The neuropeptide RhoprCCHamide2 inhibits serotonin-stimulated transcellular Na+ transport across the anterior midgut of the vector of Chagas disease, Rhodnius prolixus.

Rhodnius prolixus is a blood-feeding insect vector of Trypanosoma cruzi, a protozoan parasite that causes Chagas disease. During each blood meal, the animals ingest large volumes of blood, that may be up to 12 times the unfed body mass. These blood meals impose a significant osmotic stress for the animals due to the hyposmotic condition of the ingested blood compared with the insect's hemolymph. Thus the insect undergoes a massive postprandial diuresis that allows for the excretion of the plasma fraction of the blood in less than two hours. Diuresis is performed by the excretory system, consisting of the Malpighian tubules and gut, under the control of diuretic and anti-diuretic factors. We investigated the ion transport machinery triggered by stimulation with the diuretic factor serotonin in the anterior midgut (i.e. crop) and the effect of the diuretic modulator RhoprCCHamide2. Ussing chamber assays revealed that serotonin-stimulated increase in transepithelial short-circuit current (Isc) was more sensitive to the blockage with amiloride than 5-N-ethyl-N-isopropyl amiloride (EIPA), suggesting the involvement of Na+ channels. Incubation in Na+-free, but not Cl--free saline, blocked the effect of serotonin on Isc. Moreover, treatment with Na+-K+-2Cl- cotransporter (NKCC) and Na+-Cl- cotransporter (NCC) blockers had no effect on fluid secretion but was blocked by amiloride. Blockage of Na+/K+-ATPase with ouabain inhibited Isc but the H+-ATPase inhibitor bafilomycin had no effect. The neuropeptide RhoprCCHamide2 diminished serotonin-stimulated Isc across the crop. The results suggest that Na+ undergoes active transport via an apical amiloride-sensitive Na+ channel and a basolateral ouabain-sensitive Na+/K+-ATPase, while Cl- is transported through a passive paracellular pathway.

Airway submucosal glands from cystic fibrosis swine suffer from abnormal ion transport across the serous acini, collecting duct, and ciliated duct.

The human airway is protected by an efficient innate defense mechanism that requires healthy secretion of airway surface liquid (ASL) to clear pathogens from the lungs. Most of the ASL in the upper airway is secreted by submucosal glands. In cystic fibrosis (CF), the function of airway submucosal glands is abnormal, and these abnormalities are attributed to anomalies in ion transport across the epithelia lining the different sections of the glands that function coordinately to produce the ASL. However, the ion transport properties of most of the anatomical regions of the gland have never been measured, and there is controversy regarding which segments express CFTR. This makes it difficult to determine the glandular abnormalities that may contribute to CF lung disease. Using a noninvasive, extracellular self-referencing ion-selective electrode technique, we characterized ion transport properties in all four segments of submucosal glands from wild-type and CFTR-/- swine. In wild-type airways, the serous acini, mucus tubules, and collecting ducts secrete Cl- and Na+ into the lumen in response to carbachol and forskolin stimulation. The ciliated duct also transports Cl- and Na+ but in the opposite direction, i.e., reabsorption from the ASL, which may contribute to lowering Na+ and Cl- activities in the secreted fluid. In CFTR-/- airways, the serous acini, collecting ducts, and ciliated ducts fail to transport ions after forskolin stimulation, resulting in the production of smaller volumes of ASL with normal Cl-, Na+, and K+ concentration.

The neuropeptide CCHamide2 regulates diuresis in the Chagas disease vector Rhodnius prolixus.

Given that hematophagous insects ingest large quantities of blood in a single meal, they must undergo a rapid post-prandial diuresis in order to maintain homeostasis. In the kissing bug Rhodnius prolixus (Hemiptera: Reduviidae), the coordinated activity of the Malpighian tubules and anterior midgut maintains water and ion balance during the post-prandial diuresis. Three to four hours after the meal, the diuretic process finishes, and the animal enters an antidiuretic state to ensure water conservation until the next blood intake. The diuretic and antidiuretic processes are tightly regulated by serotonin and neuropeptides in this insect. In the present work, we report that the neuropeptide precursor CCHamide2 is involved in the regulation of the post-prandial diuresis in R. prolixus Our results suggest a dual effect of RhoprCCHamide2 peptide, enhancing the serotonin-induced secretion by Malpighian tubules, and inhibiting serotonin-induced absorption across the anterior midgut. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a hormone presenting opposite effects in the two osmoregulatory organs (i.e. midgut and Malpighian tubules) in insects, probably reflecting the importance of a well-tuned diuretic process in hematophagous insects during different moments after the blood meal.

Cystic fibrosis swine fail to secrete airway surface liquid in response to inhalation of pathogens.

Cystic fibrosis is caused by mutations in the gene encoding the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) channel, which can result in chronic lung disease. The sequence of events leading to lung disease is not fully understood but recent data show that the critical pathogenic event is the loss of the ability to clear bacteria due to abnormal airway surface liquid secretion (ASL). However, whether the inhalation of bacteria triggers ASL secretion and whether this is abnormal in cystic fibrosis has never been tested. Here we show, using a novel synchrotron-based in vivo imaging technique, that wild-type pigs display both a basal and a Toll-like receptor-mediated ASL secretory response to the inhalation of cystic fibrosis relevant bacteria. Both mechanisms fail in CFTR-/- swine, suggesting that cystic fibrosis airways do not respond to inhaled pathogens, thus favoring infection and inflammation that may eventually lead to tissue remodeling and respiratory disease.Cystic fibrosis is caused by mutations in the CFTR chloride channel, leading to reduced airway surface liquid secretion. Here the authors show that exposure to bacteria triggers secretion in wild-type but not in pig models of cystic fibrosis, suggesting an impaired response to pathogens contributes to infection.

Serotonin triggers cAMP and PKA-mediated intracellular calcium waves in Malpighian tubules of Rhodnius prolixus.

Rhodnius prolixus is a hematophagous insect vector of Chagas disease capable of ingesting up to 10 times its unfed body weight in blood in a single meal. The excess water and ions ingested with the meal are expelled through a rapid postprandial diuresis driven by the Malpighian tubules. Diuresis is triggered by at least two diuretic hormones, a CRF-related peptide and serotonin, which were traditionally believed to trigger cAMP as an intracellular second messenger. Recently, calcium has been suggested to act as a second messenger in serotonin-stimulated Malpighian tubules. Thus, we tested the role of calcium in serotonin-stimulated Malpighian tubules from R. prolixus. Our results show that serotonin triggers cAMP-mediated intracellular Ca(2+) waves that were blocked by incubation in Ca(2+)-free saline containing the cell membrane-permeant Ca(2+) chelator BAPTA-AM, or the PKA blocker H-89. Treatment with 8-Br-cAMP triggered Ca(2+) waves that were blocked by H-89 and BAPTA-AM. Analysis of the secreted fluid in BAPTA-AM-treated tubules showed a 75% reduction in fluid secretion rate with increased K(+) concentration, reduced Na(+) concentration. Taken together, the results indicate that serotonin triggers cAMP and PKA-mediated Ca(2+) waves that are required for maximal ion transport rate.