Regulation of the epithelial Na⁺ channel by paraoxonase-2

Paraoxonase-2 (PON-2) is a membrane-bound lactonase with unique anti-oxidative and anti-atherosclerotic properties. PON-2 shares key structural elements with MEC-6, an endoplasmic reticulum-resident molecular chaperone in Caenorhabditis elegans MEC-6 modulates the expression of a mechanotransductive ion channel comprising MEC-4 and MEC-10 in touch-receptor neurons. Because pon-2 mRNA resides in multiple rat nephron segments, including the aldosterone-sensitive distal nephron where the epithelial Na⁺ channel (ENaC) is expressed, we hypothesized that PON-2 would similarly regulate ENaC expression. We observed PON-2 expression in aquaporin 2-positive principal cells of the distal nephron of adult human kidney. PON-2 also co-immunoprecipitated with ENaC when co-expressed in HEK293 cells. When PON-2 was co-expressed with ENaC in Xenopus oocytes, ENaC activity was reduced, reflecting a reduction in ENaC surface expression. MEC-6 also reduced ENaC activity when co-expressed in Xenopus oocytes. The PON-2 inhibitory effect was ENaC-specific, as PON-2 had no effect on functional expression of the renal outer medullary potassium channel. PON-2 did not alter the response of ENaC to extracellular Na⁺, mechanical shear stress, or α-chymotrypsin-mediated proteolysis, suggesting that PON-2 did not alter the regulation of ENaC by these factors. Together, our data suggest that PON-2 regulates ENaC activity by modulating its intracellular trafficking and surface expression.