DOE PAGES title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Nudge-nudge, WNK-WNK (kinases), say no more?

Abstract

Contents Summary 35 I Overview of animal and plant WNK kinases 35 II. Structure: domains and topology 36 III. Phylogeny–evolutionary relationships 41 IV. Plant WNK kinase distribution and regulation of WNK expression and activity 41 V. Functions of WNK family members in physiology and development 41 VI. Say no more? Still many questions to be answered 45 Acknowledgements 46 References 46 Summary WITH NO LYSINE ( WNK ) kinases are serine/threonine kinases uniquely characterized by an anomalous placement of a catalytic lysine, hence their moniker. In animals, WNK protein kinases play critical roles in protein trafficking of components that mediate renal ion transport processes and regulate osmoregulation of cell volume. In plants, the WNK kinase gene family is larger and more diverse. Recent studies revealed WNK kinase roles in orchestrating the trafficking of an ion channel, a lipid kinase complex in animals, and a heterotrimeric G protein signaling component in plants that is necessary for signal transduction. For this reason, new attention is geared toward investigating the mechanisms adopted by WNK kinases to nudge intracellular proteins to their destinations. In this review, the functions of WNK kinases in protein trafficking are derived from what we have learned from the modelmore » organism Arabidopsis thaliana . To place this new idea in context, we provide the predicted WNK kinase structures, their predicted expression patterns, a speculated evolutionary pathway, and the regulatory roles of plant WNK s in transport processes and other physiologies. We brazenly predict that the WNK kinases in both plants and animals will soon be recognized as a nexus for trafficking‐based signal transduction.« less

Authors:
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [3]
  1. Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC (United States); National Univ. of Singapore (Singapore)
  2. National Univ. of Singapore (Singapore)
  3. Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC)
OSTI Identifier:
1609602
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1457494
Grant/Contract Number:  
FG02-05ER15671; DE‐FG02‐05er15671
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
New Phytologist
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 220; Journal Issue: 1; Journal ID: ISSN 0028-646X
Publisher:
Wiley
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES; plant sciences; circadian; flowering; protein trafficking; regulator of G signaling; WNK kinase

Citation Formats

Cao-Pham, Anh H., Urano, Daisuke, Ross-Elliott, Timothy J., and Jones, Alan M. Nudge-nudge, WNK-WNK (kinases), say no more?. United States: N. p., 2018. Web. doi:10.1111/nph.15276.
Cao-Pham, Anh H., Urano, Daisuke, Ross-Elliott, Timothy J., & Jones, Alan M. Nudge-nudge, WNK-WNK (kinases), say no more?. United States. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.15276
Cao-Pham, Anh H., Urano, Daisuke, Ross-Elliott, Timothy J., and Jones, Alan M. Wed . "Nudge-nudge, WNK-WNK (kinases), say no more?". United States. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.15276. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1609602.
@article{osti_1609602,
title = {Nudge-nudge, WNK-WNK (kinases), say no more?},
author = {Cao-Pham, Anh H. and Urano, Daisuke and Ross-Elliott, Timothy J. and Jones, Alan M.},
abstractNote = {Contents Summary 35 I Overview of animal and plant WNK kinases 35 II. Structure: domains and topology 36 III. Phylogeny–evolutionary relationships 41 IV. Plant WNK kinase distribution and regulation of WNK expression and activity 41 V. Functions of WNK family members in physiology and development 41 VI. Say no more? Still many questions to be answered 45 Acknowledgements 46 References 46 Summary WITH NO LYSINE ( WNK ) kinases are serine/threonine kinases uniquely characterized by an anomalous placement of a catalytic lysine, hence their moniker. In animals, WNK protein kinases play critical roles in protein trafficking of components that mediate renal ion transport processes and regulate osmoregulation of cell volume. In plants, the WNK kinase gene family is larger and more diverse. Recent studies revealed WNK kinase roles in orchestrating the trafficking of an ion channel, a lipid kinase complex in animals, and a heterotrimeric G protein signaling component in plants that is necessary for signal transduction. For this reason, new attention is geared toward investigating the mechanisms adopted by WNK kinases to nudge intracellular proteins to their destinations. In this review, the functions of WNK kinases in protein trafficking are derived from what we have learned from the model organism Arabidopsis thaliana . To place this new idea in context, we provide the predicted WNK kinase structures, their predicted expression patterns, a speculated evolutionary pathway, and the regulatory roles of plant WNK s in transport processes and other physiologies. We brazenly predict that the WNK kinases in both plants and animals will soon be recognized as a nexus for trafficking‐based signal transduction.},
doi = {10.1111/nph.15276},
journal = {New Phytologist},
number = 1,
volume = 220,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Jun 27 00:00:00 EDT 2018},
month = {Wed Jun 27 00:00:00 EDT 2018}
}

Journal Article:
Free Publicly Available Full Text
Publisher's Version of Record

Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 19 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

Save / Share:

Works referenced in this record:

Changes in K+, Cl- and P contents in stomata of Zea mays leaves exposed to different light and CO2 levels
journal, April 1987


Long-distance communication in Arabidopsis involving a self-activating G protein
journal, February 2018

  • Tunc-Ozdemir, Meral; Liao, Kang-Ling; Ross-Elliott, Timothy J.
  • Plant Direct, Vol. 2, Issue 2
  • DOI: 10.1002/pld3.37

Mutational Analysis of the Subunit C (Vma5p) of the Yeast Vacuolar H + -ATPase
journal, January 2002

  • Curtis, Kelly Keenan; Francis, Smitha A.; Oluwatosin, Yemisi
  • Journal of Biological Chemistry, Vol. 277, Issue 11
  • DOI: 10.1074/jbc.M111708200

Biotechnology of water and salinity stress tolerance
journal, April 2010


Munc18c Heterozygous Knockout Mice Display Increased Susceptibility for Severe Glucose Intolerance
journal, February 2005


A Family of Putative Chloride Channels from Arabidopsis and Functional Complementation of a Yeast Strain with a CLC Gene Disruption
journal, December 1996

  • Hechenberger, Mirko; Schwappach, Blanche; Fischer, Wolf N.
  • Journal of Biological Chemistry, Vol. 271, Issue 52
  • DOI: 10.1074/jbc.271.52.33632

WNK1, a Novel Mammalian Serine/Threonine Protein Kinase Lacking the Catalytic Lysine in Subdomain II
journal, May 2000

  • Xu, Bing-e; English, Jessie M.; Wilsbacher, Julie L.
  • Journal of Biological Chemistry, Vol. 275, Issue 22
  • DOI: 10.1074/jbc.275.22.16795

Unique chloride-sensing properties of WNK4 permit the distal nephron to modulate potassium homeostasis
journal, January 2016

  • Terker, Andrew S.; Zhang, Chong; Erspamer, Kayla J.
  • Kidney International, Vol. 89, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1038/ki.2015.289

WNK kinases, a novel protein kinase subfamily in multi-cellular organisms
journal, September 2001


Role of WNK kinases in regulating tubular salt and potassium transport and in the development of hypertension
journal, February 2005


The Arabidopsis KNOLLE and KEULE genes interact to promote vesicle fusion during cytokinesis
journal, November 2000


Activation of the thiazide-sensitive Na+-Cl- cotransporter by the WNK-regulated kinases SPAK and OSR1
journal, February 2008

  • Richardson, C.; Rafiqi, F. H.; Karlsson, H. K. R.
  • Journal of Cell Science, Vol. 121, Issue 5
  • DOI: 10.1242/jcs.025312

Solution Structure of the WNK1 Autoinhibitory Domain, a WNK-Specific PF2 Domain
journal, April 2013

  • Moon, Thomas M.; Correa, Fernando; Kinch, Lisa N.
  • Journal of Molecular Biology, Vol. 425, Issue 8
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2013.01.031

The WNK1 and WNK4 protein kinases that are mutated in Gordon's hypertension syndrome phosphorylate and activate SPAK and OSR1 protein kinases
journal, September 2005

  • Vitari, Alberto C.; Deak, Maria; Morrice, Nick A.
  • Biochemical Journal, Vol. 391, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1042/BJ20051180

A WNK kinase binds and phosphorylates V-ATPase subunit C
journal, January 2006


WNK Protein Kinases Modulate Cellular Cl Flux by Altering the Phosphorylation State of the Na-K-Cl and K-Cl Cotransporters
journal, October 2006


Mechanisms of Salt Tolerance in Nonhalophytes
journal, June 1980


Structural insights into the recognition of substrates and activators by the OSR1 kinase
journal, August 2007


Tonoplast-located GmCLC1 and GmNHX1 from soybean enhance NaCl tolerance in transgenic bright yellow (BY)-2 cells
journal, June 2006


AtWNK9 is regulated by ABA and dehydration and is involved in drought tolerance in Arabidopsis
journal, April 2014


Rice WNK1 is regulated by abiotic stress and involved in internal circadian rhythm
journal, March 2011

  • Kumar, Kundan; Rao, Kudupudi Prabhakara; Biswas, Dipul Kumar
  • Plant Signaling & Behavior, Vol. 6, Issue 3
  • DOI: 10.4161/psb.6.3.13063

WNK1 is an unexpected autophagy inhibitor
journal, March 2017


Regulation of the expression of the Na/Cl cotransporter by WNK4 and WNK1: evidence that accelerated dynamin-dependent endocytosis is not involved
journal, December 2006

  • Golbang, Amir P.; Cope, Georgina; Hamad, Abbas
  • American Journal of Physiology-Renal Physiology, Vol. 291, Issue 6
  • DOI: 10.1152/ajprenal.00468.2005

The HHpred interactive server for protein homology detection and structure prediction
journal, July 2005

  • Soding, J.; Biegert, A.; Lupas, A. N.
  • Nucleic Acids Research, Vol. 33, Issue Web Server
  • DOI: 10.1093/nar/gki408

Abscisic Acid Synthesis and Response
journal, January 2013


Expression of KT/KUP Genes in Arabidopsis and the Role of Root Hairs in K + Uptake
journal, February 2004

  • Ahn, Sung Ju; Shin, Ryoung; Schachtman, Daniel P.
  • Plant Physiology, Vol. 134, Issue 3
  • DOI: 10.1104/pp.103.034660

Arabidopsis F-box gene FOA1 involved in ABA signaling
journal, June 2012


Two members of the Arabidopsis CLC (chloride channel) family, AtCLCe and AtCLCf, are associated with thylakoid and Golgi membranes, respectively
journal, July 2007

  • Marmagne, A.; Vinauger-Douard, M.; Monachello, D.
  • Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol. 58, Issue 12
  • DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erm187

Tethering Factors as Organizers of Intracellular Vesicular Traffic
journal, November 2010


PASK (Proline-Alanine-rich STE20-related Kinase), a Regulatory Kinase of the Na-K-Cl Cotransporter (NKCC1)
journal, May 2003

  • Dowd, Brian F. X.; Forbush, Biff
  • Journal of Biological Chemistry, Vol. 278, Issue 30
  • DOI: 10.1074/jbc.M301899200

A Mesoscale Abscisic Acid Hormone Interactome Reveals a Dynamic Signaling Landscape in Arabidopsis
journal, May 2014


Regulation of WNK1 by an Autoinhibitory Domain and Autophosphorylation
journal, October 2002

  • Xu, Bing-e; Min, Xiaoshan; Stippec, Steve
  • Journal of Biological Chemistry, Vol. 277, Issue 50
  • DOI: 10.1074/jbc.M207917200

GENEVESTIGATOR. Arabidopsis Microarray Database and Analysis Toolbox
journal, September 2004

  • Zimmermann, Philip; Hirsch-Hoffmann, Matthias; Hennig, Lars
  • Plant Physiology, Vol. 136, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1104/pp.104.046367

WNK1 Is a Novel Regulator of Munc18c-Syntaxin 4 Complex Formation in Soluble NSF Attachment Protein Receptor (SNARE)-mediated Vesicle Exocytosis
journal, September 2007

  • Oh, Eunjin; Heise, Charles J.; English, Jessie M.
  • Journal of Biological Chemistry, Vol. 282, Issue 45
  • DOI: 10.1074/jbc.M706591200

Transcriptome analysis of rice root responses to potassium deficiency
journal, January 2012


Plant KT/KUP/HAK Potassium Transporters: Single Family - Multiple Functions
journal, January 2007


Hydrogen peroxide mediates plant root cell response to nutrient deprivation
journal, June 2004

  • Shin, R.; Schachtman, D. P.
  • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 101, Issue 23
  • DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0401707101

Transport Vesicle Tethering at the Trans Golgi Network: Coiled Coil Proteins in Action
journal, March 2016

  • Cheung, Pak-yan P.; Pfeffer, Suzanne R.
  • Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, Vol. 4
  • DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2016.00018

The nitrate/proton antiporter AtCLCa mediates nitrate accumulation in plant vacuoles
journal, July 2006

  • De Angeli, A.; Monachello, D.; Ephritikhine, G.
  • Nature, Vol. 442, Issue 7105
  • DOI: 10.1038/nature05013

Comparison of WNK4 and WNK1 kinase and inhibiting activities
journal, May 2004

  • Wang, Zhaohong; Yang, Chao-Ling; Ellison, David H.
  • Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Vol. 317, Issue 3
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2004.03.132

The WNKs: Atypical Protein Kinases With Pleiotropic Actions
journal, January 2011


The plant WNK gene family and regulation of flowering time in Arabidopsis
journal, September 2008


Molecular Bases for Circadian Clocks
journal, January 1999


Reciprocal Encoding of Signal Intensity and Duration in a Glucose-Sensing Circuit
journal, February 2014


Mechanisms of Cl - transport contributing to salt tolerance
journal, April 2010


Crystal Structure of the Kinase Domain of WNK1, a Kinase that Causes a Hereditary Form of Hypertension
journal, July 2004


Understanding eNOS for Pharmacological Modulation of Endothelial Function: A Translational View
journal, June 2007


AtVPS45 Is a Positive Regulator of the SYP41/SYP61/VTI12 SNARE Complex Involved in Trafficking of Vacuolar Cargo
journal, February 2009

  • Zouhar, Jan; Rojo, Enrique; Bassham, Diane C.
  • Plant Physiology, Vol. 149, Issue 4
  • DOI: 10.1104/pp.108.134361

Mechanisms of Salinity Tolerance
journal, June 2008


Regulation of NKCC2 by a chloride-sensing mechanism involving the WNK3 and SPAK kinases
journal, June 2008

  • Ponce-Coria, J.; San-Cristobal, P.; Kahle, K. T.
  • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 105, Issue 24
  • DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0802966105

Zebrafish WNK Lysine Deficient Protein Kinase 1 (wnk1) Affects Angiogenesis Associated with VEGF Signaling
journal, August 2014


Disruption of AtWNK8 Enhances Tolerance of Arabidopsis to Salt and Osmotic Stresses via Modulating Proline Content and Activities of Catalase and Peroxidase
journal, March 2013

  • Zhang, Baige; Liu, Kaidong; Zheng, Yan
  • International Journal of Molecular Sciences, Vol. 14, Issue 4
  • DOI: 10.3390/ijms14047032

WNK4 Enhances the Degradation of NCC through a Sortilin-Mediated Lysosomal Pathway
journal, October 2009

  • Zhou, Bo; Zhuang, Jieqiu; Gu, Dingying
  • Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, Vol. 21, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1681/ASN.2008121275

The Arabidopsis defense component EDM2 affects the floral transition in an FLC-dependent manner: EDM2 promotes the floral transition
journal, February 2010


PANTHER in 2013: modeling the evolution of gene function, and other gene attributes, in the context of phylogenetic trees
journal, November 2012

  • Mi, Huaiyu; Muruganujan, Anushya; Thomas, Paul D.
  • Nucleic Acids Research, Vol. 41, Issue D1
  • DOI: 10.1093/nar/gks1118

A shadow detector for photosynthesis efficiency
journal, February 2017


Wnk kinases are positive regulators of canonical Wnt/β-catenin signalling
journal, June 2013

  • Serysheva, Ekatherina; Berhane, Hebist; Grumolato, Luca
  • EMBO reports, Vol. 14, Issue 8
  • DOI: 10.1038/embor.2013.88

Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of WNK kinase gene family in rice
journal, December 2015


The trafficking protein SYP121 of Arabidopsis connects programmed stomatal closure and K + channel activity with vegetative growth
journal, October 2011


CLC transport proteins in plants
journal, December 2009


Caenorhabditis elegans WNK–STE20 pathway regulates tube formation by modulating ClC channel activity
journal, November 2007


The Caenorhabditis elegans Ste20 kinase, GCK-3, is essential for postembryonic developmental timing and regulates meiotic chromosome segregation
journal, August 2010

  • Kupinski, Adam P.; Müller-Reichert, Thomas; Eckmann, Christian R.
  • Developmental Biology, Vol. 344, Issue 2
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2010.05.505

Dose-Duration Reciprocity for G protein activation: Modulation of kinase to substrate ratio alters cell signaling
journal, December 2017


Endocytosis of the seven-transmembrane RGS1 protein activates G-protein-coupled signalling in Arabidopsis
journal, September 2012

  • Urano, Daisuke; Phan, Nguyen; Jones, Janice C.
  • Nature Cell Biology, Vol. 14, Issue 10
  • DOI: 10.1038/ncb2568

A Tripartite SNARE-K + Channel Complex Mediates in Channel-Dependent K + Nutrition in Arabidopsis
journal, September 2009

  • Honsbein, Annegret; Sokolovski, Sergei; Grefen, Christopher
  • The Plant Cell, Vol. 21, Issue 9
  • DOI: 10.1105/tpc.109.066118

Function of the anion transporter AtCLC-d in the trans-Golgi network: Anion transporter AtCLC-d
journal, March 2007


Overexpression of the soybean GmWNK1 altered the sensitivity to salt and osmotic stress in Arabidopsis
journal, December 2011


Compilation and Characterization of a Novel WNK Family of Protein Kinases in Arabiodpsis thaliana with Reference to Circadian Rhythms
journal, January 2002

  • Nakamichi, Norihito; Murakami-Kojima, Masaya; Sato, Eriko
  • Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry, Vol. 66, Issue 11
  • DOI: 10.1271/bbb.66.2429

Human Hypertension Caused by Mutations in WNK Kinases
journal, August 2001


Molecular Cloning, Functional Expression and Subcellular Localization of Two Putative Vacuolar Voltage-gated Chloride Channels in Rice (Oryza sativa L.)
journal, January 2006

  • Nakamura, Atsuko; Fukuda, Atsunori; Sakai, Shingo
  • Plant and Cell Physiology, Vol. 47, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1093/pcp/pci220

WNK1 Regulates Phosphorylation of Cation-Chloride-coupled Cotransporters via the STE20-related Kinases, SPAK and OSR1
journal, October 2005

  • Moriguchi, Tetsuo; Urushiyama, Seiichi; Hisamoto, Naoki
  • Journal of Biological Chemistry, Vol. 280, Issue 52
  • DOI: 10.1074/jbc.M510042200

Arabidopsis Sec1/Munc18 Protein SEC11 Is a Competitive and Dynamic Modulator of SNARE Binding and SYP121-Dependent Vesicle Traffic
journal, April 2013

  • Karnik, Rucha; Grefen, Christopher; Bayne, Robert
  • The Plant Cell, Vol. 25, Issue 4
  • DOI: 10.1105/tpc.112.108506

A Calcium Sensor Homolog Required for Plant Salt Tolerance
journal, June 1998


WNK4 Diverts the Thiazide-sensitive NaCl Cotransporter to the Lysosome and Stimulates AP-3 Interaction
journal, April 2009

  • Subramanya, Arohan R.; Liu, Jie; Ellison, David H.
  • Journal of Biological Chemistry, Vol. 284, Issue 27
  • DOI: 10.1074/jbc.M109.008185

WNK4 kinase regulates surface expression of the human sodium chloride cotransporter in mammalian cells
journal, June 2006


Genes and salt tolerance: bringing them together: Tansley review
journal, July 2005


Plant responses to potassium deficiencies: a role for potassium transport proteins
journal, December 2005

  • Ashley, M. K.; Grant, M.; Grabov, A.
  • Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol. 57, Issue 2
  • DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erj034

The role of potassium in alleviating detrimental effects of abiotic stresses in plants
journal, August 2005


Chloride Sensing by WNK1 Involves Inhibition of Autophosphorylation
journal, May 2014


Coiled coils: a highly versatile protein folding motif
journal, February 2001


Setting SNAREs in a Different Wood: Setting SNAREs in a Different Wood
journal, April 2006


Salt resistant crop plants
journal, April 2014


A pathway for unicellular tube extension depending on the lymphatic vessel determinant Prox1 and on osmoregulation
journal, January 2013

  • Kolotuev, Irina; Hyenne, Vincent; Schwab, Yannick
  • Nature Cell Biology, Vol. 15, Issue 2
  • DOI: 10.1038/ncb2662

Heterotrimeric G protein signalling in the plant kingdom
journal, March 2013

  • Urano, Daisuke; Chen, Jin-Gui; Botella, José Ramón
  • Open Biology, Vol. 3, Issue 3
  • DOI: 10.1098/rsob.120186

KT/HAK/KUP potassium transporters gene family and their whole-life cycle expression profile in rice (Oryza sativa)
journal, September 2008


GCK-3, a Newly Identified Ste20 Kinase, Binds To and Regulates the Activity of a Cell Cycle–dependent ClC Anion Channel
journal, January 2005

  • Denton, Jerod; Nehrke, Keith; Yin, Xiaoyan
  • The Journal of General Physiology, Vol. 125, Issue 2
  • DOI: 10.1085/jgp.200409215

Works referencing / citing this record:

Genetic and Systematic Approaches Toward G Protein-Coupled Abiotic Stress Signaling in Plants
journal, September 2018