Human intestinal epithelial cells express a novel receptor for IgA.

Binding and transport of polymeric Igs (pIgA and IgM) across epithelia is mediated by the polymeric Ig receptor (pIgR), which is expressed on the basolateral surface of secretory epithelial cells. Although an Fc receptor for IgA (FcalphaR) has been identified on myeloid cells and some cultured mesangial cells, the expression of an FcalphaR on epithelial cells has not been described. In this study, binding of IgA to a human epithelial line, HT-29/19A, with features of differentiated colonic epithelial cells, was examined. Radiolabeled monomeric IgA (mIgA) showed a dose-dependent, saturable, and cation-independent binding to confluent monolayers of HT-29/19A cells. Excess of unlabeled mIgA, but not IgG or IgM, competed for the mIgA binding, indicating that the binding was IgA isotype-specific and was not mediated by the pIgR. The lack of competition by asialoorosomucoid and the lack of requirement for divalent cations excluded the possibility that IgA binding to HT-29/19A cells was due to the asialoglycoprotein receptor or beta-1, 4-galactosyltransferase, previously described on HT-29 cells. Moreover, the FcalphaR (CD89) protein and message were undetectable in HT-29/19A cells. FACS analysis of IgA binding demonstrated two discrete populations of HT-29/19 cells, which bound different amounts of mIgA. IgA binding to other colon carcinoma cell lines was also demonstrated by FACS analysis, suggesting that an IgA receptor, distinct from the pIgR, asialoglycoprotein receptor, galactosyltransferase, and CD89 is constitutively expressed on cultured human enterocytes. The function of this novel IgA receptor in mucosal immunity remains to be elucidated.

IgA induced activation of human mesangial cells: independent of FcalphaR1 (CD 89).

BACKGROUND: IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is characterized by deposition of polymers of IgA1 in the mesangium, accumulation of mesangial matrix and mesangial cell proliferation. Activation of the mesangial cell by IgA, via an IgA receptor, may be an initiating event in the pathology of IgAN. METHODS: We examined the ability of radiolabeled, normal serum IgA1 to bind human mesangial cells (HMC). Activation of HMC by monomeric (mIgA1) and heat aggregated IgA1 (AIgA1) was compared by Northern analysis of c-jun expression. The expression of FcalphaR1 (CD89) mRNA on our cultured mesangial cells was also assessed by Northern analysis, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and flow cytometry. RESULTS: 125I-mIgA1 and 125I-AIgA1 bound to HMC in a dose-dependent, saturable manner with similar affinities. There were 1.2 x 10(6) binding sites per cell, with an affinity constant of 2.3 x 10(6) M(-1). AIgA1 induced c-jun expression in a time and dose-dependent manner (2.4-fold above baseline after 60 min exposure to AIgA1 200 microg/ml) while mIgA1 had no effect on c-jun expression. No message for CD 89 was detectable in quiescent or AIgA1 stimulated HMC by Northern analysis or RT-PCR using several primer sequences based on the sequence of U937 FcalphaR cDNA. Flow cytometry on the mesangial cells, using My 43, a monoclonal antibody to FcalphaR1 confirmed that CD 89 was not present on the cell. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate that HMC bind mIgA1 and AIgA1 with similar affinity. However, activation of HMC requires an aggregated form of IgA1. These processes are independent of FcalphaR1, suggesting the presence of a new IgA receptor on mesangial cells.

Prostaglandin E2 regulation of ion transport is absent in medullary thick ascending limbs from SHR.

Regulation of HCO3- and Cl- absorption by arginine vasopressin (AVP) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) was examined in isolated, perfused medullary thick ascending limbs (MTAL) from 4- to 7-wk-old spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) and Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats. AVP inhibited HCO3- absorption by 50% at 10(-10) M and by 25% at 2 x 10(-12) M in MTAL from both WKY and SHR. Cholera toxin (10(-9) M) or forskolin (10(-6) M) in the bath also inhibited HCO3- absorption by 50% in the SHR. In MTAL from WKY, PGE2 (10(-6) M in the bath) increased HCO3- absorption from 7.1 +/- 0.4 to 12.0 +/- 0.4 pmol.min-1.mm-1 (P < 0.005) and decreased Cl- absorption from 65 +/- 7 to 47 +/- 6 pmol.min-1.mm-1 (P < 0.001) in the presence of 10(-10) M AVP. Under the same conditions, PGE2 had no effect on HCO3- or Cl- absorption in MTAL from SHR. PGE2 also reversed submaximal inhibition of HCO3- absorption by 2 x 10(-12) M AVP in WKY but not in SHR. With 10(-10) M AVP in the bath, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (10(-6) M in the bath) increased HCO3- absorption from 6.6 +/- 0.5 to 12.3 +/- 0.4 pmol.min-1.mm-1 in MTAL from WKY and from 7.6 +/- 0.7 to 12.6 +/- 1.2 pmol.min-1.mm-1 in MTAL from SHR (P < 0.005). These results demonstrate that 1) the effects of PGE2 to stimulate HCO3- absorption and inhibit Cl- absorption in the presence of AVP are absent in MTAL from SHR, 2) the defect may involve an inability of PGE2 to stimulate protein kinase C, and 3) regulation of HCO3- absorption by AVP via adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate is similar in MTAL from WKY and SHR. The lack of PGE2 inhibition of NaCl absorption in the MTAL may contribute to renal salt retention during the development of hypertension in the SHR.

Cloning of the alpha-subunit of GS protein from spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Enhanced sodium reabsorption by the kidney has a significant role in the development of genetic hypertension. In the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) model of genetic hypertension, the enhanced sodium reabsorption likely arises from abnormal hormonal regulation of tubular transport. Since hormonal signaling pathways are coupled frequently via GTP binding proteins, one explanation for hormonal abnormalities in SHR would be a defect in a GTP binding protein or proteins. Recent work has suggested that the regulation of Na+,K(+)-ATPase activity by cholera toxin-sensitive GTP binding proteins is abnormal in SHR. The purpose of the present studies was to clone the alpha S-subunit, which is the subunit ADP ribosylated by cholera toxin, of GS protein to determine whether it is abnormal in SHR. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was able to detect mRNA for alpha S in both Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats and SHR. Northern analysis indicated that equivalent amounts of alpha S mRNA were present in WKY rats and SHR. S1 nuclease analysis demonstrated that there was no difference in the amount of alpha S short and long forms between WKY rats and SHR. Subcloning and sequencing of polymerase chain reaction products from WKY rats and SHR indicated that the alpha S forms present in renal cortex were identical. ADP ribosylation studies with cholera toxin demonstrated the presence of equivalent amounts of alpha S protein in WKY rats and SHR. Taken together, these results suggest that the abnormal regulation of Na+,K(+)-ATPase activity by a cholera toxin-sensitive pathway in SHR does not arise from a defect in the alpha S subunit.

Effect of orally administered cadmium on in situ pH, PCO2, and bicarbonate concentration in rat testis and epididymis.

Acute injections of high doses of cadmium (Cd) induce marked testicular necrosis. However, the effects of low-dose oral Cd exposure, on a chronic basis, are not well documented. The present investigation was designed to examine the effects of such exposure on in situ pH, PCO2, and bicarbonate concentration ([HCO3-]) in the rat testis and epididymis, plasma testosterone levels, and testis and epididymis weights. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to 50 or 100 ppm Cd for 40 d. Oral administration of 50 or 100 ppm Cd was associated with significant alkalinization of luminal fluid in seminiferous tubules (ST) but did not alter in situ pH values in proximal caput (PCP), middle caput (MCP), or proximal cauda epididymidis (PCD). The in situ PCO2 values in ST, PCP, MCP, and PCD of control animals were indistinguishable from each other and from values after Cd exposure, and all values were significantly higher than system arterial blood (SAB) PCO2. Oral Cd exposure at 50 or 100 ppm did not change the values for bicarbonate in SAB, PCP, or MCP but increased markedly the value in ST. Plasma testosterone levels and testis and epididymis weights were not altered after oral cadmium administration. These findings suggest that, at the doses employed in this study, Cd exposure may result in subtle alterations in the blood-testis barrier and subsequent impairment of acid-base pathways. Furthermore, the traditional view of Cd-related testicular insult based on acute injection protocols needs to be reevaluated in terms of environmental relevance.

Cadmium-induced changes in luminal fluid pH in testis and epididymis of the rat in vivo.

The effects of a single low subcutaneous dose of cadmium chloride (CdCl2) (2.7 mg/kg body weight) on in situ pH in the rat testis and epididymis, plasma testosterone, and testis and epididymis weights were investigated in this study. Values for in situ pH in seminiferous tubules (6.97 +/- 0.01), proximal caput (6.62 +/- 0.01), middle caput (6.59 +/- 0.01), and proximal cauda epididymidis (6.84 +/- 0.01) of sham-treated rats were significantly more acid than systemic arterial blood pH (7.41 +/- 0.01). Cadmium (Cd) administration was associated with significant alkalinization of luminal fluid in seminiferous tubules (7.17 +/- 0.02) and in proximal (7.02 +/- 0.04) and middle caput (6.99 +/- 0.03), but not in proximal cauda epididymidis (6.88 +/- 0.02), after 1 d. Eleven days after Cd administration, marked alkalinization of luminal fluid was observed in all segments studied including proximal cauda epididymidis (7.21 +/- 0.02). Plasma testosterone concentration in sham-treated rats was 1.93 +/- 0.30 ng/ml and was reduced significantly after 1 d (0.56 +/- 0.06 ng/ml) and persisted after 11 d postexposure (0.57 +/- 0.07 ng/ml). Testis and epididymis weights were not altered 1 d after Cd exposure but were significantly reduced after 11 d. These studies suggest that the alkalization observed in luminal fluid of seminiferous tubules and epididymal duct of the rat after subcutaneous CdCl2 administration may be the result of structural degeneration of the testis associated with inhibition of Leydig-cell androgen production.