Background: The renal K(+) channel ROMK (Kir1.1) controls salt reabsorption in the kidney. Loss-of-function mutations in this channel cause hyperprostaglandin E syndrome/antenatal Bartter syndrome (HPS/aBS), which is characterized by severe renal salt and fluid wasting.
Methods: We investigated 10 HPS/aBS patients for mutations in the ROMK gene by single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis (SSCA) and direct sequencing. To assess the functional consequences, Ba(2+)-sensitive K(+) currents were measured in five mutants of the core region as well as one mutant with truncated C-terminus, using the two-electrode voltage-clamp technique after an injection of mutant cRNA into Xenopus oocytes.
Results: Three novel ROMK mutations were identified together with six mutations described previously. The mutations were categorized into three groups: (1) amino acid exchanges in the core region (M1-H5-M2), (2) truncation at the cytosolic C-terminus, and (3) deletions of putative promoter elements. While the core mutations W99C, N124K, and I142T led to significantly reduced macroscopic K(+) currents (1 to 8% of wild-type currents), the A103V and P110L variants retained substantial K(+) conductivity (23 and 35% of wild-type currents, respectively). Coexpression of A103V and P110L, resembling the compound heterozygous state of the affected individual, further reduced macroscopic currents to 9% of the wild-type currents. All mutants in the core region exerted a dominant-negative effect on wild-type ROMK1. The C-terminal frameshift (fs) mutation (H354fs) did not change current amplitudes compared with ROMK1 wild type, suggesting that a mechanism other than alteration of the electrophysiological properties may responsible for loss of channel activity.
Conclusions: Analysis of ROMK mutants linked to HPS/aBS revealed a spectrum of mechanisms accounting for loss of channel function. Further characterization of the molecular defects might be helpful for the development of new therapeutic approaches.