role but the decrease in PIP2 affinity serves as the common mechanism involved in IGIRK inhibition by muscarinic receptors and group I mGluR stimulations. This is the first study to show the role of PIP2 as a common mediator in the receptor-specific regulation of GIRK channels by GqPCRs in native neurons. The signalling pathway involved in GIRK channel regulation is illustrated schematically in Fig. 6.


Figure 6
View larger version (26K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]

 
Figure 6.  Schematic diagram for receptor-mediated GIRK channel regulation
The activation of GABAB receptor opens the GIRK channel by releasing the Gbeta{gamma} subunit, which strengthens the channel–PIP2 interaction. The activation of GqPCRs (M1/M3 receptor and group I mGluR) are followed by subsequent activation of the PLC/PKC or PLA2/arachidonic acid pathway, which interferes with the interaction between the GIRK channel and PIP2 to inhibit GIRK current.

 
PIP2 depletion versus decrease in PIP2 affinity

The PIP2 depletion hypothesis has been supported by the experiments showing that the receptor-mediated inhibitions of GIRK current are attenuated with a supplement of PIP2 (Cho et al. 2005b). In the present study, we found that CCh- and DHPG-mediated IGIRK inhibitions were reversed by exogenous PIP2 application, but we could not regard this result as evidence that CCh- and DHPG-mediated IGIRK inhibitions were mediated by PIP2 depletion, because the inhibitions were also reversed completely by inhibitors of PKC and PLA2 (Sohn et al. 2007). These results suggest that the involvement of PIP2 occurs downstream of PKC or PLA2, so we hypothesized that PKC or arachidonic acid reduces the affinity for channel–PIP2 interaction. This possibility was supported by the result that IGIRK inhibitions by PDBu and arachidonic acid were also reversed by exogenous PIP2 (Figs 4 and 5). We therefore now think that the effect of exogenous PIP2 on receptor-mediated inhibition of PIP2-sensitive channels should be interpreted carefully: it cannot be regarded as direct evidence that PIP2 depletion is a primary cause of receptor-mediated channel inhibition, and the possibility that the decrease in channel–PIP2 interaction is associated with receptor-mediated signalling mechanisms should also be considered.

Brown et al. (2005) investigated the role of PIP2 depletion and PKC activation in muscarinic inhibition of Kir3.1/3.2 A currents expressed in HEK-293 cells. Because the blocking of PIP2 regeneration with wortmannin inhibited recovery, PIP2 was thought to be hydrolysed by CCh. PIP2 depletion, however, was not considered as a major mechanism of inhibition since the inhibition of PKC almost completely blocked muscarinic inhibition. They interpreted their results as evidence for dual regulation, in that muscarinic inhibition results primarily from PKC-mediated sensitization of the channel to decrease in membrane PIP2 levels, whereas the recovery from inhibition depends primarily on PIP2 regeneration. The result of PKC inhibition is consistent with the result obtained for baclofen-activated GIRK currents in hippocampal neurons (Sohn et al. 2007), suggesting that in both expressed and native GIRK channels, the decrease in membrane PIP2 level is insufficient to cause channel inhibition, but PKC-mediated decrease in channel–PIP2 interaction may play a major role. It may be worthwhile to note that unlike the effect of wortmannin on muscarinic inhibition of GIRK currents expressed in HEK-293 cells, it is not prominent in hippocampal neurons (Sohn et al. 2007). This discrepancy may suggest that regulation mechanisms of PIP2 concentrations involving PIP2 breakdown and PIP2 regeneration differ among different cell types.

In principle, decreases in channel-PIP2 affinity render PIP2-sensitive channels more susceptible to PIP2 depletion, so these two possibilities are not necessarily considered to be mutually exclusive for the mechanism of receptor-mediated channel inhibitions. The present study did not entirely exclude the possibility that PIP2 depletion plays an additional role in receptor-mediated inhibition of GIRK currents in hippocampal neurons. However, it is not easy to evaluate the contribution of each mechanism, since we do not have information about the PIP2 concentration changes caused by CCh and DHPG in hippocampal neurons. Instead, it may be useful to estimate how much concentration drop is needed to cause the half-inhibition of IGIRK by means of PIP2 depletion. It was reported that the EC50 value of PIP2 for GIRK channel activation is 17.7 µM (Jin et al. 2002), and the channel-PIP2 binding is strengthened by more than 10-fold in the presence Gbeta{gamma} (Huang et al. 1998). Assuming that the EC50 value of PIP2 for baclofen-activated current is 2 µM and that the PIP2 concentration in normal neurons is not different from other cells and is about 10 µM (McLaughlin et al. 2002; Nasuhoglu et al. 2002a), about 80% depletion is required to inhibit baclofen-activated IGIRK by half. If PIP2 concentration is 20 µM under control condition, 90% depletion would be required for the same effect. This situation is very different from that of PIP2-sensitive channels with low PIP2 affinity, such as M channels, in that the EC50 is above the normal PIP2 concentration (87.2 µM in Zhang et al. 2003) and the channel activity can be affected by small changes in PIP2 concentrations. It appears that PIP2 depletion is not an efficient mechanism for controlling PIP2-sensitive channels that have a high affinity for PIP2.

We previously proposed the hypothesis that diffusion properties are important in determining the spatial and temporal profiles of PIP2 depletion in response to Gq/PLC activation (Cho et al. 2005a). Simulation of PIP2 concentration changes in a two-dimensional diffusion model showed that a profound PIP2 depletion restricted to the microdomain adjacent to PLC is expected to occur when PIP2 mobility is low. In contrast, when PIP2 mobility is high, the PIP2 depletion induced by PLC activation is not localized but readily attenuated by diffusion, so that the resulting changes become slower and smaller. We found in the present study that the PIP2 fluorescence signal was detected in the apical dendrite after local application of NBD-labelled PIP2 to the soma using a cell-attached patch pipette (Fig. 2A, arrow), indicating that PIP2 mobility in hippocampal neurons is high. In this condition, PIP2 depletion produced in response to PLC activation is expected to be less profound than that in cardiac myocytes where PIP2 mobility is extremely low (Cho et al. 2005a). Considering that PIP2 depletion plays a major role in receptor-mediated inhibition of GIRK channels in cardiac myocytes, but not in hippocampal neurons, it may be inferred that the difference in PIP2 mobility in different cell types may underlie, at least in part, the differential use of PIP2 when it is involved in receptor-mediated signalling mechanisms.

Mechanisms for modulating ion channel–PIP2 interaction

It is well known that channel–PIP2 interaction is crucial for the activities of inwardly rectifying K+ (Kir) channels, but their affinities for PIP2 vary widely among different type of Kir channels (Huang et al. 1998; Zhang et al. 1999). More recently, it was suggested that differences in their affinity are responsible for differences among Kir channels in their specific regulation by a given modulator (Du et al. 2004). For example, Kir 3.4 or Kir 2.3 channels which have low affinity for PIP2 are inhibited by ACh or by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), a PKC activator, whereas Kir 2.1 or Kir 3.4 channels in the presence of Gbeta{gamma}, which have high affinity for PIP2, are little affected. Given that the activity of Kir 3.4 channels in the presence of Gbeta{gamma} corresponds to ACh-activated IGIRK in native myocytes, the results of Du et al. (2004) are compatible with our previous report showing that ACh-activated IGIRK in native myocytes is not affected by PDBu (Cho et al. 2001b). In contrast, the result in this study showed that baclofen-activated IGIRK was inhibited by PDBu (Fig. 4). This discrepancy may reflect that GIRK channel–PIP2 interactions in the presence of Gi/o-coupled receptor agonists in hippocampal neurons are not as strong as those in cardiac myocytes.

Several studies have suggested the role of PKC in the inhibition of GIRK current (Sharon et al. 1997; Stevens et al. 1999; Hill & Peralta, 2001; Leaney et al. 2001; Brown et al. 2005), but the molecular mechanisms are not yet clear. Mao et al. (2004) were successful in showing that in GIRK channels expressed in Xenopus oocytes, phosphorylation of the serine residues (S185 in Kir3.1 and S191 in Kir3.4) is responsible for channel inhibition by PMA or substance P. Because these serine residues are adjacent to the amino acid residues at the proximal C-terminal that were shown to be responsible for the Kir channel–PIP2 interaction (Huang et al. 1998; Zhang et al. 1999), it could be speculated that the phosphorylation of these sites by PKC decreases the PIP2 affinity. This idea is supported by a recent work by Keselman & Logothetis (2007), and our study suggests that neuronal GIRK channels in native cells may be regulated by the same mechanism.

On the other hand, the molecular mechanism of arachidonic acid action on channel–PIP2 interaction was understood in relation to Nai-dependent activation of GIRK channel. It was shown that endothelin receptor-mediated inhibition of Kir3 channels involved the PLA2/arachidonic acid pathway (Rogalski et al. 1999). Subsequently, a critical aspartate residue (D223 in Kir3.4) which is known to be neutralized by Na+ ion to facilitate PIP2 binding (Ho & Murrell-Lagnado, 1999) was shown to be required for arachidonic acid sensitivity (Rogalski & Chavkin, 2001). From these results together with our results, it could be suggested that arachidonic acid may interfere with the binding of PIP2 to Nai-neutralized aspartate residues and eventually decrease the PIP2 affinity of the GIRK channel.

We showed in the present study that the effect of CCh on baclofen-activated IGIRK in hippocampal neurons and that of DHPG are not additive, suggesting the possibility that the effects of PKC-dependent channel phosphorylation and the action of arachidonic acid on Nai-dependent channel activation occlude each other. Nevertheless, the molecular mechanism of how this kind of occlusion occurs is not yet known. Interestingly, a 3D structural model of Kir channels reveals that the amino acid residues involved in PIP2 binding and those involved in the channel modulations by a diverse group of regulatory molecules are localized with a striking proximity (for reviews see: Logothetis et al. 2007). It can be speculated that the physical proximity between these residues may lead to the occlusion, so that decreased channel–PIP2 interaction by PKC phosphorylation may preclude arachidonic acid action and vice versa. The possibility that occlusion occurs at the level of Gq protein needs also to be considered.


    Footnotes
 
This paper has online supplemental material.


    References
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Brown SG, Thomas A, Dekker LV, Tinker A & Leaney JL (2005). PKC-{delta} sensitizes Kir3.1/3.2 channels to changes in membrane phospholipid levels after M3 receptor activation in HEK-293 cells. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 289, C543–C556.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Cho H, Kim YA & Ho WK (2006). Phosphate number and acyl chain length determine the subcellular location and lateral mobility of phosphoinositides. Mol Cells 22, 97–103.[Medline]

Cho H, Kim YA, Yoon JY, Lee D, Kim JH, Lee SH & Ho WK (2005a). Low mobility of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate underlies receptor specificity of Gq-mediated ion channel regulation in atrial myocytes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 102, 15241–15246.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Cho H, Lee D, Lee SH & Ho WK (2005b). Receptor-induced depletion of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate inhibits inwardly rectifying K+ channels in a receptor-specific manner. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 102, 4643–4648.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Cho H, Nam GB, Lee SH, Earm YE & Ho WK (2001a). Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate is acting as a signal molecule in {alpha}1-adrenergic pathway via the modulation of acetylcholine-activated K+ channels in mouse atrial myocytes. J Biol Chem 276, 159–164.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Cho H, Youm JB, Earm YE & Ho WK (2001b). Inhibition of acetylcholine-activated K+ current by chelerythrine and bisindolylmaleimide I in atrial myocytes from mice. Eur J Pharmacol 424, 173–178.[CrossRef][Medline]

Delmas P, Wanaverbecq N, Abogadie FC, Mistry M & Brown DA (2002). Signaling microdomains define the specificity of receptor-mediated InsP3 pathways in neurons. Neuron 34, 209–220.[CrossRef][Medline]

Du X, Zhang H, Lopes C, Mirshahi T, Rohacs T & Logothetis DE (2004). Characteristic interactions with phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate determine regulation of Kir channels by diverse modulators. J Biol Chem 279, 37271–37281.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Gamper N, Reznikov V, Yamada Y, Yang J & Shapiro MS (2004). Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate signals underlie receptor-specific Gq/11-mediated modulation of N-type Ca2+ channels. J Neurosci 24, 10980–10992.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Hilgemann DW, Feng S & Nasuhoglu C (2001). The complex and intriguing lives of PIP2 with ion channels and transporters. Sci STKE 2001, RE19.

Hill JJ & Peralta EG (2001). Inhibition of a Gi-activated potassium channel (GIRK1/4) by the Gq-coupled m1 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor. J Biol Chem 276, 5505–5510.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Ho IH & Murrell-Lagnado RD (1999). Molecular mechanism for sodium-dependent activation of G protein-gated K+ channels. J Physiol 520, 645–651.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Horowitz LF, Hirdes W, Suh BC, Hilgemann DW, Mackie K & Hille B (2005). Phospholipase C in living cells: activation, inhibition, Ca2+ requirement, and regulation of M current. J Gen Physiol 126, 243–262.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Huang CL, Feng S & Hilgemann DW (1998). Direct activation of inward rectifier potassium channels by PIP2 and its stabilization by Gbeta{gamma}. Nature 391, 803–806.

Jin T, Peng L, Mirshahi T, Rohacs T, Chan KW, Sanchez R & Logothetis DE (2002). The beta{gamma} subunits of G proteins gate a K+ channel by pivoted bending of a transmembrane segment. Mol Cell 10, 469–481.[CrossRef][Medline]

Keselman I & Logothetis DE (2007). Diverse signaling pathways regulate Kir3 activity through modulation of channel interactions with PI (4,5) P2. Biophys J (Suppl.) 28a, 120–Plat (abstract).

Leaney JL, Dekker LV & Tinker A (2001). Regulation of a G protein-gated inwardly rectifying K+ channel by a Ca2+-independent protein kinase C. J Physiol 534, 367–379.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Logothetis DE, Lupyan D & Rosenhouse-Dantsker A (2007). Diverse Kir modulators act in close proximity to residues implicated in phosphoinositide binding. J Physiol 582, 953–965.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Mao J, Wang X, Chen F, Wang R, Rojas A, Shi Y, Piao H & Jiang C (2004). Molecular basis for the inhibition of G protein-coupled inward rectifier K+ channels by protein kinase C. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 101, 1087–1092.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

McLaughlin S, Wang J, Gambhir A & Murray D (2002). PIP2 and proteins: interactions, organization, and information flow. Annu Rev Biophys Biomol Struct 31, 151–175.[CrossRef][Medline]

Meyer T, Wellner-Kienitz MC, Biewald A, Bender K, Eickel A & Pott L (2001). Depletion of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate by activation of phospholipase C-coupled receptors causes slow inhibition but not desensitization of G protein-gated inward rectifier K+ current in atrial myocytes. J Biol Chem 276, 5650–5658.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Nasuhoglu C, Feng S, Mao Y, Shammat I, Yamamato M, Earnest S, Lemmon M & Hilgemann DW (2002b). Modulation of cardiac PIP2 by cardioactive hormones and other physiologically relevant interventions. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 283, C223–C234.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Nasuhoglu C, Feng S, Mao J, Yamamoto M, Yin HL, Earnest S, Barylko B, Albanesi JP & Hilgemann DW (2002a). Nonradioactive analysis of phosphatidylinositides and other anionic phospholipids by anion-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography with suppressed conductivity detection. Anal Biochem 301, 243–254.[CrossRef][Medline]

Robbins J, Marsh SJ & Brown DA (2006). Probing the regulation of M (Kv7) potassium channels in intact neurons with membrane-targeted peptides. J Neurosci 26, 7950–7961.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Rogalski SL & Chavkin C (2001). Eicosanoids inhibit the G-protein-gated inwardly rectifying potassium channel (Kir3) at the Na+/PIP2 gating site. J Biol Chem 276, 14855–14860.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Rogalski SL, Cyr C & Chavkin C (1999). Activation of the endothelin receptor inhibits the G protein-coupled inwardly rectifying potassium channel by a phospholipase A2-mediated mechanism. J Neurochem 72, 1409–1416.[CrossRef][Medline]

Sharon D, Vorobiov D & Dascal N (1997). Positive and negative coupling of the metabotropic glutamate receptors to a G protein-activated K+ channel, GIRK, in Xenopus oocytes. J Gen Physiol 109, 477–490.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Sohn JW, Lee D, Cho H, Lim W, Shin HS, Lee SH & Ho WK (2007). Receptor-specific inhibition of GABAB-activated K+ currents by muscarinic and metabotropic glutamate receptors in immature rat hippocampus. J Physiol 580, 411–422.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Stevens EB, Shah BS, Pinnock RD & Lee K (1999). Bombesin receptors inhibit G protein-coupled inwardly rectifying K+ channels expressed in Xenopus oocytes through a protein kinase C-dependent pathway. Mol Pharmacol 55, 1020–1027.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Suh BC, Horowitz LF, Hirdes W, Mackie K & Hille B (2004). Regulation of KCNQ2/KCNQ3 current by G protein cycling: the kinetics of receptor-mediated signaling by Gq. J Gen Physiol 123, 663–683.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Sui JL, Petit-Jacques J & Logothetis DE (1998). Activation of the atrial KACh channel by the beta{gamma} subunits of G proteins or intracellular Na+ ions depends on the presence of phosphatidylinositol phosphates. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 95, 1307–1312.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Winks JS, Hughes S, Filippov AK, Tatulian L, Abogadie FC, Brown DA & Marsh SJ (2005). Relationship between membrane phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate and receptor-mediated inhibition of native neuronal M channels. J Neurosci 25, 3400–3413.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Zhang H, Craciun LC, Mirshahi T, Rohacs T, Lopes CM, Jin T & Logothetis DE (2003). PIP2 activates KCNQ channels, and its hydrolysis underlies receptor-mediated inhibition of M currents. Neuron 37, 963–975.[CrossRef][Medline]

Zhang H, He C, Yan X, Mirshahi T & Logothetis DE (1999). Activation of inwardly rectifying K+ channels by distinct PtdIns(4,5)P2 interactions. Nat Cell Biol 1, 183–188.[CrossRef][Medline]


    Acknowledgements
 
This work was supported by the National Research Laboratory Program (R0A-2004-000-10295-0) funded by the Korean Ministry of Science and Technology. A. Lim was supported by the BK21 Program from the Korean Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development.




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
Am. J. Physiol. Renal Physiol.Home page
C.-L. Huang
Complex roles of PIP2 in the regulation of ion channels and transporters
Am J Physiol Renal Physiol, December 1, 2007; 293(6): F1761 - F1765.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Physiol.Home page
B. Robertson
Regulation of ion channels and transporters by phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate
J. Physiol., August 1, 2007; 582(3): 901 - 902.
[Full Text] [PDF]


This Article
Right arrow Abstract Freely available
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Supplemental data
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
582/3/1037    most recent
jphysiol.2007.137265v1
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Sohn, J.-W.
Right arrow Articles by Ho, W.-K.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Sohn, J.-W.
Right arrow Articles by Ho, W.-K.
Related Collections
Right arrow Cellular


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS