Novel regulation of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) channel gating by external chloride

The cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) is vital for Cl(-) and HCO(3)(-) transport in many epithelia. As the HCO(3)(-) concentration in epithelial secretions varies and can reach as high as 140 mm, the lumen-facing domains of CFTR are exposed to large reciprocal variations in Cl(-) and HCO(3)(-) levels. We have investigated whether changes in the extracellular anionic environment affects the activity of CFTR using the patch clamp technique. In fast whole cell current recordings, the replacement of 100 mm external Cl(-) ((Cl(o)(-))) with HCO(3)(-), Br(-), NO(3)(-), or aspartate(-) inhibited inward CFTR current (Cl(-) efflux) by approximately 50% in a reversible manner. Lowering Cl(o)(-) alone by iso-osmotic replacement with mannitol also reduced Cl(-) efflux to a similar extent. The maximal inhibition of CFTR current was approximately 70%. Raising cytosolic calcium shifted the Cl(-) dose-inhibition curve to the left but did not alter the maximal current inhibition observed. In contrast, a reduction in the internal [Cl(-)] neither inhibited CFTR nor altered the block caused by reduced Cl(o)(-). Single channel recordings from outside-out patches showed that lowering Cl(o)(-) markedly reduced channel open probability with little effect on unitary conductance. Together, these results indicate that alterations in Cl(o)(-) alone and not the Cl(-)/HCO(3)(-) ratio regulate the gating of CFTR. Physiologically, our data have implications for current models of epithelial HCO(3)(-) secretion and for the control of pH at epithelial cell surfaces.     

Purification and crystallization of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR)

The cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) is a membrane protein that is mutated in patients suffering from cystic fibrosis. Here we report the purification and first crystallization of wild-type human CFTR. Functional characterization of the material showed it to be highly active. Electron crystallography of negatively stained two-dimensional crystals of CFTR has revealed the overall architecture of this channel for two different conformational states. These show a strong structural homology to two conformational states of another eukaryotic ATP-binding cassette transporter, P-glycoprotein. In contrast to P-glycoprotein, however, both conformational states can be observed in the presence of a nucleotide, which may be related to the role of CFTR as an ion channel rather than a transporter. The hypothesis that the two conformations could represent the "open" and "closed" states of the channel is considered.     

High-affinity activators of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) chloride conductance identified by high-throughput screening

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is caused by mutations in the CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) protein that reduce cAMP-stimulated Cl(-) conductance in airway and other epithelia. The purpose of this investigation was to identify new classes of potent CFTR activators. A collection of 60,000 diverse drug-like compounds was screened at 10 microm together with a low concentration of forskolin (0.5 microm) in Fisher rat thyroid epithelial cells co-expressing human CFTR and a green fluorescent protein-based Cl(-) sensor. Primary screening yielded 57 strong activators (greater activity than reference compound apigenin), most of which were unrelated in chemical structure to known CFTR activators, and 284 weaker activators. Secondary analysis of the strong activators included analysis of CFTR specificity, forskolin requirement, transepithelial short-circuit current, activation kinetics, dose response, toxicity, and activation mechanism. Three compounds, the most potent being a dihydroisoquinoline, activated CFTR by elevating cellular cAMP, probably by phosphodiesterase inhibition. Fourteen compounds activated CFTR without cAMP elevation or phosphatase inhibition, suggesting direct CFTR interaction. The most potent compounds had tetrahydrocarbazol, hydroxycoumarin, and thiazolidine core structures. These compounds induced CFTR Cl(-) currents rapidly (<5 min) with K(d) down to 200 nm and were CFTR-selective, reversible, and nontoxic. Several compounds, the most potent being a trifluoromethylphenylbenzamine, activated the CF-causing mutant G551D, but with much weaker affinity (K(d) > 10 microm). When added for 10 min, none of the compounds activated DeltaPhe(508)-CFTR in transfected cells grown at 37 degrees C (with DeltaPhe(508)-CFTR trapped in the endoplasmic reticulum). However, after correction of trafficking by 48 h of growth at 27 degrees C, tetrahydrocarbazol and N-phenyltriazine derivatives strongly stimulated Cl(-) conductance with K(d) < 1 microm. The new activators identified here may be useful in defining molecular mechanisms of CFTR activation and as lead compounds in CF drug development.     

Genomic DNA sequence of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene.

The gene responsible for cystic fibrosis, the most common severe autosomal recessive disorder, is located on the long arm of human chromosome 7, region q31-q32. The gene has recently been identified and shown to be approximately 250 kb in size. To understand the structure and to provide the basis for a systematic analysis of the disease-causing mutations in the gene, genomic DNA clones spanning different regions of the previously reported cDNA were isolated and used to determine the coding regions and sequences of intron/exon boundaries. A total of 22,708 bp of sequence, accounting for approximately 10% of the entire gene, was obtained. Alignment of the genomic DNA sequence with the cDNA sequence showed perfect colinearity between the two and a total of 27 exons, each flanked by consensus splice signals. A number of repetitive elements, including the Alu and Kpn families and simple repeats, such as (GT)17, (GATT)7, and (TA)14, were detected in close vicinity of some of the intron/exon boundaries. At least three of the simple repeats were found to be polymorphic in the population. Although an internal amino acid sequence homology could be detected between the two halves of the predicted polypeptide, especially in the regions of the two putative nucleotide-binding folds (NBF1 and NBF2), the lack of alignment of the nucleotide sequence as well as the different positions of the exon/intron boundaries does not seem to support the hypothesis of a recent gene duplication event. To facilitate detection of mutations by direct sequence analysis of genomic DNA, 28 sets of oligonucleotide primers were designed and tested for their ability to amplify individual exons and the immediately flanking sequences in the introns.     

Potentiation of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) Cl- currents by the chemical solvent tetrahydrofuran

The chemical solvent tetrahydrofuran (THF) increases short-circuit current (I(sc)) in renal epithelia endogenously expressing the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR). To understand how THF increases I(sc), we employed the Ussing chamber and patch-clamp techniques to study cells expressing recombinant human CFTR. THF increased I(sc) in Fischer rat thyroid (FRT) epithelia expressing wild-type CFTR with half-maximal effective concentration (K(D)) of 134 mM. This THF-induced increase in I(sc) was enhanced by forskolin (10 microM), inhibited by the PKA inhibitor H-89 (10 microM) and the thiazolidinone CFTR(inh)-172 (10 microM) and attenuated greatly in FRT epithelia expressing the cystic fibrosis mutants F508del- and G551D-CFTR. By contrast, THF (100 mM) was without effect on untransfected FRT epithelia, while other solvents failed to increase I(sc) in FRT epithelia expressing wild-type CFTR. In excised inside-out membrane patches, THF (100 mM) potentiated CFTR Cl(-) channels open in the presence of ATP (1 mM) alone by increasing the frequency of channel openings without altering their duration. However, following the phosphorylation of CFTR by PKA (75 nM), THF (100 mM) did not potentiate channel activity. Similar results were obtained with the triangle upR-S660A-CFTR Cl(-) channel that is not regulated by PKA-dependent phosphorylation and using 2'deoxy-ATP, which gates wild-type CFTR more effectively than ATP. Our data suggest that THF acts directly on CFTR to potentiate channel gating, but that its efficacy is weak and dependent on the phosphorylation status of CFTR.     

Multiple membrane-cytoplasmic domain contacts in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) mediate regulation of channel gating

The cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) is a unique ATP-binding cassette (ABC) ion channel mutated in patients with cystic fibrosis. The most common mutation, deletion of phenylalanine 508 (DeltaF508) and many other disease-associated mutations occur in the nucleotide binding domains (NBD) and the cytoplasmic loops (CL) of the membrane-spanning domains (MSD). A recently constructed computational model of the CFTR three-dimensional structure, supported by experimental data (Serohijos, A. W., Hegedus, T., Aleksandrov, A. A., He, L., Cui, L., Dokholyan, N. V., and Riordan, J. R. (2008) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 105, 3256-3261) revealed that several of these mutations including DeltaF508 disrupted interfaces between these domains. Here we have used cysteine cross-linking experiments to verify all NBD/CL interfaces predicted by the structural model and observed that their cross-linking has a variety of different effects on channel gating. The interdomain contacts comprise aromatic clusters important for stabilization of the interfaces and also involve the Q-loops and X-loops that are in close proximity to the ATP binding sites. Cross-linking of all domain-swapping contacts between NBDs and MSD cytoplasmic loops in opposite halves of the protein rapidly and reversibly arrest single channel gating while those in the same halves have lesser impact. These results reinforce the idea that mediation of regulatory signals between cytoplasmic- and membrane-integrated domains of the CFTR channel apparently relies on an array of precise but highly dynamic interdomain structural joints.     

Disease-relevant proteostasis regulation of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator

Mismanaged protein trafficking by the proteostasis network contributes to several conformational diseases, including cystic fibrosis, the most frequent lethal inherited disease in Caucasians. Proteostasis regulators, as cystamine, enable the beneficial action of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) potentiators in ΔF508-CFTR airways beyond drug washout. Here we tested the hypothesis that functional CFTR protein can sustain its own plasma membrane (PM) stability. Depletion or inhibition of wild-type CFTR present in bronchial epithelial cells reduced the availability of the small GTPase Rab5 by causing Rab5 sequestration within the detergent-insoluble protein fraction together with its accumulation in aggresomes. CFTR depletion decreased the recruitment of the Rab5 effector early endosome antigen 1 to endosomes, thus reducing the local generation of phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate. This diverts recycling of surface proteins, including transferrin receptor and CFTR itself. Inhibiting CFTR function also resulted in its ubiquitination and interaction with SQSTM1/p62 at the PM, favoring its disposal. Addition of cystamine prevented the recycling defect of CFTR by enhancing BECN1 expression and reducing SQSTM1 accumulation. Our results unravel an unexpected link between CFTR protein and function, the latter regulating the levels of CFTR surface expression in a positive feed-forward loop, and highlight CFTR as a pivot of proteostasis in bronchial epithelial cells.     

Purification and functional reconstitution of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR).

Circumstantial evidence has accumulated suggesting that CFTR is a regulated low-conductance Cl- channel. To test this postulate directly, we have purified to homogeneity a recombinant CFTR protein from a high-level baculovirus-infected insect cell line. Evidence of purity included one- and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, N-terminal peptide sequence, and quantitative amino acid analysis. Reconstitution into proteoliposomes at less than one molecule per vesicle was accomplished by established procedures. Nystatin and ergosterol were included in these vesicles, so that nystatin conductance could serve as a quantitative marker of vesicle fusion with a planar lipid bilayer. Upon incorporation, purified CFTR exhibited regulated chloride channel activity, providing evidence that the protein itself is the channel. This activity exhibited the basic biophysical and regulatory properties of the type of Cl- channel found exclusively in CFTR-expressing cell types and believed to underlie cAMP-evoked secretion in epithelial cells.     

Correction of aberrant splicing of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene by antisense oligonucleotides

The CFTR splicing mutation 3849 + 10 kb C --> T creates a novel donor site 10 kilobases (kb) into intron 19 of the gene and is one of the more common splicing mutations that causes cystic fibrosis (CF). It has an elevated prevalence among patients with atypically mild disease and normal sweat electrolytes and is especially prominent in Ashkenazi Jews. This class of splicing mutations, reported in several genes, involves novel splice sites activated deep within introns while leaving wild-type splice elements intact. CFTR cDNA constructs that modeled the 3849 + 10 kb C --> T mutation were expressed in 3T3 mouse fibroblasts and in CFT1 human tracheal and C127 mouse mammary epithelial cells. In all three cell types, aberrant splicing of CFTR pre-mRNA was comparable to that reported in vivo in CF patients. Treatment of the cells with 2'-O-methyl phosphorothioate oligoribonucleotides antisense toward the aberrant donor and acceptor splice sites or to the retained exon-like sequence, disfavored aberrant splicing and enhanced normal processing of CFTR pre-mRNA. This antisense-mediated correction of splicing was dose- and sequence-dependent and was accompanied by increased production of CFTR protein that was appropriately glycosylated. Antisense-mediated correction of splicing in a mutation-specific context represents a potential gene therapy modality with applicability to many inherited disorders.     

Modulation of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) activity and genistein binding by cytosolic pH

Potentiators are molecules that increase the activity of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR). Some potentiators can also inhibit CFTR at higher concentrations. The activating binding site is thought to be located at the interface of the dimer formed by the two nucleotide-binding domains. We have hypothesized that if binding of potentiators involves titratable residues forming salt bridges, then modifications of cytosolic pH (pH(i)) would alter the binding affinity. Here, we analyzed the effect of pH(i) on CFTR activation and on the binding of genistein, a well known CFTR potentiator. We found that pH(i) does modify CFTR maximum current (I(m)) and half-activation concentration (K(d)): I(m) = 127.7, 185.5, and 231.8 μA/cm(2) and K(d) = 32.7, 56.6 and 71.9 μm at pH 6, 7.35, and 8, respectively. We also found that the genistein apparent dissociation constant for activation (K(a)) increased at alkaline pH(i), near cysteine pK (K(a) = 1.83, 1.81 and 4.99 μm at pH(i) 6, 7.35, and 8, respectively), suggesting the involvement of cysteines in the binding site. Mutations of cysteine residues predicted to be within (Cys-491) or outside (Cys-1344) the potentiator-binding site showed that Cys-491 is responsible for the sensitivity of potentiator binding to alkaline pH(i). Effects of pH(i) on inhibition by high genistein doses were also analyzed. Our results extend previous data about multiple effects of pH(i) on CFTR activity and demonstrate that binding of potentiators involves salt bridge formation with amino acids of nucleotide-binding domain 1.     

Pharmacogenomics of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) and the cystic fibrosis drug CPX using genome microarray analysis

BACKGROUND: Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most common lethal recessive disease affecting children in the U.S. and Europe. For this reason, a number of ongoing attempts are being made to treat the disease either by gene therapy or pharmacotherapy. Several phase 1 gene therapy trials have been completed, and a phase 2 clinical trial with the xanthine drug CPX is in progress. The protein coded by the principal CFTR mutation, DeltaF508-CFTR, fails to traffic efficiently from the endoplasmic reticulum to the plasma membrane, and is the pathogenic basis for the missing cAMP-activated plasma membrane chloride channel. CPX acts by binding to the mutant DeltaF508-CFTR and correcting the trafficking deficit. CPX also activates mutant CFTR channels. The comparative genomics of wild-type and mutant CFTR has not previously been studied. However, we have hypothesized that the gene expression patterns of human cells expressing mutant or wild-type CFTR might differ, and that a drug such as CPX might convert the mutant gene expression pattern into one more characteristic of wild-type CFTR. To the extent that this is true, a pharmacogenomic profile for such corrective drugs might be deduced that could simplify the process of drug discovery for CF. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To test this hypothesis we used cDNA microarrays to study global gene expression in human cells permanently transfected with either wild-type or mutant CFTR. We also tested the effects of CPX on global gene expression when incubated with cells expressing either mutant or wild-type CFTR. RESULTS: Wild-type and mutant DeltaF508-CFTR induce distinct and differential changes in cDNA microarrays, significantly affecting up to 5% of the total genes in the array. CPX also induces substantial mutation-dependent and -independent changes in gene expression. Some of these changes involve movement of gene expression in mutant cells in a direction resembling expression in wild-type cells. CONCLUSIONS: These data clearly demonstrate that cDNA array analysis of cystic fibrosis cells can yield useful pharmacogenomic information with significant relevance to both gene and pharmacological therapy. We suggest that this approach may provide a paradigm for genome-based surrogate endpoint testing of CF therapeutics prior to human administration.     

Functional genomic responses to cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) and CFTR(delta508) in the lung

Cystic fibrosis (CF), a common lethal pulmonary disorder in Caucasians, is caused by mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator gene (CFTR) that disturbs fluid homeostasis and host defense in target organs. The effects of CFTR and delta508-CFTR were assessed in transgenic mice that 1) lack CFTR expression (Cftr-/-); 2) express the human delta508 CFTR (CFTR(delta508)); 3) overexpress the normal human CFTR (CFTR(tg)) in respiratory epithelial cells. Genes were selected from Affymetrix Murine Gene-Chips analysis and subjected to functional classification, k-means clustering, promoter cis-elements/modules searching, literature mining, and pathway exploring. Genomic responses to Cftr-/- were not corrected by expression of CFTR(delta508). Genes regulating host defense, inflammation, fluid and electrolyte transport were similarly altered in Cftr-/- and CFTR(delta508) mice. CFTR(delta508) induced a primary disturbance in expression of genes regulating redox and antioxidant systems. Genomic responses to CFTR(tg) were modest and were not associated with lung pathology. CFTR(tg) and CFTR(delta508) induced genes encoding heat shock proteins and other chaperones but did not activate the endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation pathway. RNAs encoding proteins that directly interact with CFTR were identified in each of the CFTR mouse models, supporting the hypothesis that CFTR functions within a multiprotein complex whose members interact at the level of protein-protein interactions and gene expression. Promoters of genes influenced by CFTR shared common regulatory elements, suggesting that their co-expression may be mediated by shared regulatory mechanisms. Genes and pathways involved in the response to CFTR may be of interest as modifiers of CF.     

Derlin-1 promotes the efficient degradation of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) and CFTR folding mutants

A complex involving Derlin-1 and p97 mediates the retrotranslocation and endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-associated degradation of misfolded proteins in yeast and is used by certain viruses to promote host cell protein degradation (Romisch, K. (2005) Annu. Rev. Cell Dev. Biol. 21, 435-456; Lilley, B. N., and Ploegh, H. L. (2004) Nature 429, 834-840; Ye, Y., Shibata, Y., Yun, C., Ron, D., and Rapoport, T. A. (2004) Nature 429, 841-847). We asked whether the components of this pathway are involved in the endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation of the mammalian integral membrane protein, the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), a substrate for the ubiquitin-proteasome system. We report that Derlin-1 and p97 formed complexes with CFTR in human airway epithelial cells. Derlin-1 interacted with nonubiquitylated CFTR, whereas p97 associated with ubiquitylated CFTR. Exogenous expression of Derlin-1 led to its co-localization with CFTR in the ER where it reduced wild type (WT) CFTR expression and efficiently degraded the disease-associated CFTR folding mutants, DeltaF508 and G85E (>90%). Consistent with this, Derlin-1 also reduced the amount of WT or DeltaF508 CFTR appearing in detergent-in-soluble aggregates. An approximately 70% knockdown of endogenous Derlin-1 by RNA interference increased the steady-state levels of WT and DeltaF508 CFTR by 10-15-fold, reflecting its significant role in CFTR degradation. Derlin-1 mediated the degradation of N-terminal CFTR fragments corresponding to the first transmembrane domain of CFTR, but CFTR fragments that incorporated additional domains were degraded less efficiently. These findings suggest that Derlin-1 recognizes misfolded, nonubiquitylated CFTR to initiate its dislocation and degradation early in the course of CFTR biogenesis, perhaps by detecting structural instability within the first transmembrane domain.     

Electrophysiological evidence for the presence of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) in mouse sperm

Mammalian sperm must undergo a maturational process, named capacitation, in the female reproductive tract to fertilize the egg. Sperm capacitation is regulated by a cAMP/protein kinase A (PKA) pathway and involves increases in intracellular Ca²⁺, pH, Cl^?, protein tyrosine phosphorylation, and in mouse and some other mammals a membrane potential hyperpolarization. The cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), a Cl^? channel modulated by cAMP/PKA and ATP, was detected in mammalian sperm and proposed to modulate capacitation. Our whole‐cell patch‐clamp recordings from testicular mouse sperm now reveal a Cl^? selective component to membrane current that is ATP‐dependent, stimulated by cAMP, cGMP, and genistein (a CFTR agonist, at low concentrations), and inhibited by DPC and CFTR_inh‐172, two well‐known CFTR antagonists. Furthermore, the Cl^? current component activated by cAMP and inhibited by CFTR_inh‐172 is absent in recordings on testicular sperm from mice possessing the CFTR ΔF508 loss‐of‐function mutation, indicating that CFTR is responsible for this component. A Cl^? selective like current component displaying CFTR characteristics was also found in wild type epididymal sperm bearing the cytoplasmatic droplet. Capacitated sperm treated with CFTR_inh‐172 undergo a shape change, suggesting that CFTR is involved in cell volume regulation. These findings indicate that functional CFTR channels are present in mouse sperm and their biophysical properties are consistent with their proposed participation in capacitation. J. Cell. Physiol. 228: 590–601, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Correctors promote maturation of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR)-processing mutants by binding to the protein

The most common cause of cystic fibrosis (CF) is defective folding of a cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) mutant lacking Phe(508) (DeltaF508). The DeltaF508 protein appears to be trapped in a prefolded state with incomplete packing of the transmembrane (TM) segments, a defect that can be repaired by expression in the presence of correctors such as corr-4a, VRT-325, and VRT-532. To determine whether the mechanism of correctors involves direct interactions with CFTR, our approach was to test whether correctors blocked disulfide cross-linking between cysteines introduced into the two halves of a Cys-less CFTR. Although replacement of the 18 endogenous cysteines of CFTR with Ser or Ala yields a Cys-less mutant that does not mature at 37 degrees C, we found that maturation could be restored if Val(510) was changed to Ala, Cys, Ser, Thr, Gly, Ala, or Asp. The V510D mutation also promoted maturation of DeltaF508 CFTR. The Cys-less/V510A mutant was used for subsequent cross-linking analysis as it yielded relatively high levels of mature protein that was functional in iodide efflux assays. We tested for cross-linking between cysteines introduced into TM6 and TM7 of Cys-less CFTR/V510A because cross-linking between TM6 and TM7 of P-glycoprotein, the sister protein of CFTR, was inhibited with the corrector VRT-325. Cys-less CFTR/V510A mutant containing cysteines at I340C(TM6) and S877C(TM7) could be cross-linked with a homobifunctional cross-linker. Correctors and the CFTR channel blocker benzbromarone, but not P-glycoprotein substrates, inhibited cross-linking of mutant I340C(TM6)/S877C(TM7). These results suggest that corrector molecules such as corr-4a interact directly with CFTR.     

Enhanced cell-surface stability of rescued DeltaF508 cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) by pharmacological chaperones

Misfolded proteins destined for the cell surface are recognized and degraded by the ERAD [ER (endoplasmic reticulum) associated degradation] pathway. TS (temperature-sensitive) mutants at the permissive temperature escape ERAD and reach the cell surface. In this present paper, we examined a TS mutant of the CFTR [CF (cystic fibrosis) transmembrane conductance regulator], CFTR DeltaF508, and analysed its cell-surface trafficking after rescue [rDeltaF508 (rescued DeltaF508) CFTR]. We show that rDeltaF508 CFTR endocytosis is 6-fold more rapid (approximately 30% per 2.5 min) than WT (wild-type, approximately 5% per 2.5 min) CFTR at 37 degrees C in polarized airway epithelial cells (CFBE41o-). We also investigated rDeltaF508 CFTR endocytosis under two further conditions: in culture at the permissive temperature (27 degrees C) and following treatment with pharmacological chaperones. At low temperature, rDeltaF508 CFTR endocytosis slowed to WT rates (20% per 10 min), indicating that the cell-surface trafficking defect of rDeltaF508 CFTR is TS. Furthermore, rDeltaF508 CFTR is stabilized at the lower temperature; its half-life increases from <2 h at 37 degrees C to >8 h at 27 degrees C. Pharmacological chaperone treatment at 37 degrees C corrected the rDeltaF508 CFTR internalization defect, slowing endocytosis from approximately 30% per 2.5 min to approximately 5% per 2.5 min, and doubled DeltaF508 surface half-life from 2 to 4 h. These effects are DeltaF508 CFTR-specific, as pharmacological chaperones did not affect WT CFTR or transferrin receptor internalization rates. The results indicate that small molecular correctors may reproduce the effect of incubation at the permissive temperature, not only by rescuing DeltaF508 CFTR from ERAD, but also by enhancing its cell-surface stability.     

Perturbation of the pore of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) inhibits its atpase activity

Mutations in the cystic fibrosis gene coding for the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) lead to altered chloride (Cl(-)) flux in affected epithelial tissues. CFTR is a Cl(-) channel that is regulated by phosphorylation, nucleotide binding, and hydrolysis. However, the molecular basis for the functional regulation of wild type and mutant CFTR remains poorly understood. CFTR possesses two nucleotide binding domains, a phosphorylation-dependent regulatory domain, and two transmembrane domains that comprise the pore through which Cl(-) permeates. Mutations of residues lining the channel pore (e.g. R347D) are typically thought to cause disease by altering the interaction of Cl(-) with the pore. However, in the present study we show that the R347D mutation and diphenylamine-2-carboxylate (an open pore inhibitor) also inhibit CFTR ATPase activity, revealing a novel mechanism for cross-talk from the pore to the catalytic domains. In both cases, the reduction in ATPase correlates with a decrease in nucleotide turnover rather than affinity. Finally, we demonstrate that glutathione (GSH) inhibits CFTR ATPase and that this inhibition is altered in the CFTR-R347D variant. These findings suggest that cross-talk between the pore and nucleotide binding domains of CFTR may be important in the in vivo regulation of CFTR in health and disease.     

The cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR): three-dimensional structure and localization of a channel gate

Cystic fibrosis affects about 1 in 2500 live births and involves loss of transmembrane chloride flux due to a lack of a membrane protein channel termed the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR). We have studied CFTR structure by electron crystallography. The data were compared with existing structures of other ATP-binding cassette transporters. The protein was crystallized in the outward facing state and resembled the well characterized Sav1866 transporter. We identified regions in the CFTR map, not accounted for by Sav1866, which were potential locations for the regulatory region as well as the channel gate. In this analysis, we were aided by the fact that the unit cell was composed of two molecules not related by crystallographic symmetry. We also identified regions in the fitted Sav1866 model that were missing from the map, hence regions that were either disordered in CFTR or differently organized compared with Sav1866. Apart from the N and C termini, this indicated that in CFTR, the cytoplasmic end of transmembrane helix 5/11 and its associated loop could be partly disordered (or alternatively located).