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摘要
Membrane proton transporters contribute to pH homeostasis but have also been shown to transmit information between cells in close proximity through regulated proton secretion. For example, the nematode intestinal Na+/H+ exchanger NHX-7 causes adjacent muscle cells to contract by transiently acidifying the extracellular space between the intestine and muscle. NHX-7 operates during a Ca2+- dependent rhythmic behavior and contains several conserved motifs for regulation by Ca2+ input, including motifs for calmodulin and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate binding, protein kinase C- and calmodulin-dependent protein kinase type II phosphorylation, and a binding site for calcineurin homologous protein. Here, we tested the idea that Ca2+ input differentiates proton signaling from pH housekeeping activity. Each of these motifs was mutated, and their contribution to NHX-7 function was assessed. These functions included pH recovery from acidification in cells in culture expressing recombinant NHX-7, extracellular acidification measured during behavior in live moving worms, and muscle contraction strength as a result of this acidification. Our data suggest that multiple levels of Ca2+ input regulate NHX-7, whose transport capacity normally exceeds the minimum necessary to cause muscle contraction. Furthermore, extracellular acidification limits NHX-7 proton transport through feedback inhibition, likely to prevent metabolic acidosis from occurring. Our findings are consistent with an integrated network whereby both Ca2+ and pH contribute to proton signaling. Finally, our results obtained by expressing rat NHE1 in Caenorhabditis elegans suggest that a conserved mechanism of regulation may contribute to cell-cell communication or proton signaling by Na+/H+ exchangers in mammals.
- 出版日期2013-2-22
