Superoxide anions are involved in mediating the effect of low K intake on c-Src expression and renal K secretion in the cortical collecting duct.

We previously demonstrated that low K intake stimulated the expression of c-Src and that stimulation of protein tyrosine kinase inhibited ROMK channel activity (Wei, Y., Bloom, P., Lin, D. H., Gu, R. M., and Wang, W. H. (2001) Am. J. Physiol. 281, F206-F212). Decreases in dietary K content significantly increased O(2)(-) levels and the phosphorylation of c-Jun, a transcription factor, in renal cortex and outer medulla. The role of O(2)(-) and related products such as H(2)O(2) in stimulating the expression of protein tyrosine kinase is suggested by the observation that addition of 50-200 microm H(2)O(2) increased the phosphorylation of c-Jun and the expression of c-Src in M1 cells, a mouse collecting duct principal cell line. The effect of H(2)O(2) on c-Src expression was completely abolished with cyclohexamide or actinomycin D. The treatment of animals on a K-deficient (KD) diet with tempol for 7 days significantly decreased the production of O(2)(-), c-Jun phosphorylation, and c-Src expression. Moreover, low K intake decreased the activity of ROMK-like small conductance channels from 1.37 (control K diet) to 0.5 in the cortical collecting duct and increased the tyrosine phosphorylation of ROMK in the renal cortex and outer medulla. In contrast, the tempol treatment not only increased channel activity to 1.1 in the cortical collecting duct but also decreased the tyrosine phosphorylation of ROMK from rats on a KD diet. Finally, suppressing O(2)(-) production with tempol significantly increased renal K excretion measured with metabolic cage and lowered the plasma K concentration in comparison with those on a KD diet alone without tempol. We conclude that O(2)(-) and related products play a role in mediating the effect of low K intake on c-Src expression and in suppressing ROMK channel activity and renal K secretion.