Deletion of KS-WNK1 promotes NCC activation by increasing WNK1/4 abundance

Dietary potassium deficiency causes stimulation of sodium reabsorption leading to an increased risk in blood pressure elevation. The distal convoluted tubule (DCT) is the main rheostat linking plasma K⁺ levels to the activity of the Na-Cl cotransporter (NCC). This occurs through basolateral membrane potential sensing by inwardly rectifying K⁺ channels (Kir4.1/5.1); decrease in intracellular Cl^-; activation of WNK4 and interaction and phosphorylation of STE20/SPS1-related proline/alanine-rich kinase (SPAK); binding of calcium-binding protein 39 (cab39) adaptor protein to SPAK, leading to its trafficking to the apical membrane; and SPAK binding, phosphorylation, and activation of NCC. As kidney-specific with-no-lysine kinase 1 (WNK1) isoform (KS-WNK1) is another participant in this pathway, we examined its function in NCC regulation. We eliminated KS-WNK1 specifically in the DCT and demonstrated increased expression of WNK4 and long WNK1 (L-WNK1) and increased phosphorylation of NCC. As in other KS-WNK1 models, the mice were not hyperkalemic. Although wild-type mice under low-dietary K⁺ conditions demonstrated increased NCC phosphorylation, the phosphorylation levels of the transporter, already high in KS-WNK1, did not change under the low-K⁺ diet. Thus, in the absence of KS-WNK1, the transporter lost its sensitivity to low plasma K⁺. We also show that under low K⁺ conditions, in the absence of KS-WNK1, there was no formation of WNK bodies. These bodies were observed in adjacent segments, not affected by the targeting of KS-WNK1. As our data are overall consistent with those of the global KS-WNK1 knockout, they indicate that the DCT is the predominant segment affecting the salt transport regulated by KS-WNK1.NEW & NOTEWORTHY In this paper, we show that KS-WNK1 is a critical component of the distal convoluted tubule (DCT) K⁺ switch pathway. Its deletion results in an inability of the DCT to sense changes in plasma potassium. Absence of KS-WNK1 leads to abnormally high levels of WNK4 and L-WNK1 in the DCT, resulting in increased Na-Cl phosphorylation and function. Our data are consistent with KS-WNK1 targeting WNK4 and L-WNK1 to degradation.