Correlation between apical localization of Abcc2/Mrp2 and phosphorylation status of ezrin in rat intestine

The multidrug resistance-associated protein 2/ATP-binding cassette transporter family C2 (Mrp2/Abcc2) is an ATP-dependent export pump that mediates the transport of a variety of organic anions. Abcc2 is mainly expressed on the canalicular membrane of hepatocytes and also the brush-border membrane of intestinal epithelial cells. We have previously reported that Abcc2 is rapidly internalized from the canalicular membrane during acute oxidative stress, which induces protein kinase C (PKC) activation in rat liver. However, it has not been elucidated whether PKC is involved in the regulation of Abcc2 localization in other tissues. In this study, we investigated this issue in rat intestinal epithelia. Exposure to thymeleatoxin, a conventional PKC (cPKC) activator, for 20 min reduced the cumulative glutathione S-bimane efflux for 40 min via Abcc2 from 30.3 +/- 2.1 nmol/cm to 18.1 +/- 1.6 nmol/cm. Likewise, the Abcc2 expression in the brush-border membrane of the small intestine was reduced to half that of the control without changing the total amount of Abcc2 present in the homogenate. Immunoprecipitation analysis suggested an interaction between Abcc2 and ezrin, a scaffolding protein that is dominantly expressed in the intestine. Thymeleatoxin treatment decreased the amount of the active form (C-terminally phosphorylated form) of ezrin and the amount of Abcc2 that coimmunoprecipitated with ezrin. These results indicate that cPKC activation diminishes the protein-protein interaction between ezrin and Abcc2. In conclusion, the phosphorylation status of ezrin correlates with the cell surface expression of Abcc2 in the rat small intestine, which may be regulated by cPKC.