Enhanced Shear Force Responsiveness of Epithelial Na⁺ Channel's (ENaC) δ Subunit Following the Insertion of N-Glycosylation Motifs Relies on the Extracellular Matrix.

ABSTRACT: Members of the Degenerin/epithelial Na⁺ channel (ENaC) protein family and the extracellular cell matrix (ECM) form a mechanosensitive complex. A core feature of this complex are tethers, which connect the channel with the ECM, however, knowledge about the nature of these tethers is scarce. N-glycans of α ENaC were recently identified as potential tethers but whether N-glycans serve as a ubiquitous feature for mechanosensation processes remains unresolved. The purpose of this study was to reveal whether the addition of N-glycans to δ ENaC-which is less responsive to shear force (SF)-increases its SF-responsiveness and whether this relies on a linkage to the ECM. Therefore, N-glycosylation motifs were introduced via site-directed mutagenesis, the resulting proteins expressed with

SUBMITTER: Barth D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7958617 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature