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Acta Physiologica 2011; Volume 203, Supplement 688
The 62nd National Congress of the Italian Physiological Society
9/25/2011-9/27/2011
Sorrento, Italy
IDENTIFICATION OF MOESIN AS NKCC2-INTERACTING PROTEIN AND ANALYSIS OF ITS FUNCTIONAL ROLE IN THE NKCC2 APICAL TRAFFICKING
Abstract number: P35
RIZZO1 F, CARMOSINO1 M, PROCINO1 G, ZOLLA2 L, TIMPERIO2 AM, BASCO1 D, BARBIERI1 C, TORRETTA1 S, VALENTI1 G, SVELTO1 M
1Dept of General and Environmental Physiology, Univ. of Bari, Italy
2Dept of Environmental Sciences, Tuscia Univ., Italy
The renal Na+-K+-2Cl- co-transporter (NKCC2) is expressed in kidney thick ascending limb (TAL) cells, where it mediates NaCl reabsorption regulating body salt levels and blood pressure. In this study we used a well-characterized NKCC2 construct (c-NKCC2) to identify NKCC2 interacting protein by an antibody shift assay coupled with Blue Native/SDS-PAGE (BN/SDS-PAGE) and Mass Spectrometry (MS). Among the interacting proteins we identified moesin, a protein belonging to ERM (Ezrin, Radixin, Moesin) family. Co-immunoprecipitation experiments confirmed that c-NKCC2 interacts with the N-terminal domain of moesin in LLC-PK1 cells. Moreover, c-NKCC2 accumulates in intracellular and sub-apical vesicles in cells transfected with a moesin dominant negative GFP-tagged construct. In addition, moesin knockdown by siRNA decreases by about 50% c-NKCC2 surface expression. Specifically, endocytosis and exocytosis assays showed that moesin knockdown does not affect NKCC2 internalization but strongly reduces exocytosis of the co-transporter. Our data clearly demonstrate that moesin plays a critical role in apical membrane insertion of NKCC2, suggesting a possible involvement of moesin in regulation of Na+ and Cl- absorption in the kidney.
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Acta Physiologica 2011; Volume 203, Supplement 688 :P35