Tight junction proteins form large complexes and associate with the cytoskeleton in an ATP depletion model for reversible junction assembly.

A key feature of the ischemic epithelial cell phenotype is the disruption of tight junctions (TJ). In a Manin-Darby canine kidney cell model for ischemia-reperfusion/hypoxia-reoxygenation injury which employs inhibitors of glycolysis (2-deoxy-D-glucose) and oxidative phosphorylation (antimycin A), transepithelial electrical resistance, a measure of TJ integrity, dropped rapidly, correlating well with declining ATP levels. Although immunocytochemical studies revealed only subtle changes in the distribution of the TJ proteins, zonula occludens (ZO)-1, ZO-2, and cingulin, examination of the Triton X-100 solubilities of these proteins, an indicator of cytoskeletal association, revealed a striking shift of all three TJ proteins into the insoluble pool, consistent with increased cytoskeletal interaction during ATP depletion. In addition, rate-zonal centrifugation analysis of a detergent-soluble fraction showed an increase in the amount of ZO-1 and ZO-2 in high density fractions following ATP depletion, providing further evidence for association of TJ proteins into a large complex possibly involving the cytoskeleton. Analysis of immunoprecipitation data from [35S]methionine-labeled cells revealed that ATP depletion led to the association of a 240-kDa protein with the ZO-1-containing complex. Western blots of this protein immunoprecipitated with anti-ZO-1 antibodies confirmed its identity as fodrin, a protein believed to link membrane and other proteins to the actin-based cytoskeleton. Together, our data suggest that in the absence of major immunocytochemical changes, ATP depletion leads TJ proteins to form large insoluble complexes and associate with the cytoskeleton. We propose a model in which a key, potentially regulated, step in the generation of the ischemic epithelial cell phenotype is the interaction between TJ proteins and fodrin and/or other cytoskeletal proteins.