Downregulated in adenoma and putative anion transporter are regulated by CFTR in cultured pancreatic duct cells.

The mechanism of the pancreatic ductal HCO secretion defect in cystic fibrosis (CF) is not well defined. However, a lack of apical Cl(-)/HCO exchange may exist in CF. To test this hypothesis, we examined the expression of Cl(-)/HCO exchangers in cultured pancreatic duct epithelial cells with physiological features prototypical of CF [CFPAC-1 cells lacking a functional CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR)] or normal duct cells (CFPAC-1 cells transfected with functional wild-type CFTR, CFPAC-WT). Cl(-)/HCO exchange activity, assayed with the pH-sensitive dye 2',7'-bis(2-carboxyethyl)-5(6)-carboxyfluorescein in cells grown on coverslips, increased about twofold in cells transfected with functional CFTR. This correlated with increased apical (36)Cl influx in cells expressing functional CFTR and grown on permeable support. Northern hybridizations indicated the induction of downregulated in adenoma (DRA) in cells expressing functional CFTR. The expression of putative anion transporter PAT1 also increased significantly in cells expressing functional CFTR. DRA was detected at high levels in native mouse pancreas by Northern hybridization and localized to the apical domain of the duct cells by immunohistochemical studies. In conclusion, CFTR upregulates DRA and PAT1 expression in cultured pancreatic duct cells. We propose that the pancreatic HCO secretion defect in CF patients is partly due to the downregulation of apical Cl(-)/HCO exchange activity mediated by DRA (and possibly PAT1).

Molecular and functional characterization of sodium--hydrogen exchanger in skin as well as cultured keratinocytes and melanocytes.

The sodium--hydrogen (Na(+)/H(+)) exchanger is one of the few transporter proteins involved in the regulation and maintenance of intracellular pH and cell volume in most eukaryotic cell types. The current study investigates the expression of isoforms of the Na(+)/H(+) exchanger (NHE) in human skin and in cultured keratinocytes, melanocytes, and melanoma cells by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT--PCR), immunohistochemical analysis and functional studies. Neonatal foreskins were used to isolate RNA from epidermis and dermis, and to initiate cultures of keratinocytes and melanocytes. RT--PCR on RNA isolated from epidermis, dermis, keratinocytes, melanocytes and melanoma cells using PCR primers specific for NHE-1 yielded a 463 bp PCR product. RT--PCR performed using primers specific for NHE isoforms 2, 3, 4 and 5 did not yield any products. Western blotting analysis (of keratinocyte and melanocyte cell cultures) and indirect immunohistochemistry on neonatal foreskin, keratinocytes, melanocytes and melanoma cells using a NHE-1-specific polyclonal antibody demonstrated NHE-1 expression at the protein level. Physiological regulation of intracellular pH using a pH-sensitive dye, BCECF, detected an amiloride-sensitive NHE activity in human keratinocyte, melanocyte and melanoma cell cultures. These results indicate that cultures of human keratinocytes and melanocytes established from human skin and melanoma cells express the NHE-1 isoform of the sodium--hydrogen exchanger.

CFTR induces the expression of DRA along with Cl(-)/HCO(3)(-) exchange activity in tracheal epithelial cells.

Thickening of airway mucus and lung dysfunction in cystic fibrosis (CF) results, at least in part, from abnormal secretion of Cl(-) and HCO(3)(-) across the tracheal epithelium. The mechanism of the defect in HCO(3)(-) secretion is ill defined; however, a lack of apical Cl(-)/HCO(3)(-) exchange may exist in CF. To test this hypothesis, we examined the expression of Cl(-)/HCO(3)(-) exchangers in tracheal epithelial cells exhibiting physiological features prototypical of cystic fibrosis [CFT-1 cells, lacking a functional cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR)] or normal trachea (CFT-1 cells transfected with functional wild-type CFTR, termed CFT-WT). Cells were grown on coverslips and were loaded with the pH-sensitive dye 2', 7'-bis(2-carboxyethyl)-5(6)-carboxyfluorescein, and intracellular pH was monitored. Cl(-)/HCO(3)(-) exchange activity increased by approximately 300% in cells transfected with functional CFTR, with activities increasing from 0.034 pH/min in CFT-1 cells to 0.11 in CFT-WT cells (P < 0.001, n = 8). This activity was significantly inhibited by DIDS. The mRNA expression of the ubiquitous basolateral AE-2 Cl(-)/HCO(3)(-) exchanger remained unchanged. However, mRNA encoding DRA, recently shown to be a Cl(-)/HCO(3)(-) exchanger (Melvin JE, Park K, Richardson L, Schultheis PJ, and Shull GE. J Biol Chem 274: 22855-22861, 1999.) was abundantly expressed in cells expressing functional CFTR but not in cells that lacked CFTR or that expressed mutant CFTR. In conclusion, CFTR induces the mRNA expression of "downregulated in adenoma" (DRA) and, as a result, upregulates the apical Cl(-)/HCO(3)(-) exchanger activity in tracheal cells. We propose that the tracheal HCO(3)(-) secretion defect in patients with CF is partly due to the downregulation of the apical Cl(-)/HCO(3)(-) exchange activity mediated by DRA.

CFTR upregulates the expression of the basolateral Na(+)-K(+)-2Cl(-) cotransporter in cultured pancreatic duct cells.

The purpose of the current experiments was 1) to assess basolateral Na(+)-K(+)-2Cl(-) cotransporter (NKCC1) expression and 2) to ascertain the role of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) in the regulation of this transporter in a prototypical pancreatic duct epithelial cell line. Previously validated human pancreatic duct cell lines (CFPAC-1), which exhibit physiological features prototypical of cystic fibrosis, and normal pancreatic duct epithelia (stable recombinant CFTR-bearing CFPAC-1 cells, termed CFPAC-WT) were grown to confluence before molecular and functional studies. High-stringency Northern blot hybridization, utilizing specific cDNA probes, confirmed that NKCC1 was expressed in both cell lines and its mRNA levels were twofold higher in CFPAC-WT cells than in CFPAC-1 cells (P < 0.01, n = 3). Na(+)-K(+)-2Cl(-) cotransporter activity, assayed as the bumetanide-sensitive, Na(+)- and Cl(-)-dependent NH(+)(4) entry into the cell (with NH(+)(4) acting as a substitute for K(+)), increased by approximately 115% in CFPAC-WT cells compared with CFPAC-1 cells (P < 0.01, n = 6). Reducing the intracellular Cl(-) by incubating the cells in a Cl(-)-free medium increased Na(+)-K(+)-2Cl(-) cotransporter activity by twofold (P < 0.01, n = 4) only in CFPAC-WT cells. We concluded that NKCC1 is expressed in pancreatic duct cells and mediates the entry of Cl(-). NKCC1 activity is enhanced in the presence of an inward Cl(-) gradient. The results further indicate that the presence of functional CFTR enhances the expression of NKCC1. We speculate that CFTR regulates this process in a Cl(-)-dependent manner.

CFTR drives Na+-nHCO-3 cotransport in pancreatic duct cells: a basis for defective HCO-3 secretion in CF.

Pancreatic dysfunction in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) is felt to result primarily from impairment of ductal HCO-3 secretion. We provide molecular evidence for the expression of NBC-1, an electrogenic Na+-HCO-3 cotransporter (NBC) in cultured human pancreatic duct cells exhibiting physiological features prototypical of CF duct fragments (CFPAC-1 cells) or normal duct fragments [CAPAN-1 cells and CFPAC-1 cells transfected with wild-type CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR)]. We further demonstrate that 1) HCO-3 uptake across the basolateral membranes of pancreatic duct cells is mediated via NBC and 2) cAMP potentiates NBC activity through activation of CFTR-mediated Cl- secretion. We propose that the defect in agonist-stimulated ductal HCO-3 secretion in patients with CF is predominantly due to decreased NBC-driven HCO-3 entry at the basolateral membrane, secondary to the lack of sufficient electrogenic driving force in the absence of functional CFTR.

Potassium depletion and acid-base transporters in rat kidney: differential effect of hypophysectomy.

Potassium depletion is involved in the pathophysiology of metabolic alkalosis. In the present study, the expression of renal acid-base transporters that are involved in HCO3- reabsorption was studied in potassium depletion. Rats fed potassium-deficient (KD) diet developed significant hypokalemia at 14 days (serum K+ 1.9 +/- 0.2 in KD vs. 4.2 +/- 0.2 meq/l in control, P < 0.01) but not at 6 days (3.8 +/- 0.3 in KD vs. 4.1 +/- 0.3 meq/l in control, P > 0.05). Kidney mRNA for colonic H(+)-K(+)-adenosinetriphosphatase (H(+)-K(+)-ATPase, cHKA) increased by approximately 3- and 11-fold at 6 and 14 days of KD diet, respectively, indicating that increased expression preceded the onset of hypokalemia. The expression of Na+/H+ exchanger 3 (NHE-3) mRNA and its cognate protein remained unchanged at 6 and 14 days of KD diet. The mRNA levels for NHE-1, NHE-2, and NHE-4 also remained unchanged at 6 and 14 days of KD diet. Hypophysectomized (HPX) rats fed KD diet for 14 days developed similar hypokalemia. However, the expression of cHKA mRNA in the kidney was decreased by approximately 80% in potassium-depleted (HPX+KD) rats (P < 0.01 vs. KD only). Hypophysectomy did not affect the mRNA levels for either gastric H(+)-K(+)-ATPase (gHKA) or NHE isoforms in KD animals. Thus potassium depletion increases expression of cHKA in the kidney but not that of gHKA or NHE isoforms. The signal for this increase appears to precede hypokalemia. Furthermore, the data suggest that pituitary hormone(s) plays an important and novel role in the regulation of cHKA.