Relationship of the aldosterone-induced protein, GP70, to the conductive Na+ channel

Although one of the primary effects of aldosterone is to increase apical membrane Na+ conductance, as yet none of the proteins induced by the hormone in renal epithelia have been shown to be related to the conductive Na+ channel. Because the toad urinary bladder aldosterone-induced glycoprotein, GP70, has recently been localized to the apical surface of this Na+ transporting epithelium, whether GP70 is associated with the Na+ channel was examined. The specificities of a monoclonal antibody used to characterize GP70 (mAb 20) and a polyclonal antibody raised against the purified bovine renal papillary Na+ channel (anti-CH) were compared: GP70 was specifically immunoprecipitated by both mAb 20 and anti-CH. Moreover, the sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis profile of mAb 20 purified toad urinary bladder membrane preparations was similar to those reported for bovine and A6 cell Na+ channels. Under nonreducing conditions, a single, very large protein was evident; reduction yielded GP70, a 140-kd polypeptide, and a number of minor bands. Interestingly, only GP70 was induced by aldosterone. Thus, GP70 appears to be associated with the toad urinary bladder conductive Na+ channel; whether GP70 is an integral subunit of the channel or whether it functions as a regulatory moiety remains to be determined. Whatever the case, because GP70 is induced by aldosterone, it likely has a central role in Na+ channel modulation.