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Boyd-Shiwarski CR, Shiwarski DJ, Griffiths SE, Beacham RT, Norrell L, Morrison DE, Wang J, Mann J, Tennant W, Anderson EN, Franks J, Calderon M, Connolly KA, Cheema MU, Weaver CJ, Nkashama LJ, Weckerly CC, Querry KE, Pandey UB, Donnelly CJ, Sun D, Rodan AR, Subramanya AR. WNK kinases sense molecular crowding and rescue cell volume via phase separation. Cell 2022; 185:4488-4506.e20. [PMID: 36318922 PMCID: PMC9699283 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.09.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Revised: 07/23/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
When challenged by hypertonicity, dehydrated cells must recover their volume to survive. This process requires the phosphorylation-dependent regulation of SLC12 cation chloride transporters by WNK kinases, but how these kinases are activated by cell shrinkage remains unknown. Within seconds of cell exposure to hypertonicity, WNK1 concentrates into membraneless condensates, initiating a phosphorylation-dependent signal that drives net ion influx via the SLC12 cotransporters to restore cell volume. WNK1 condensate formation is driven by its intrinsically disordered C terminus, whose evolutionarily conserved signatures are necessary for efficient phase separation and volume recovery. This disorder-encoded phase behavior occurs within physiological constraints and is activated in vivo by molecular crowding rather than changes in cell size. This allows kinase activity despite an inhibitory ionic milieu and permits cell volume recovery through condensate-mediated signal amplification. Thus, WNK kinases are physiological crowding sensors that phase separate to coordinate a cell volume rescue response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cary R Boyd-Shiwarski
- Department of Medicine, Renal-Electrolyte Division, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA; Pittsburgh Center for Kidney Research, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Daniel J Shiwarski
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Shawn E Griffiths
- Department of Medicine, Renal-Electrolyte Division, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Rebecca T Beacham
- Department of Medicine, Renal-Electrolyte Division, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Logan Norrell
- Molecular Medicine Program, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84132, USA
| | - Daryl E Morrison
- Molecular Medicine Program, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84132, USA
| | - Jun Wang
- Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Jacob Mann
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - William Tennant
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Eric N Anderson
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Jonathan Franks
- Center for Biological Imaging, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Michael Calderon
- Center for Biological Imaging, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Kelly A Connolly
- Department of Medicine, Renal-Electrolyte Division, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Muhammad Umar Cheema
- Department of Medicine, Renal-Electrolyte Division, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Claire J Weaver
- Department of Medicine, Renal-Electrolyte Division, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Lubika J Nkashama
- Department of Medicine, Renal-Electrolyte Division, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Claire C Weckerly
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Katherine E Querry
- Department of Medicine, Renal-Electrolyte Division, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Udai Bhan Pandey
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA; Center for Protein Conformational Diseases, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Christopher J Donnelly
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA; Center for Protein Conformational Diseases, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Dandan Sun
- Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA; VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, PA 15240, USA
| | - Aylin R Rodan
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84132, USA; Molecular Medicine Program, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84132, USA; Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84132, USA; Medical Service, VA Salt Lake City Health Care System, Salt Lake City, UT 84148, USA
| | - Arohan R Subramanya
- Department of Medicine, Renal-Electrolyte Division, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA; Department of Cell Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA; Center for Protein Conformational Diseases, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA; Pittsburgh Center for Kidney Research, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA; VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, PA 15240, USA.
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Božič B, Zemljič Jokhadar Š, Kristanc L, Gomišček G. Cell Volume Changes and Membrane Ruptures Induced by Hypotonic Electrolyte and Sugar Solutions. Front Physiol 2020; 11:582781. [PMID: 33364974 PMCID: PMC7750460 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2020.582781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2020] [Accepted: 11/06/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The cell volume changes induced by hypotonic electrolyte and sucrose solutions were studied in Chinese-hamster-ovary epithelial cells. The effects in the solutions with osmolarities between 32 and 315 mosM/L and distilled water were analyzed using bright-field and fluorescence confocal microscopy. The changes of the cell volume, accompanied by the detachment of cells, the formation of blebs, and the occurrence of almost spherical vesicle-like cells (“cell-vesicles”), showed significant differences in the long-time responses of the cells in the electrolyte solutions compared with the sucrose-containing solutions. A theoretical model based on different permeabilities of ions and sucrose molecules and on the action of Na+/K+-ATPase pumps is applied. It is consistent with the observed temporal behavior of the cells’ volume and the occurrence of tension-induced membrane ruptures and explains lower long-time responses of the cells in the sucrose solutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bojan Božič
- Institute of Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Špela Zemljič Jokhadar
- Institute of Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.,Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Luka Kristanc
- Institute of Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Gregor Gomišček
- Institute of Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.,Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
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Rana PS, Kurokawa M, Model MA. Evidence for macromolecular crowding as a direct apoptotic stimulus. J Cell Sci 2020; 133:jcs243931. [PMID: 32393677 PMCID: PMC7240305 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.243931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2020] [Accepted: 03/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Potassium loss and persistent shrinkage have both been implicated in apoptosis but their relationship and respective roles remain controversial. We approached this problem by clamping intracellular sodium and potassium in HeLa or MDCK cells using a combination of ionophores. Although ionophore treatment caused significant cell swelling, the initial volume could be restored and further reduced by application of sucrose. The swollen cells treated with ionophores remained viable for at least 8 h without any signs of apoptosis. Application of sucrose and the resulting shrinkage caused volume-dependent intrinsic apoptosis with all its classical features: inversion of phosphatidylserine, caspase activation and Bcl-2-dependent release of cytochrome c from mitochondria. In other experiments, apoptosis was induced by addition of the protein kinase inhibitor staurosporine at various degrees of swelling. Our results show that: (1) persistent shrinkage can cause apoptosis regardless of intracellular sodium or potassium composition or of the state of actin cytoskeleton; (2) strong potassium dependence of caspase activation is only observed in swollen cells with a reduced density of cytosolic proteins. We conclude that macromolecular crowding can be an important factor in determining the transition of cells to apoptosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priyanka S Rana
- Department of Biological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA
| | - Manabu Kurokawa
- Department of Biological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA
| | - Michael A Model
- Department of Biological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA
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