Distinct functional properties of two electrogenic isoforms of the SLC34 Na-Pi cotransporter

What voltage-sensing phosphatases can reveal about the mechanisms of ion channel regulation by phosphoinositides

Many membrane proteins including ion channels and ion transporters are regulated by membrane phospholipids such as phosphoinositides in cell membranes and organelles. Voltage-sensing phosphatase, VSP, is a voltage-sensitive phosphoinositide phosphatase which dephosphorylates PI(4,5)P2 into PI(4)P. VSP rapidly reduces the level of PI(4,5)P2 upon membrane depolarization, thus serving as a useful tool to quantitatively study phosphoinositide-regulation of ion channels and ion transporters using a cellular electrophysiology system. In this review, we focus on the application of VSPs to Kv7 family potassium channels, which have been important research targets in biophysics, pharmacology and medicine.

Engineering an enhanced voltage-sensing phosphatase

Voltage-sensing phosphatases (VSP) consist of a membrane-spanning voltage sensor domain and a cytoplasmic region that has enzymatic activity toward phosphoinositides (PIs). VSP enzyme activity is regulated by membrane potential, and its activation leads to rapid and reversible alteration of cellular PIP levels. These properties enable VSPs to be used as a tool for studying the effects of phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PI(4,5)P₂) binding to ion channels and transporters. For example, by applying simple changes in the membrane potential, Danio rerio VSP (Dr-VSP) has been used effectively to manipulate PI(4,5)P₂ in mammalian cells with few, if any, side effects. In the present study, we report an enhanced version of Dr-VSP as an improved molecular tool for depleting PI(4,5)P₂ from cultured mammalian cells. We modified Dr-VSP in two ways. Its voltage-dependent phosphatase activity was enhanced by introducing an aromatic residue at the position of Leu-223 within a membrane-interacting region of the phosphatase domain called the hydrophobic spine. In addition, selective plasma membrane targeting of Dr-VSP was facilitated by fusion with the N-terminal region of Ciona intestinalis VSP. This modified Dr-VSP (CiDr-VSP^mChe L223F, or what we call eVSP) induced more drastic voltage-evoked changes in PI(4,5)P₂ levels, using the activities of Kir2.1, KCNQ2/3, and TRPC6 channels as functional readouts. eVSP is thus an improved molecular tool for evaluating the PI(4,5)P₂ sensitivity of ion channels in living cells.

Engineering voltage sensing phosphatase (VSP)

Voltage sensing phosphatase (VSP), consists of a voltage sensor domain (VSD) like that found in voltage-gated ion channels and a phosphoinositide (PIP) phosphatase region exhibiting remarkable structural similarity to a tumor suppressor enzyme, PTEN. Membrane depolarization activates the enzyme activity through tight coupling between the VSD and enzyme region. The VSD of VSP has a unique nature; it is a self-contained module that can be transferred to other proteins, conferring voltage sensitivity. Thanks to this nature, numerous versions of gene-encoded voltage indicators (GEVIs) have been developed through combination of a fluorescent protein with the VSD of VSP. In addition, VSP itself can also serve as a tool to alter PIP levels in cells. Cellular levels of PIPs, PI(4,5)P₂ in particular, can be acutely and transiently reduced using a simple voltage protocol after heterologous expression of VSP. Recent progress in our understanding of the molecular structure and mechanisms underlying VSP facilitates optimization of its molecular properties for its use as a molecular tool.

A Nearly Complete Genome of Ciona intestinalis Type A (C. robusta) Reveals the Contribution of Inversion to Chromosomal Evolution in the Genus Ciona

Since its initial publication in 2002, the genome of Ciona intestinalis type A (Ciona robusta), the first genome sequence of an invertebrate chordate, has provided a valuable resource for a wide range of biological studies, including developmental biology, evolutionary biology, and neuroscience. The genome assembly was updated in 2008, and it included 68% of the sequence information in 14 pairs of chromosomes. However, a more contiguous genome is required for analyses of higher order genomic structure and of chromosomal evolution. Here, we provide a new genome assembly for an inbred line of this animal, constructed with short and long sequencing reads and Hi-C data. In this latest assembly, over 95% of the 123 Mb of sequence data was included in the chromosomes. Short sequencing reads predicted a genome size of 114-120 Mb; therefore, it is likely that the current assembly contains almost the entire genome, although this estimate of genome size was smaller than previous estimates. Remapping of the Hi-C data onto the new assembly revealed a large inversion in the genome of the inbred line. Moreover, a comparison of this genome assembly with that of Ciona savignyi, a different species in the same genus, revealed many chromosomal inversions between these two Ciona species, suggesting that such inversions have occurred frequently and have contributed to chromosomal evolution of Ciona species. Thus, the present assembly greatly improves an essential resource for genome-wide studies of ascidians.