Xenopus Na,K-ATPase: primary sequence of the beta2 subunit and in situ localization of alpha1, beta1, and gamma expression during pronephric kidney development.

The osmoregulatory function of the pronephric kidney, the first excretory organ of the vertebrate embryo, is essential for embryonic survival. The transport systems engaged in pronephric osmotic regulation are however poorly understood. The Na,K-ATPase is the key component in renal solute transport and water homeostasis. In the present study, we characterized the alpha, beta, and gamma subunits of the Na,K-ATPase of the developing Xenopus embryo. In addition to the known alpha1, beta1, beta3 and gamma subunits, we report here the identification of a novel cDNA encoding the Xenopus beta2 subunit. We demonstrate by in situ hybridization that each Xenopus Na,K-ATPase subunit exhibits a distinct tissue-specific and developmentally regulated expression pattern. We found that the developing pronephric kidney expresses alpha1, beta1, and gamma subunits uniformly along the entire length of the nephron. Onset of pronephric Na,K-ATPase subunit expression occurred in a coordinated fashion indicating that a common regulatory mechanism may initiate pronephric transcription of these genes. The ability to engage in active Na+ reabsorption appears to be established early in pronephric development, since Na,K-ATPase expression was detected well before the completion of pronephric organogenesis. Furthermore, Na,K-ATPase expression defines at the molecular level the onset of maturation phase during pronephric kidney organogenesis. Taken together, our studies reveal a striking conservation of Na,K-ATPase subunit expression between pronephric and metanephric kidneys. The pronephric kidney may therefore represent a simplified model to dissect the regulatory mechanisms underlying renal Na,K-ATPase subunit expression.