Water and chloride as allosteric inhibitors in WNK kinase osmosensing

  1. Liliana R Teixeira
  2. Radha Akella
  3. John M Humphreys
  4. Haixia He
  5. Elizabeth J Goldsmith  Is a corresponding author
  1. Department of Biophysics, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, United States
8 figures, 1 table and 2 additional files

Figures

Conserved water networks in WNK1/SA.

(A) Location of conserved water network 1 (CWN1) in Subunit A of uWNK1/SA (PDB file 6CN9) shown as a closeup from the uWNK/SA dimer. CWN1 in marine, 14 water molecules. Subunit A, cyan, Subunit B, green, Activation Loop, red, and Catalytic Loop, yellow. (B) Conservation of waters in two crystal structures of uWNK1/SA, PDB 6CN9 (waters marine) and 5DRB (waters yellow). (C) Conserved water network 2 (CWN2) is in the subunit interface (same coloring as in (A)). N-terminal domains are superimposed.

Effects of PEG400 on the WNK1/SA dimer and space group.

(A) Differential scanning fluorimetry of WNK1 SA in increasing PEG400 (showing destabilization). (B) WNK1/SA/PEG400 (PDB 9D3F) has a single subunit in the asymmetric unit (magenta), shown with a symmetry mate (magenta) and overlayed with the asymmetric dimer of uWNK1/SA (PDB 6CN9, shown in cyan and green as in Figure 1). (C) Osmolyte-induced conformational changes as a function of sequence. WNK1/SA (PDB file 6CN9) versus WNK1/SA/PEG400, pink trace, pWNK1 (PDB 5W7T) versus pWNK1/sucrose (Akella et al., 2020), orange trace, and uWNK1 (6CN9) pWNK1 (5W7T), green trace.

Figure 2—source data 1

Differential scanning fluorimetry of WNK1/SA in PEG400 showing destabilization.

https://cdn.elifesciences.org/articles/88224/elife-88224-fig2-data1-v1.xlsx
PEG400-induced conformational change in the active site of WNK1/SA.

(A) PEG400-induced conformational changes in WNK1/SA. WNK1/SA Sub A (cyan), Sub B (green), superimposed with WNK1/SA/PEG400 (magenta). Conformational changes occur in the active site in both the 3/10 chloride-binding helix and the Activation Loop. (B) Comparison of conserved water network 1 (CWN1) in uWNK1 (blue), PEG400 (magenta), and in pWNK (lime). (C) Surface rendering in WNK1/SA/PEG400 showing the reduction in space near CWN1. (D) Closeup of the Activation Loop highlighting residues E388 and K375 that move significantly in PEG400 (red arrows), affecting the 3/10 helix. Diagrams made in PyMOL.

Residues in the AL-CL Cluster and positions mutated.

(A) AL-CL Cluster in uWNK1 (PDB file 6CN9). Labels in WNK1 numbering (with WNK3 numbers in parenthesis). Cartoon coloring is the same as Figure 1A. Pan-kinase-conserved catalytic residues (D349 and K351) are labeled in gray. AL-CL residue labels are colored to indicate mutant assay results: mutants more active than wild-type, red, similar to wild-type, green, and less active than wild-type, blue. (B) Sequence conservation in the AL-CL Cluster and neighboring residues. Pan-kinase-conserved Catalytic Loop residues and pan-WNK Activation Loop phosphorylation sites are yellow, other colors indicate assay results, as in (A).

Figure 5 with 1 supplement
Basal autophosphorylation of WNK3/S308 and WNK1/S382 and effects of chloride on highly active mutations of position WNK3/E314 and WNK1/E388.

(A) Wild-type uWNK3. (B) uWNK3/E314Q. (C) uWNK3/E314A. (D) uWNK3/E314A, 25°C. (E) uWNK1 activity and chloride inhibition. (F) uWNK1/E388A autophosphorylation activity. Lines in panels E and F are derived from DynaFit modeling and described in Methods and Supplementary file 1f. Reactions run in 4 μM uWNK3, 30°C (unless otherwise indicated), at chloride concentrations of 50 mM (purple/dark green), 150 mM (pink/green), and 250 mM (magenta/light green). Bars indicate standard error from triplicate independent experiments.

Figure 5—source data 1

Mass spectrometric quantitation of activation loop peptides encompassing WNK3/S308 or WNK1/S382 over time for wild-type and AL-CL Cluster mutants as a function of [Chloride].

https://cdn.elifesciences.org/articles/88224/elife-88224-fig5-data1-v1.xlsx
Figure 5—figure supplement 1
Effects of chloride on uWNK3 AL-CL Cluster mutant autophosphorylation at S304.

(A) Wild-type uWNK3. (B) uWNK3/E314Q. (C) uWNK3/E214A at 25°C. (D) uWNK3/K236A. (E) uWNK3/K307A. (F) uWNK3/M301A. (G) uWNK3/Y346F. (H) uWNK3/D279N. Reactions run in 4 μM uWNK3, 30°C (unless otherwise indicated), at sodium chloride concentrations of 50 mM (purple), 150 mM (pink), and 250 mM (magenta). Bars indicate standard error from triplicate independent experiments.

Figure 5—figure supplement 1—source data 1

Mass spectrometric quantitation of WNK3/S304 phosphorylation over time in chloride.

https://cdn.elifesciences.org/articles/88224/elife-88224-fig5-figsupp1-data1-v1.xlsx
Basal autophosphorylation activity and effects of chloride on uWNK3 AL-CL Cluster mutants either similar to WT uWNK3 or less active.

(A) Wild-type uWNK3. (B) uWNK3/K236A. (C) uWNK3/K307A. (D) uWNK3/M301A. (E) uWNK3/Y346F. (F) uWNK3/D279N. Reactions run in 4 μM uWNK3, 30°C at chloride concentrations indicated. S308 phosphorylation. Bars indicate standard error from triplicate independent experiments.

Figure 6—source data 1

Mass spectrometric quantitation of WNK3/S308 phosphorylation for less active mutants.

https://cdn.elifesciences.org/articles/88224/elife-88224-fig6-data1-v1.xlsx
Effects of osmolytes on uWNK3 AL-CL Cluster mutant substrate phosphorylation.

(A) WT-uWNK3, E314Q, D279N, and Y346F. (B) WT-uWNK3, K236A, M301A, and K307A. ADP Glo (Promega) with gOSR1 peptide as a substrate in the absence (gray) or presence (red) of 15% PEG400 15 min, 25°C.

Figure 7—source data 1

Activity of WNK3 mutants toward gOSR1 as measured with ADP-Glo.

https://cdn.elifesciences.org/articles/88224/elife-88224-fig7-data1-v1.xlsx
WNK3/SA/E314A structure overlay.

(A) Colors the same as Figure 3, 6CN9 (cyan), uWNK1/SA/PEG400 (PDB file 9D3F, magenta), and WNK3/E314A (PDB file 9D7Q, orange). (B) Conformational differences as a function of sequence between uWNK1 and uWNK1/SA/PEG400 (pink), uWNK1 and uWNK3/SA/E314A (cyan), and uWNK1/SA/PEG400 and WNK3/SA/E314A (blue). Changes in Activation Loop residues have been omitted because they are off-scale due to disorder in PEG400 and domain-swapping in WNK3/E314A.

Tables

Key resources table
Reagent type (species) or resourceDesignationSource or referenceIdentifiersAdditional information
Recombinant DNA reagentWNK1(194-483) (plasmid)This paperGenScript
Recombinant DNA reagentWNK1(194-483)_E388A (plasmid)This paperGenScript
Recombinant DNA reagentWNK3(118-409) (plasmid)Akella et al., 2021GenScript
Recombinant DNA reagentWNK3(118-409)_K236A (plasmid)This paperGenScript
Recombinant DNA reagentWNK3(118-409)_D279N (plasmid)This paperGenScript
Recombinant DNA reagentWNK3(118-409)_M301A (plasmid)This paperGenScript
Recombinant DNA reagentWNK3(118-409)_K307A (plasmid)This paperGenScript
Recombinant DNA reagentWNK3(118-409)_E314Q (plasmid)This paperGenScript
Recombinant DNA reagentWNK3(118-409)_E314A (plasmid)This paperGenScript
Recombinant DNA reagentWNK3(118-409)_Y346F (plasmid)This paperGenScript
Recombinant DNA reagentWNK3(118-409)_S308A_E314A (plasmid)This paperGenScript
Recombinant DNA reagentPP1cΥ (plasmid)Barford and Keller, 1994From Depaoli-Roach
Peptide, recombinant proteinGST-OSR1(314-344)Taylor et al., 2018From Melanie Cobb
Peptide, recombinant proteinLambda phosphataseSanta Cruz BiotechnologyCat# sc-200312
Commercial assay or kitADP-Glo Max AssayPromegaCat# V7001

Additional files

Supplementary file 1

Tables.

(a) Crystallographic data and refinement of WNK1/S382A and WNK1/SA/PEG400. (b) Cell constant superposition comparisons. (c) WNK3/1 expression level, and Activation Loop S308/S382 phosphorylation and activity. (d) WNK1 and WNK3 peptides monitored by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS). (e) uWNK1 and uWNK3 autophosphorylation assay conditions. (f) Wild-type and E388A uWNK1 kinetic model. (g) Molecular weight versus [WNK] by static light scattering. (h) Crystallographic data and refinement of WNK3/SA/E314A.

https://cdn.elifesciences.org/articles/88224/elife-88224-supp1-v1.docx
MDAR checklist
https://cdn.elifesciences.org/articles/88224/elife-88224-mdarchecklist1-v1.docx

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  1. Liliana R Teixeira
  2. Radha Akella
  3. John M Humphreys
  4. Haixia He
  5. Elizabeth J Goldsmith
(2024)
Water and chloride as allosteric inhibitors in WNK kinase osmosensing
eLife 12:RP88224.
https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.88224.3