Deletion of the transcription factor Prox-1 specifically in the renal distal convoluted tubule causes hypomagnesemia via reduced expression of TRPM6 and NCC

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2020

Pflugers Arch. 2020 Nov 16. doi: 10.1007/s00424-020-02491-1. Online ahead of print.

Deletion of the transcription factor Prox-1 specifically in the renal distal convoluted tubule causes hypomagnesemia via reduced expression of TRPM6 and NCC

C Schnoz;S Moser;DV Kratschmar;A Odermatt;D Loffing-Cueni;J Loffing

Division of Molecular and Systems Toxicology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland. Institute of Anatomy, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057, Zurich, Switzerland. National Centre of Competence in Research "Kidney.CH", University of Zurich, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland.

Service type: Knock-in mice

Abstract

The renal distal convoluted tubule (DCT) is critical for the fine-tuning of urinary ion excretion and the control of blood pressure. Ion transport along the DCT is tightly controlled by posttranscriptional mechanisms including a complex interplay of kinases, phosphatases, and ubiquitin ligases. Previous work identified the transcription factor Prox-1 as a gene significantly enriched in the DCT of adult mice. To test if Prox-1 contributes to the transcriptional regulation of DCT function and structure, we developed a novel mouse model (NCCcre:Prox-1flox/flox) for an inducible deletion of Prox-1 specifically in the DCT. The deletion of Prox-1 had no obvious impact on DCT structure and growth independent whether the deletion was achieved in newborn or adult mice. Furthermore, DCT-specific Prox-1 deficiency did not alter DCT-proliferation in response to loop diuretic treatment. Likewise, the DCT-specific deletion of Prox-1 did not cause other gross phenotypic abnormalities. Body weight, urinary volume, Na+ and K+ excretion as well as plasma Na+, K+, and aldosterone levels were similar in Prox-1DCTKO and Prox-1DCTCtrl mice. However, Prox-1DCTKO mice exhibited a significant hypomagnesemia with a profound downregulation of the DCT-specific apical Mg2+ channel TRPM6 and the NaCl cotransporter (NCC) at both mRNA and protein levels. The expression of other proteins involved in distal tubule Mg2+ and Na+ handling was not affected. Thus, Prox-1 is a DCT-enriched transcription factor that does not control DCT growth but contributes to the molecular control of DCT-dependent Mg2+ homeostasis in the adult kidney. Keywords: DCT adaptation; Kidney; NaCl cotransporter (NCC); Renal distal convoluted tubule (DCT); Transcription factor Prox-1; Transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily M member 6 (TRPM6).

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