Glucose transport by epithelia prepared from harvested enterocytes.

Transformed and cultured cell lines have significant shortcomings for investigating the characteristics and responses of native villus enterocytes in situ. Interpretations of results from intact tissues are complicated by the presence of underlying tissues and the crypt compartment. We describe a simple, novel, and reproducible method for preparing functional epithelia using differentiated enterocytes harvested from the small intestine upper villus of adult mice and preterm pigs with and without necrotizing enterocolitis. Concentrative, rheogenic glucose uptake was used as an indicator of epithelial function and was demonstrated by cellular accumulation of tracer (14)C D-glucose and Ussing chamber based short-circuit currents. Assessment of the epithelia by light and immunofluorescent microscopy revealed the harvested enterocytes remain differentiated and establish cell-cell connections to form polarized epithelia with distinct apical and basolateral domains. As with intact tissues, the epithelia exhibit glucose induced short-circuit currents that are increased by exposure to adenosine and adenosine 5'-monophosphate (AMP) and decreased by phloridzin to inhibit the apical glucose transporter SGLT-1. Similarly, accumulation of (14)C D-glucose by the epithelia was inhibited by phloridzin, but not phloretin, and was stimulated by pre-exposure to AMP and adenosine, apparently by a microtubule-based mechanism that is disrupted by nocodazole, with the magnitudes of responses to adenosine, forskolin, and health status exceeding those we have measured using intact tissues. Our findings indicate that epithelia prepared from harvested enterocytes provide an alternative approach for comparative studies of the characteristics of nutrient transport by the upper villus epithelium and the responses to different conditions and stimuli.

Compartmentalized cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate at the plasma membrane clusters PDE3A and cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator into microdomains.

Formation of multiple-protein macromolecular complexes at specialized subcellular microdomains increases the specificity and efficiency of signaling in cells. In this study, we demonstrate that phosphodiesterase type 3A (PDE3A) physically and functionally interacts with cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) channel. PDE3A inhibition generates compartmentalized cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP), which further clusters PDE3A and CFTR into microdomains at the plasma membrane and potentiates CFTR channel function. Actin skeleton disruption reduces PDE3A-CFTR interaction and segregates PDE3A from its interacting partners, thus compromising the integrity of the CFTR-PDE3A-containing macromolecular complex. Consequently, compartmentalized cAMP signaling is lost. PDE3A inhibition no longer activates CFTR channel function in a compartmentalized manner. The physiological relevance of PDE3A-CFTR interaction was investigated using pig trachea submucosal gland secretion model. Our data show that PDE3A inhibition augments CFTR-dependent submucosal gland secretion and actin skeleton disruption decreases secretion.

Clinical and molecular characterization of S1118F-CFTR.

BACKGROUND: Cystic fibrosis is a lethal autosomal recessive disorder usually associated with lung disease, pancreatic insufficiency and high sweat chloride levels. CLINICAL CASE: A patient admitted to Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center (LBCMC, Memphis, TN) showed symptoms of meconium ileus which required exploratory laparotomy, bowel resection and ileostomy. Genotyping showed DeltaF508/I1027T on one chromosome and S1118F on the other. Sweat testing on three different occasions gave negative and intermediate results (22.7, 24.6 mmol/L; 55.1, 58.6 mmol/L and 55.1, 58 mmol/L) and pancreatic elastase testing showed normal levels. OBJECTIVE: To characterize S1118F-CFTR mutation at a molecular level to help understand the associated CF-phenotype. METHODS: Molecular characterization of S1118F-CFTR mutant was studied in HEK-293 cells at 37 degrees C. Various biochemical methods such as Western blotting, real-time PCR, Pulse chase labeling and iodide efflux assay were employed. RESULTS: S1118F-CFTR makes less than 10-15% of mature CFTR (band C) compared to WT-CFTR. The mRNA levels of S1118F-CFTR and WT-CFTR are comparable. S1118F-CFTR is functional but shows about 10-15% of WT-CFTR activity. S1118F-CFTR shows impaired maturation and CF-correctors can increase the amount of mature and functional CFTR by three- to fourfold. CONCLUSION: S1118F-CFTR shows impaired maturation and an individual with S1118F-CFTR paired with DeltaF508-CFTR exhibits atypical CF symptoms with intermediate sweat chloride level and meconium ileus despite documented pancreatic sufficiency.