In this study, we provide evidence that phosphorylation of the μ2 isoform of AP-2 is necessary for GPCR-induced endocytosis of Na+,K+-ATPase molecules. Our results demonstrate that other intracellular signals, such as hypoxia-induced ROS, also required μ2 phosphorylation to promote Na+,K+-ATPase endocytosis in lung alveolar epithelial cells.
Clathrin-dependent endocytosis of membrane proteins is initiated by adaptor proteins (adaptins) that simultaneously bind to cargo proteins, recruit clathrin, and promote the formation of clathrin-coated pits (
8). AP-2 phosphorylation is a key event that determines the binding affinity of the μ2 subunit to cargo proteins (
18,
21). In the present study, DA increased the state of AP-2 μ2 subunit phosphorylation in a time-dependent manner that coincided with maximal association of AP-2 with the Na
+,K
+-ATPase and preceded its appearance in clathrin vesicles (
1). The transition between phospho- and dephospoAP-2 μ2 facilitates its association with the cargo molecules, as demonstrated by several
in vitro studies (
23). In our studies, the presence of negatively charged residues (T156D and T156E) also prevented AP-2 μ2 binding to the α-subunit and Na
+,K
+-ATPase endocytosis (not shown).
In intact cells, the AP-2 μ2 subunit could be targeted by myriad protein kinases. A new kinase (AAK1) responsible for phosphorylating the AP-2 μ2 subunit has been described (
21,
22). A detailed
in vitro study revealed that AAK1 (
21) could be inhibited by several chemical inhibitors at doses that overlap their actions on other kinases. In this study, when we used several inhibitors of PKC and dominant-negative mutants of the PKC-ζ isoform, it was possible to block AP-2 μ2 phosphorylation. Coincidentally, this isoform of PKC is also responsible for phosphorylating the Na
+,K
+-ATPase α-subunit at the ser-18 residue (a necessary step for Na
+,K
+-ATPase subunit endocytosis). Staurosporine, at a concentration that would not affect the activation of PKC-ζ, does inhibit the activation of AAK1 (
21). Therefore, it is possible that the PKC-ζ isoform would form a complex within the endocytic network and thereby express a dual effect (i.e., phosphorylating the Na
+,K
+-ATPase and facilitating AP2 phosphorylation), which together would be responsible for Na
+,K
+-ATPase internalization. Proven specific inhibitors of AAK1 in intact cells are not yet available.
The generation of ROS by lung alveolar epithelial cells during hypoxia results in a series of events leading to Na
+,K
+-ATPase internalization via a clathrin-coated–dependent mechanism (
3). Endocytosis is initiated by phosphorylation of the Na
+,K
+-ATPase α-subunit via a PKC-ζ–dependent mechanism, a process that leads to activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase. The lipids generated by this kinase at the plasma membrane interface favor the association of AP-2 with the cargo. Similarly to renal epithelial cells (
9), association of AP-2 to the Na
+,K
+-ATPase requires the binding of the μ2 subunit (within the AP-2 complex) to a tyrosine-based motif (Y537) located in the α-subunit. Moreover, internalization of Na
+,K
+-ATPase molecules in response to hypoxia or exogenously administrated H
2O
2 was abolished in cells expressing the AP-2 μ2 lacking the phosphorylation site (T156).
The effects of AP-2 μ2 phosphorylation have been extensively studied mostly in reconstituted systems and during basal endocytosis in intact cells exposed to changes in temperature, such as transferrin receptor trafficking (
18,
22). In this report, we provide the first evidence that endocytosis of an integral membrane protein (the Na
+,K
+-ATPase) in response to a physiological condition (activation of GPCR by dopamine in renal epithelial cells) or a pathophysiologic condition (e.g., hypoxia in lung alveolar epithelial cells) requires phosphorylation of AP-2 μ2 subunit (). Additionally, the results from this study suggest that during endocytosis the Na
+,K
+-ATPase may represent its own scaffold system, organizing the signaling network independently of whether it is a GPCR or a ROS signal that triggers the process, thus making the activation of PKC-ζ a possible converging point during endocytosis in kidney or lung epithelial cells.