Distribution and oligomeric association of splice forms of Na+-K+-ATPase regulatory γ-subunit in rat kidney

Abstract

Renal Na+-K+-ATPase is associated with the γ-subunit (FXYD2), a single-span membrane protein that modifies ATPase properties. There are two splice variants with different amino termini, γa and γb. Both were found in the inner stripe of the outer medulla in the thick ascending limb. Coimmunoprecipitation with each other and the α-subunit indicated that they were associated in macromolecular complexes. Association was controlled by ligands that affect Na+-K+-ATPase conformation. In the cortex, the proportion of the γb-subunit was markedly lower, and the γa-subunit predominated in isolated proximal tubule cells. By immunofluorescence, the γb-subunit was detected in the superficial cortex only in the distal convoluted tubule and connecting tubule, which are rich in Na+-K+-ATPase but comprise a minor fraction of cortex mass. In the outer stripe of the outer medulla and for a short distance in the deep cortex, the thick ascending limb predominantly expressed the γb-subunit. Because different mechanisms maintain and regulate Na+ homeostasis in different nephron segments, the splice forms of the γ-subunit may have evolved to control the renal Na+ pump through pump properties, gene expression, or both.