Non-invasive liposome-mediated gene delivery can correct the ion transport defect in cystic fibrosis mutant mice.

We report gene transfer to the Edinburgh insertional mutant mouse (cf/cf), delivering CFTR cDNA-liposome complexes into the airways by nebulization. We show full restoration of cAMP related chloride responses in some animals and demonstrate, in the same tissues, human CFTR cDNA expression. Overall, a range of correction was seen with restoration of about 50% of the deficit between wild type mice and untreated cf/cf controls. We report modest correction in the intestinal tract following direct instillation and provide initial encouraging safety data for both the respiratory and intestinal tract following the liposome mediated gene delivery. The non-viral nature and potentially lower immunogenicity of DNA-liposomes suggest that this may offer a therapeutic alternative to adenoviral therapies.

Positions of the sites labeled by N-cyclohexyl-N'-(4-dimethylamino-1-naphthyl)carbodiimide on the (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase.

N-Cyclohexyl-N'-(4-dimethylamino-1-naphthyl)carbodiimide (NCD-4) labels (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase at Ca2+-protectable sites, believed to be at or near the two Ca2+ binding sites on the ATPase, and at nonspecific sites. The labeled ATPase has been reconstituted into lipid bilayers containing phosphatidylethanolamine labeled with fluorescein isothiocyanate. The distance between NCD-4 and fluorescein groups was measured using Forster energy transfer and the NCD-4 labels were found to be approx. 20 A from the lipid/water interface suggesting that the Ca2+ binding sites on the ATPase are also 20 A from the lipid/water interface. Addition of vanadate causes no change in the efficiency of energy transfer, suggesting that the Ca2+ binding sites on the E1 conformation of the ATPase do not move significantly with respect to the lipid/water interface in the E1-E2 transition.

The dynamics of lipid motion in sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes determined by steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence measurements on 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene and related molecules.

Steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy measurements were made on 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH), 1-(4-trimethylammoniumphenyl)-6-phenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (TMA-DPH) and 1-acyl-2-(DPH)-phosphatidylcholine (DPH-PC) incorporated into sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes. The results were analysed in terms of the 'wobbling-in-cone' model. Considerable differences in the fluorescence parameters were found. In particular TMA-DPH and DPH-PC showed a smaller cone angle, relating to the range of acyl chain motion, compared to DPH, taken to be a reflection of a difference in probe locations. The influence of the protein component was also found to restrict DPH motion more than TMA-DPH and DPH-PC. Effectiveness in assessment of perturbation of the membrane by the non-esterified fatty acid, oleic acid again revealed differences. The steady-state anisotropy decreased on addition of oleic acid; a recovery to control values was observed with DPH but not with the other probes. Time-resolved parameters followed the same pattern. The results of this work demonstrated the effectiveness of these three probes in revealing differences in membrane properties, such as protein and fatty acid perturbation of membrane lipid structure and dynamics.

Fluidity and lipid composition of oat and rye shoot plasma membrane: effect of sterol perturbation by xenobiotics.

Oat and rye plants were treated with either tetcyclacis (an experimental plant growth regulator), nuarimol (a fungicide) or gamma-ketotriazole (an experimental herbicide). These treatments reduced shoot growth and changed the lipid composition of the shoot plasma membranes. In oat, both tetcyclacis and nuarimol treatments increased plasma membrane cholesterol and increased the phosphatidylethanolamine/phosphatidylcholine (PE/PC) ratio, whereas gamma-ketotriazole treatment reduced cholesterol and the PE/PC ratio. In rye, all treatments reduced the PE/PC ratio. Generally, the sterol/phospholipid ratio was less in oat than in rye but the cholesterol/phospholipid ratio was greater. With all treatments in oat and rye, increases were observed in unsaturation of the phospholipid acyl chains. The fluidity of membranes was measured by steady-state fluorescence polarisation of the probe diphenylhexatriene; oat membranes were more fluid than rye. Membrane fluidity was greater in plasma membranes from plants treated with the xenobiotics than the controls. The results are discussed in the context of the effect of plasma membrane lipid composition on membrane fluidity, and it is concluded that there appears to be no overall simple relationship between membrane lipid composition and fluidity that holds for all treatments in both species.

Lack of inhibition by dideoxy-forskolin and verapamil of DIDS-sensitive volume-activated Cl- secretion in human squamous lung carcinoma epithelial cells.

The effect of osmotic stress on Cl- permeability in human squamous lung carcinoma epithelial (S1) cells was investigated using a macroscopic 125I efflux assay. Hypotonic challenge of monolayers led to a significant (P < 0.01) dose-related increase in efflux from pre-loaded cells, returning to pre-activation rates within 10 min. A similar magnitude of response could be produced by challenge with an isotonic low chloride-containing solution. Neither 100 mM dideoxy-forskolin nor 100 mM verapamil inhibited the increase in Cl- secretion after hypotonic challenge, whereas 100 mM DIDS inhibited volume-activated Cl- secretion by 55%. Both Northern and Western blot analysis confirmed the absence of MDR1 mRNA and P-glycoprotein in the S1 cells. We conclude that these cells have a volume-regulated Cl- secretory pathway that is independent of the ABC transporter, P-glycoprotein.

Chemical crosslinking and enzyme kinetics provide no evidence for a regulatory role for the 53 kDa glycoprotein of sarcoplasmic reticulum in calcium transport.

m-Maleimidobenzoyl-N-hydroxysuccinimide ester (MBS) was used to cross-link the protein components of rabbit skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum. Analysis of cross-linked material by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that both the (Ca(2+)-Mg2+)-ATPase and the 53 kDa glycoprotein could be cross-linked, since the amount of protein at the locations on the gel corresponding to uncross-linked material was reduced in the presence of 1.0 mM MBS. Cross-linked products of 130 kDa, 200-260 kDa and approx. 300 kDa were identified. Probing the cross-linked products with monoclonal antibodies against ATPase, 53 kDa glycoprotein and calsequestrin revealed no cross-linked products containing the ATPase and either calsequestrin or the 53 kDa glycoprotein over the range of molecular weights examined here. Possible interactions between the ATPase and calsequestrin or the 53 kDa glycoprotein were also investigated by studying the ATPase activity for the purified ATPase and for the ATPase in sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles made permeable to Ca2+ with A23187. Effects of Ca2+ and ATP on the two systems were indistinguishable, providing no evidence for a major modulatory role of calsequestrin or the 53 kDa glycoprotein on the ATPase.

The position of the ATP binding site on the (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase.

We present a convenient method to calculate the efficiency of fluorescence energy transfer in two-dimensional membrane systems. We apply it to the analysis of energy transfer between phospholipid molecules labelled with fluorescein and rhodamine groups, and of energy transfer in reconstituted membranes containing (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase purified from sarcoplasmic reticulum, with the ATPase labelled at the ATP binding site with fluorescein as donor, and rhodamine-labelled lipid as acceptor. The ATP binding site is found to be distant from the plane of the lipid/water interface of the membrane. It is suggested that the ATPase is present in the membrane as a dimer, with the two ATP binding sites in the dimer being close to the protein/protein interface. Addition of vanadate causes no change in quenching, suggesting that the ATP binding site does not move significantly with respect to the lipid/water interface in the E1-E2 conformational transition of the ATPase.

Expression and maturation of Sendai virus vector-derived CFTR protein: functional and biochemical evidence using a GFP-CFTR fusion protein.

Sendai virus (SeV) vector has been shown to efficiently transduce airway epithelial cells. As a precursor to the potential use of this vector for cystic fibrosis (CF) gene therapy, the correct maturation of the SeV vector-derived CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) protein was examined using biochemical and functional analyses. We constructed a recombinant SeV vector, based on the fusion (F) gene-deleted non-transmissible SeV vector, carrying the GFP-CFTR gene in which the N terminus of CFTR was fused to green fluorescence protein (GFP). This vector was recovered and propagated to high titers in the packaging cell line. Western blotting using an anti-GFP antibody detected both the fully glycosylated (mature) and the core-glycosylated (immature) proteins, indicating that SeV vector-derived GFP-CFTR was similar to endogenous CFTR. We also confirmed the functional channel activity of GFP-CFTR in an iodide efflux assay. The efficient expression of GFP-CFTR, and its apical surface localization, were observed in both MDCK cells in vitro, and in the nasal epithelium of mice in vivo. We concluded that recombinant SeV vector, a cytoplasmically maintained RNA vector, is able to direct production of a correctly localized, mature form of CFTR, suggesting the value of this vector for studies of CF gene therapy.

Sendai virus-mediated CFTR gene transfer to the airway epithelium.

The potential for gene therapy to be an effective treatment for cystic fibrosis has been hampered by the limited gene transfer efficiency of current vectors. We have shown that recombinant Sendai virus (SeV) is highly efficient in mediating gene transfer to differentiated airway epithelial cells, because of its capacity to overcome the intra- and extracellular barriers known to limit gene delivery. Here, we have identified a novel method to allow the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) cDNA sequence to be inserted within SeV (SeV-CFTR). Following in vitro transduction with SeV-CFTR, a chloride-selective current was observed using whole-cell and single-channel patch-clamp techniques. SeV-CFTR administration to the nasal epithelium of cystic fibrosis (CF) mice (Cftr(G551D) and Cftr(tm1Unc)TgN(FABPCFTR)#Jaw mice) led to partial correction of the CF chloride transport defect. In addition, when compared to a SeV control vector, a higher degree of inflammation and epithelial damage was found in the nasal epithelium of mice treated with SeV-CFTR. Second-generation transmission-incompetent F-deleted SeV-CFTR led to similar correction of the CF chloride transport defect in vivo as first-generation transmission-competent vectors. Further modifications to the vector or the host may make it easier to translate these studies into clinical trials of cystic fibrosis.

A polymorphism in the promoter region of the CD86 (B7.2) gene is associated with systemic sclerosis.

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a connective tissue disease of unknown aetiology characterized by fibrosis of the skin and internal organs, vascular abnormalities and humoral autoimmunity. Strong T-cell-dependent autoantibody and HLA associations are found in SSc subsets. The co-stimulatory molecule, CD86, expressed by antigen-presenting cells, plays a crucial role in priming naïve lymphocytes. We hypothesized that SSc, or one of the disease subsets, could be associated with single-nucleotide polymorphisms of the CD86 gene. Using sequence specific primer-polymerase chain reaction (SSP-PCR) methodology, we assessed four CD86 polymorphisms in 221 patients with SSc and 227 healthy control subjects from the UK. Haplotypes were constructed by inference and confirmed using PHASE algorithm. We found a strong association between SSc and a specific haplotype (haplotype 5), which was more prevalent in patients than in controls (29% vs 15%, OR = 2.3, chi(2) = 12, P = 0.0005). This association could be attributed to the novel -3479 promoter polymorphism; a significant difference was observed in the distribution of the CD86 -3479 G allele in patients with SSc compared to controls (43.7% vs. 32.4%, OR = 1.7, chi(2) = 12.1, P = 0.0005). TRANSFAC analyses suggest that the CD86-3479T allele contains putative GATA and TBP sites, whereas G allele does not. We assessed the relative DNA protein-binding activity of the -3479 polymorphism in vitro using electromobility gel shift assays (EMSA), which showed that the -3479G allele has less binding affinity compared to the T allele for nuclear proteins. These findings highlight the importance of co-stimulatory pathways in SSc pathogenesis.

Methods of reconstitution of the purified sarcoplasmic reticulum (Ca(2+)-Mg2+)-ATPase using bile salt detergents to form membranes of defined lipid to protein ratios or sealed vesicles.

A detailed methodology is presented of two reconstitution protocols for the (Ca(2+)-Mg2+)-ATPase from rabbit skeletal muscle, using the detergent potassium cholate. Method A was shown to produce fully fragmented membranes of definable lipid to protein ratios, which were unable to take up calcium upon hydrolysis of ATP. This protocol was shown to produce a homologous population of membranes with respect to their lipid and protein composition at lipid to protein ratios up to 900:1 (mol/mol). Method B produced vesicles only of high lipid to protein ratios (3000:1), which have the ability to accumulate calcium on addition of ATP. Calcium accumulation and ATP hydrolysis for the ATPase reconstituted into different fatty acyl chain length phospholipids were also studied.

Structural and related functional changes in sarcoplasmic reticulum induced by long-chain fatty acids.

The effect of palmitic and oleic acids on Ca2+-ATPase activity in coupled preparations of sarcoplasmic reticulum isolated from rabbit hind leg muscle have been compared with their effects on vesicles uncoupled with Ca2+ ionophore, A23187. Palmitate at 2 microM X mg protein-1 has no significant effect on enzyme activity and does not uncouple catalytic activity from calcium accumulation within the vesicles. Oleic acid at 1 microM X mg protein-1 uncouples the vesicles, whereas 2 microM X mg protein-1 completely inhibits Ca2+-ATPase activity. Fluorescence anisotropy of diphenylhexatriene is not significantly altered by palmitate, but a large transient increase in motion of the probe is observed with addition of oleic acid. The effects of oleic acid on enzyme activity are not mediated via an effect on the bulk properties of the hydrophobic domain of the membrane lipids.

Effect of phospholipid:protein ratio on the state of aggregation of the (Ca2+-Mg2+)-ATPase.

The organization of the (Ca2+-Mg2+)-ATPase has been studied in reconstituted systems by fluorescence polarization of the ATPase labeled with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) and resonance energy transfer between ATPase labeled with FITC and with eosin isothiocyanate (EITC). The fluorescence polarization of FITC-ATPase was found to decrease with increasing labeling ratio FITC:ATPase, indicating depolarization as a result of resonance energy transfer between ATPase molecules. Fluorescence polarization was, however, independent of the molar ratio of phospholipid to protein above a molar ratio of 50:1. Resonance energy transfer between FITC-ATPase and EITC-ATPase was also found to be independent of phospholipid:protein ratio. It is suggested therefore that the ATPase is not randomly distributed in the plane of the membrane but rather forms ordered clusters (probably rows of monomers or dimers) on the fluorescence time scale (nanoseconds) even in the presence of a large excess of phospholipid. This organization within the membrane is dependent both on the chemical structure of the phospholipid and on its physical phase.

The influence of calcium pump coupling on the Arrhenius behavior of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase.

Experiments were performed in which two batches of sarcoplasmic reticulum were isolated from rabbit hind leg muscle, one in the presence of dithiothreitol, the other in the absence of reducing agent. A comparative study was made of some of the properties of the two preparations, in particular, the Arrhenius behavior of the Ca2+-ATPase. The Ca2+-ATPase isolated in the absence of dithiothreitol is thermally unstable with the result that a triphasic Arrhenius plot was obtained. This triphasic behavior is largely the consequence of an uncoupling of the hydrolytic machinery from the calcium pump. In contrast, the sarcoplasmic reticulum preparation obtained in the presence of dithiothreitol is thermally stable and yields a linear Arrhenius plot. The difference in the Arrhenius behavior shown by the two preparations was abolished when the measurements of Ca2+-ATPase activity were made in the presence of the calcium ionophore, A23187.

Ca2+ release from platelet intracellular stores by thapsigargin and 2,5-di-(t-butyl)-1,4-benzohydroquinone: relationship to Ca2+ pools and relevance in platelet activation.

The effects of the Ca(2+)-ATPase inhibitors thapsigargin (Tg) and 2,5-di-(t-butyl)-1,4-benzohydroquinone (tBuBHQ) were examined by using Ca(2+)-regulatory systems of platelet mixed membranes, saponin-permeabilized and intact platelets. Both agents inhibit Ca(2+)-ATPase activities of platelet mixed membranes, without any effect on the basal Mg(2+)-ATPase activity. Tg is more effective (EC50 = 35 nM) than tBuBHQ (EC50 = 580 nM). The effect of the two inhibitors on 45Ca2+ release from saponin-permeabilized platelets has also been characterized. 45Ca2+ uptake into non-mitochondrial intracellular stores occurs via an ATP-dependent mechanism, and if added at equilibrium the second messenger Ins(1,4,5)P3 releases 50% of the accumulated 45Ca2+. Maximally effective concentrations of Tg (1 microM) and tBuBHQ (50 microM) release 77% and 68% of the accumulated 45Ca2+. Addition of Ins(1,4,5)P3 together with either Tg or tBuBHQ resulted in a non-additive release which was the same as with either Tg or tBuBHQ alone, indicating that the Ins(1,4,5)P3-sensitive Ca2+ pool was a subset of the pool that is sensitive to the Ca(2+)-ATPase inhibitors. Release of 45Ca2+ by either Tg or tBuBHQ was not affected by heparin, which totally blocked Ins(1,4,5)P3-induced Ca2+ release, and Tg was found not to affect [32P]Ins(1,4,5)P3 binding to its receptor on mixed membranes. Thus both Tg and tBuBHQ release Ca2+ from a pool that totally overlaps the Ins(1,4,5)P3-sensitive pool without affecting Ins(1,4,5)P3 function. In intact indomethacin-treated Fura 2-loaded platelets, Tg and tBuBHQ cause Ca2+ elevation, arising from release from intracellular stores and influx from the outside. Both Tg and tBuBHQ elevated Ca2+ to similar levels, which were less and slower than those observed with thrombin. Addition of thrombin to cells already treated with Tg or tBuBHQ produced further elevation of Ca2+, indicating agonist utilization of a Ca(2+)-ATPase inhibitor-insensitive pool. In aggregation experiments Tg and tBuBHQ showed different functional effects. In indomethacin-treated cells Tg induces slow aggregation and secretion responses, whereas tBuBHQ only induces shape change. Both agents show synergistic secretory responses with the protein kinase C activator dioctanoylglycerol (DiC8). Tg also showed greater ability than tBuBHQ to release [3H]arachidonic acid (AA) from [3H]AA-labelled platelets. Additionally, in [32P]Pi-labelled platelets both Tg and tBuBHQ induced phosphorylation of myosin light chain, a 27 kDa protein and the 45 kDa protein pleckstrin, but Tg showed a greater ability than tBuBHQ to cause phosphorylation of pleckstrin. These studies indicate that Tg and tBuBHQ are effective in releasing the Ins(1,4,5)P3-sensitive Ca2+ pool in platelets.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Quantitative fluorescence measurements of chloride secretion in native airway epithelium from CF and non-CF subjects.

Functional assessment of the efficacy of CFTR gene transfer protocols in humans has previously involved measurement of in vivo potential difference. We have studied whether freshly obtained airway epithelial cells may provide suitable tissue for studies of in vivo gene transfer using fluorescent digital imaging microscopy. Nasal epithelial cells from non-cystic fibrosis subjects (n = 6) and from cystic fibrosis (CF) patients (delta F508: delta F508, n = 5) were obtained by brushing and loaded with 6-methoxy-N-(3-sulfopropyl)quinolinium (SPQ). Addition of the cAMP-agonists forskolin (20 microM) and 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX, 100 microM) produced an increased efflux of iodide from the cells which was significantly (P < 0.05) greater in non-CF than in CF cells. Efflux following addition of the calcium ionophore, ionomycin (100 microM) was similar in both non-CF and CF cells. Liposome-mediated transfection of CF nasal epithelial cells in vitro with CFTR-cDNA restored the cAMP-stimulated efflux to non-CF values. Bronchial epithelial cells from non-CF subjects showed responses to forskolin and ionomycin that were not different to those in non-CF nasal epithelia. These data demonstrate that the assay provides a useful method for assessing correction of abnormal ion transport in non-cultured CF epithelium and is likely to provide a further assay for assessment of in vivo gene transfer efficiency in protocols of gene therapy for CF.

Pretreatment with cationic lipid-mediated transfer of the Na+K+-ATPase pump in a mouse model in vivo augments resolution of high permeability pulmonary oedema.

Resolution of pulmonary oedema is mediated by active absorption of liquid across the alveolar epithelium. A key component of this process is the sodium-potassium ATPase (Na+K+-ATPase) enzyme located on the basolateral surface of epithelial cells and up-regulated during oedema resolution. We hypothesised that lung liquid clearance could be further up-regulated by lipid-mediated transfer and expression of exogenous Na+K+-ATPase cDNA. We demonstrate proof of this principle in a model of high permeability pulmonary oedema induced by intraperitoneal injection of thiourea (2.5 mg/kg) in C57/BL6 mice. Pretreatment of mice (24 h before thiourea) by nasal sniffing of cationic liposome (lipid #67)-DNA complexes encoding the alpha and beta subunits of Na+K+-ATPase (160 microg per mouse), significantly (P<0.01) decreased the wet:dry weight ratios measured 2 h after thiourea injection compared with control animals, pretreated with an equivalent dose of an irrelevant gene. Whole lung Na+K+-ATPase activity was significantly (P<0.05) increased in mice pretreated with Na+K+-ATPase cDNA compared both with untreated control animals as well as animals pretreated with the irrelevant gene. Nested RT-PCR on whole lung homogenates confirmed gene transfer by detection of vector-specific mRNA in three of four mice studied 24 h after gene transfer. This demonstration of a significant reduction in pulmonary oedema following in vivo gene transfer raises the possibility of gene therapy as a novel, localised approach for pulmonary oedema in clinical settings such as ARDS and lung transplantation.

The introduction of two silent mutations into a CFTR cDNA construct allows improved detection of exogenous mRNA in gene transfer experiments.

Phase one clinical trials for gene therapy of cystic fibrosis are in progress using either liposomes or adenoviral vectors for CFTR gene transfer to epithelial cells in the airways. In addition to electrophysiological measurements, expression of vector CFTR is usually assessed by RT-PCR. We have developed a CFTR-expression vector, pCFAS, that simplifies the distinction of transgene-derived CFTR mRNA from endogenous mRNA. Two point mutations were introduced into CFTR cDNA which eliminated a SphI restriction site and created a new, unique AgeI restriction site. Neither mutation altered the predicted amino acid sequence of the protein. Restriction digestion of RT-PCR products from cells transfected with pCFAS allowed the differentiation of transgene and endogenous CFTR transcripts. To verify function of the mutated CFTR, the plasmid was transferred into freshly obtained nasal epithelial cells from CF patients ex vivo using cationic liposomes. Fluorescence microscopy using the halide-sensitive fluorophore SPQ demonstrated restoration of cAMP-mediated Cl- secretion. This plasmid will be useful for CFTR gene transfer studies in vitro and in vivo.

CFTR gene transfer reduces the binding of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to cystic fibrosis respiratory epithelium.

Much of the morbidity and mortality seen in cystic fibrosis (CF) is related to chronic infection of the respiratory tract with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Some studies have attributed the strong relationship between CF and Pseudomonas colonization to the presence of increased numbers of specific cell-surface receptors, although other work suggests that this relates to the presence of mucus. Several groups are now assessing the use of gene transfer as a novel form of treatment for CF. We have examined whether P. aeruginosa binding to freshly obtained CF respiratory epithelial cells is increased, and have studied the effects of transfer of the CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene on this attachment. Binding of P. aeruginosa to noncultured nasal epithelial cells from both CF patients (n = 31) and healthy controls (n = 15) was studied with scanning electron microscopy. Binding was also assessed for CF cells following transfection with CFTR/liposome complexes. Epifluorescence microscopy was used to assess the effects of gene transfer on chloride fluxes. Adherence of P. aeruginosa directly to the cell surface of CF airway epithelium was significantly (P < 0.001) increased over that in non-CF controls. Liposome-mediated CFTR gene transfer resulted in a significant (P < 0.01) reduction in the numbers of bacteria bound to ciliated epithelial cells. Fluorescence microscopy confirmed correction of the basic chloride defect. Thus, in CF, the absence of normal CFTR results in increased binding of P. aeruginosa to respiratory epithelial cells. This abnormality can be corrected in vitro by restoration of CFTR function. This has important implications both for the pathogenesis of CF and for the future application and assessment of gene therapy for this disease.

Bioelectric characteristics of exon 10 insertional cystic fibrosis mouse: comparison with humans.

Two important issues that can be addressed by animal models are disease pathogenesis and the testing of new treatments, including gene therapy. How closely these models mimic the relevant disorder in humans will determine their usefulness. This study examines how closely the characteristic bioelectric features of cystic fibrosis (CF) are reproduced in the airways and intestinal tract of the exon 10 insertional mutant mouse (cf/cf). In agreement with CF subjects these cf/cf mutant mice demonstrate the following: 1) reduced adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate-related chloride secretion throughout the respiratory and intestinal tracts both in vivo and in vitro, 2) calcium-related chloride secretion that is preserved in the airways but reduced in the intestine, and 3) a more negative nasal potential difference and increased amiloride response compared with wild-type animals, likely to relate to increased sodium absorption. In contrast to humans, sodium absorption is not increased in the small intestine and is reduced in the trachea of the cf/cf mice. We conclude that the majority of the salient electrophysiological features of CF required for studies of pathogenesis or testing of new treatments are present in these cf/cf mice.