Norepinephrine, via beta-adrenoceptors, regulates bumetanide-sensitive cotransporter type 1 expression in thick ascending limb cells.

The sympathetic nervous system, via norepinephrine, regulates renal sodium transport, and chronic sympathetic activation causes sustained increases in blood pressure by reducing sodium excretion. Our previous studies show that chronic norepinephrine infusion increases the abundance of the bumetanide-sensitive cotransporter type 1, the apical sodium transporter of the thick ascending limb of Henle's loop. The present study was initiated to elucidate the mechanisms by which norepinephrine regulates the protein levels of this transporter in an immortalized thick ascending limb epithelial cell line. Treatment with norepinephrine, either alone or in the presence of actinomycin D or cycloheximide, had no effect on cotransporter mRNA levels. Treatment with norepinephrine, however, increased bumetanide-sensitive cotransporter type 1 protein levels (70% increase versus control; P=0.012), and pretreatment with cycloheximide blocked the effect of norepinephrine on bumetanide-sensitive cotransporter type 1 protein levels. To further elucidate the mechanism, thick ascending limb cells were treated with norepinephrine in the presence of phentolamine (alpha-adrenoceptor blocker), propranolol (beta-adrenoceptor blocker), SQ22536 (adenylyl cyclase inhibitor), PD098059 (mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway inhibitor), H-89 (protein kinase A inhibitor), or staurosporine (protein kinase C inhibitor). Treatment with propranolol, SQ22536, and H-89 abolished the effects of norepinephrine on bumetanide-sensitive cotransporter type 1 protein levels, whereas staurosporine had no effect. Treatment with PD098059 partially inhibited the effects of norepinephrine (40% decrease versus norepinephrine; P=0.03), and treatment with phentolamine potentiated the effects of norepinephrine (30% increase versus norepinephrine; P=0.02) on bumetanide-sensitive cotransporter type 1 protein levels. We conclude that regulation of bumetanide-sensitive cotransporter type 1 by norepinephrine proceeds via the beta-adrenoceptor receptor-cAMP-protein kinase A pathway that involves in part mitogen-activated protein kinases and that alpha-adrenoceptor activation negatively regulates bumetanide-sensitive cotransporter type 1 protein levels.