Claudin-2: Roles beyond Permeability Functions

Claudin-2 is expressed in the tight junctions of leaky epithelia, where it forms cation-selective and water permeable paracellular channels. Its abundance is under fine control by a complex signaling network that affects both its synthesis and turnover in response to various environmental inputs. Claudin-2 expression is dysregulated in many pathologies including cancer, inflammation, and fibrosis. Claudin-2 has a key role in energy-efficient ion and water transport in the proximal tubules of the kidneys and in the gut. Importantly, strong evidence now also supports a role for this protein as a modulator of vital cellular events relevant to diseases. Signaling pathways that are overactivated in diseases can alter claudin-2 expression, and a good correlation exists between disease stage and claudin-2 abundance. Further, loss- and gain-of-function studies showed that primary changes in claudin-2 expression impact vital cellular processes such as proliferation, migration, and cell fate determination. These effects appear to be mediated by alterations in key signaling pathways. The specific mechanisms linking claudin-2 to these changes remain poorly understood, but adapters binding to the intracellular portion of claudin-2 may play a key role. Thus, dysregulation of claudin-2 may contribute to the generation, maintenance, and/or progression of diseases through both permeability-dependent and -independent mechanisms. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the properties, regulation, and functions of claudin-2, with a special emphasis on its signal-modulating effects and possible role in diseases.

Physiological roles of claudins in kidney tubule paracellular transport

The paracellular pathways in renal tubular epithelia such as the proximal tubules, which reabsorb the largest fraction of filtered solutes and water and are leaky epithelia, are important routes for transepithelial transport of solutes and water. Movement occurs passively via an extracellular route through the tight junction between cells. The characteristics of paracellular transport vary among different nephron segments with leaky or tighter epithelia. Claudins expressed at tight junctions form pores and barriers for paracellular transport. Claudins are from a multigene family, comprising at least 27 members in mammals. Multiple claudins are expressed at tight junctions of individual nephron segments in a nephron segment-specific manner. Over the last decade, there have been advances in our understanding of the structure and functions of claudins. This paper is a review of our current knowledge of claudins, with special emphasis on their physiological roles in proximal tubule paracellular solute and water transport.

Claudin-4 forms a paracellular barrier, revealing the interdependence of claudin expression in the loose epithelial cell culture model opossum kidney cells

The effect of claudins on paracellular fluxes has been predominantly studied in either Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) or LLCPK cells. Neither model system has a very low transepithelial resistance (TER) as observed in leaky epithelia. Moreover, results from one model system are not always consistent with another. Opossum kidney (OK) cells form tight junctions yet have a very low TER. We therefore set out to characterize the paracellular transport properties of this cell culture model. Ussing chamber dilution potential measurements revealed that OK cells exhibit a very low TER (11.7 ± 1.4 Ω·cm2), slight cation selectivity ( PNa/ PCl = 1.10 ± 0.01), and the Eisenman permeability sequence IV; the permeability of monovalent cations ranking K+ > Cs+ > Rb+ > Na+ > Li+. Quantitative real-time PCR studies found that OK cells endogenously express claudin-4 > -1 > -6 > -20 > -9 > -12 > -11 > -15. Overexpression of claudin-4 significantly increased TER, decreased Na+ and Cl− permeability, and increased levels of claudin-1, -6, and -9 mRNA. Knockdown of claudin-4 in the overexpressing cells significantly decreased TER without altering claudin expression; thus claudin-4 forms a barrier in OK cells. Knockdown of endogenous claudin-4 decreased claudin-1, -9, and -12 expression without altering TER. Claudin-2 overexpression decreased TER, significantly increased Na+ and Cl− permeability, and decreased claudin-12 and -6 expression. Together these results demonstrate that claudin expression is tightly coupled in OK cells.

Fluid Transport Across Leaky Epithelia: Central Role of the Tight Junction and Supporting Role of Aquaporins

The mechanism of epithelial fluid transport remains unsolved, which is partly due to inherent experimental difficulties. However, a preparation with which our laboratory works, the corneal endothelium, is a simple leaky secretory epithelium in which we have made some experimental and theoretical headway. As we have reported, transendothelial fluid movements can be generated by electrical currents as long as there is tight junction integrity. The direction of the fluid movement can be reversed by current reversal or by changing junctional electrical charges by polylysine. Residual endothelial fluid transport persists even when no anions (hence no salt) are being transported by the tissue and is only eliminated when all local recirculating electrical currents are. Aquaporin (AQP) 1 is the only AQP present in these cells, and its deletion in AQP1 null mice significantly affects cell osmotic permeability (by ∼40%) but fluid transport much less (∼20%), which militates against the presence of sizable water movements across the cell. In contrast, AQP1 null mice cells have reduced regulatory volume decrease (only 60% of control), which suggests a possible involvement of AQP1 in either the function or the expression of volume-sensitive membrane channels/transporters. A mathematical model of corneal endothelium we have developed correctly predicts experimental results only when paracellular electro-osmosis is assumed rather than transcellular local osmosis. Our evidence therefore suggests that the fluid is transported across this layer via the paracellular route by a mechanism that we attribute to electro-osmotic coupling at the junctions. From our findings we have developed a novel paradigm for this preparation that includes 1) paracellular fluid flow; 2) a crucial role for the junctions; 3) hypotonicity of the primary secretion; and 4) an AQP role in regulation rather than as a significant water pathway. These elements are remarkably similar to those proposed by the laboratory of Adrian Hill for fluid transport across other leaky epithelia.

cAMP modulates transepithelial resistance response of LLC-PK1 renal epithelia to tumor necrosis factor

For "leaky" epithelia the transepithelial resistance (Rt) is an electrophysiological measure of the paracellular pathway within the epithelial barrier. The Rt across a monolayer of LLC-PK1 porcine renal epithelial cells is specifically an inverse measure of paracellular transepithelial permeability and displays a multiphasic and reversible response to the cytokine tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF). The Rt response to TNF can be inhibited by the nonhydrolyzable adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) analogue, dibutyryl-cAMP. In addition, activation of adenylate cyclase (forskolin) or inhibition of phosphodiesterase (3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine, Ro-20-1724, and pentoxifylline), each of which have been reported to elevate cellular cAMP levels, also inhibited the Rt response to TNF. Incubation of the LLC-PK1 cell sheet with N-[2-(methylamino)ethyl]-5-isoquinolinesulfonamide, an inhibitor of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA), potentiated the Rt response to TNF. The Rt response to TNF was completely prevented by preincubation of the cultures with cholera toxin, whereas pertussis toxin pretreatment had a slight but significant potentiating effect on the response. Pretreatment with cholera toxin was associated with an approximately 18-fold elevation in cAMP levels in both control and TNF-treated cultures. Measurements of cellular cAMP content at selected intervals after TNF administration showed a significant elevation (P < 0.01) of 140% above time-matched controls at 1 h after the administration of TNF to the cell sheet. The level of cAMP then declined to approximate control level within 2.5 h of TNF administration.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Osmotic water flow pathways across Necturus gallbladder: role of the tight junction

To explore the quantitative significance of passive water flow through tight junctions of leaky epithelia, transepithelial water flow rates were measured in Necturus gallbladder mounted in chambers. Osmotic flows generated by raffinose gradients were asymmetrical with the greater flow in the mucosal-to-serosal direction. In tissue fixed in situ, intercellular spaces were dilated during mucosal-to-serosal flow and closed during serosal-to-mucosal flow. Tight junctions were focally separated (blistered), which correlated with the magnitude of mucosal-to-serosal flow. Blisters were not observed during serosal-to-mucosal flow or in nontransporting gallbladders. In freeze-fracture replicas, blisters appeared as pockets between intramembranous strands. Protamine, which decreases electrical conductance and increases depth and complexity of the tight junction, reduced osmotic water flow by approximately 30% in the mucosal-to-serosal direction (100 mosmol/kg gradient) without altering serosal-to-mucosal flow. We suggest that in the steady state, at least 30% of osmotically driven water passes transjunctionally in the mucosal-to-serosal direction, but flow is transcellular in the serosal-to-mucosal direction. Directionally divergent pathways may account for flow asymmetry.

CALCIUM TRANSPORT IN FISH GILLS AND INTESTINE

In calcium-transporting epithelia, calcium can move transcellularly (when it passes inwards, from mucosa to serosa) and paracellularly (when it moves in both an inward and outward direction). An epithelium is considered to be ‘tight’ when the transcellular route dominates and leaky when there is additional significant paracellular transport. The branchial epithelium of the gills of freshwater fish is a good model for tight epithelia, whereas the gills of seawater fish and the intestine present a model for leaky epithelia. Generally, the regulation of transcellular inward calcium transport determines whether net absorption occurs and the regulation of paracellular calcium transport is pivotal to secretion in calcium-transporting epithelia. In its simplest form, transcellular transport requires movement of Ca2+ across the apical membrane, through the cytosol and across the basolateral membrane. At the same time, cellular calcium homeostasis must be maintained and, to this end, calcium is buffered in the cytosol by calcium-binding proteins and sequestered in the endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria. Movement of calcium from the exterior of the cell to the cytosol is passive, down an electrochemical gradient, and appears to be regulated through channel or carrier proteins. The apical membrane contains a hormone-regulated carrier mechanism for Ca2+ entry. Movement from the cytosol to the exterior requires energy-consuming extrusion mechanisms, involving Ca2+-ATPase and/or Na+/Ca2+ exchange. The roles of such mechanisms in calcium transport phenomena in fish gills and intestine will be addressed.