A novel role for protein phosphatase 2A in the dopaminergic regulation of Na,K-ATPase

Stimulation of dopaminergic type 1 (D(1)) receptors increases lung edema clearance by regulating Na,K-ATPase function in the alveolar epithelium. We studied the role of serine/threonine protein phosphatases in the Na,K-ATPase regulation by D(1) agonists in A549 cells. We found that low doses of the type 1/2A protein phosphatase inhibitor okadaic acid as well as SV40 small t antigen transiently transfected into A549 cells prevented the D(1) agonist-induced increase in Na,K-ATPase activity and translocation from intracellular pools to the plasma membrane. This was associated with a rapid and transient increase in protein phosphatase 2A activity. We conclude that D(1) stimulation regulates Na,K-ATPase activity by promoting recruitment of Na,K-ATPases from intracellular pools into the basolateral membranes of A549 cells via a type 2A protein phosphatase.