Phosphoproteomic identification of vasopressin V2 receptor-dependent signaling in the renal collecting duct.

Vasopressin controls water balance largely through PKA-dependent effects to regulate the collecting duct water channel aquaporin-2 (AQP2). Although considerable information has accrued regarding the regulation of water and solute transport in collecting duct cells, information is sparse regarding the signaling connections between PKA and transport responses. Here, we exploited recent advancements in protein mass spectrometry to perform a comprehensive, multiple-replicate analysis of changes in the phosphoproteome of native rat inner medullary collecting duct cells in response to the vasopressin V2 receptor-selective agonist 1-desamino-8D-arginine vasopressin. Of the 10,738 phosphopeptides quantified, only 156 phosphopeptides were significantly increased in abundance, and only 63 phosphopeptides were decreased, indicative of a highly selective response to vasopressin. The list of upregulated phosphosites showed several general characteristics: 1) a preponderance of sites with basic (positively charged) amino acids arginine (R) and lysine (K) in position -2 and -3 relative to the phosphorylated amino acid, consistent with phosphorylation by PKA and/or other basophilic kinases; 2) a greater-than-random likelihood of sites previously demonstrated to be phosphorylated by PKA; 3) a preponderance of sites in membrane proteins, consistent with regulation by membrane association; and 4) a greater-than-random likelihood of sites in proteins with class I COOH-terminal PDZ ligand motifs. The list of downregulated phosphosites showed a preponderance of those with proline in position +1 relative to the phosphorylated amino acid, consistent with either downregulation of proline-directed kinases (e.g., MAPKs or cyclin-dependent kinases) or upregulation of one or more protein phosphatases that selectively dephosphorylate such sites (e.g., protein phosphatase 2A). The phosphoproteomic data were used to create a web resource for the investigation of G protein-coupled receptor signaling and regulation of AQP2-mediated water transport.