Ion Channel Function and Electrical Excitability in the Zona Glomerulosa: A Network Perspective on Aldosterone Regulation.

Aldosterone excess is a pathogenic factor in many hypertensive disorders. The discovery of numerous somatic and germline mutations in ion channels in primary hyperaldosteronism underscores the importance of plasma membrane conductances in determining the activation state of zona glomerulosa (zG) cells. Electrophysiological recordings describe an electrically quiescent behavior for dispersed zG cells. Yet, emerging data indicate that in native rosette structures in situ, zG cells are electrically excitable, generating slow periodic voltage spikes and coordinated bursts of Ca2+ oscillations. We revisit data to understand how a multitude of conductances may underlie voltage/Ca2+ oscillations, recognizing that zG layer self-renewal and cell heterogeneity may complicate this task. We review recent data to understand rosette architecture and apply maxims derived from computational network modeling to understand rosette function. The challenge going forward is to uncover how the rosette orchestrates the behavior of a functional network of conditional oscillators to control zG layer performance and aldosterone secretion.

A new transgenic rat model overexpressing the angiotensin II type 2 receptor provides evidence for inhibition of cell proliferation in the outer adrenal cortex.

This study aimed to elucidate the role of the AT(2) receptor (AT(2)R), which is expressed and upregulated in the adrenal zona glomerulosa (ZG) under conditions of increased aldosterone production. We developed a novel transgenic rat (TGR; TGRCXmAT(2)R) that overexpresses the AT(2)R in the adrenal gland, heart, kidney, brain, skeletal muscle, testes, lung, spleen, aorta, and vein. As a consequence the total angiotensin II (Ang II) binding sites increased 7.8-fold in the kidney, 25-fold in the heart, and twofold in the adrenals. The AT(2)R number amounted to 82-98% of total Ang II binding sites. In the ZG of TGRCXmAT(2)R, the AT(2)R density was elevated threefold relative to wild-type (WT) littermates, whereas AT(1)R density remained unchanged. TGRCXmAT(2)R rats were viable and exhibited normal reproduction, blood pressure, and kidney function. Notably, a slightly but significantly reduced body weight and a moderate increase in plasma urea were observed. With respect to adrenal function, 24-h urinary and plasma aldosterone concentrations were unaffected in TGRCXmAT(2)R at baseline. Three and 14 days of Ang II infusion (300 ng·min(-1)·kg(-1)) increased plasma aldosterone levels in WT and in TGR. These changes were completely abolished by the AT(1)R blocker losartan. Of note, glomerulosa cell proliferation, as indicated by the number of Ki-67-positive glomerulosa cells, was stimulated by Ang II in TGR and WT rats; however, this increase was significantly attenuated in TGR overexpressing the AT(2)R. In conclusion, AT(2)R in the adrenal ZG inhibits Ang II-induced cell proliferation but has no obvious lasting effect on the regulation of the aldosterone production at the investigated stages.

Rosette morphology in zona glomerulosa formation and function.

How morphology informs function is a fundamental biological question. Here, we review the morphological features of the adrenal zona glomerulosa (zG), highlighting recent cellular and molecular discoveries that govern its formation. The zG consists of glomeruli enwrapped in a Laminin-ß1-enriched basement membrane (BM). Within each glomerulus, zG cells are organized as rosettes, a multicellular structure widely used throughout development to mediate epithelial remodeling, but not often found in healthy adult tissues. Rosettes arise by constriction at a common cellular contact point mediated/facilitated by adherens junctions (AJs). In mice, small, dispersed AJs first appear postnatally and enrich along the entire cell-cell contact around 10 days after birth. Subsequently, these AJ-rich contacts contract, allowing rosettes to form. Concurrently, flat sheet-like domains in the nascent zG, undergo invagination and folding, gradually giving rise to the compact round glomeruli that comprise the adult zG. How these structures impact adrenal function is discussed.

Chemogenetic activation of adrenocortical Gq signaling causes hyperaldosteronism and disrupts functional zonation.

The mineralocorticoid aldosterone is produced in the adrenal zona glomerulosa (ZG) under the control of the renin-angiotensin II (AngII) system. Primary aldosteronism (PA) results from renin-independent production of aldosterone and is a common cause of hypertension. PA is caused by dysregulated localization of the enzyme aldosterone synthase (Cyp11b2), which is normally restricted to the ZG. Cyp11b2 transcription and aldosterone production are predominantly regulated by AngII activation of the Gq signaling pathway. Here, we report the generation of transgenic mice with Gq-coupled designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs (DREADDs) specifically in the adrenal cortex. We show that adrenal-wide ligand activation of Gq DREADD receptors triggered disorganization of adrenal functional zonation, with induction of Cyp11b2 in glucocorticoid-producing zona fasciculata cells. This result was consistent with increased renin-independent aldosterone production and hypertension. All parameters were reversible following termination of DREADD-mediated Gq signaling. These findings demonstrate that Gq signaling is sufficient for adrenocortical aldosterone production and implicate this pathway in the determination of zone-specific steroid production within the adrenal cortex. This transgenic mouse also provides an inducible and reversible model of hyperaldosteronism to investigate PA therapeutics and the mechanisms leading to the damaging effects of aldosterone on the cardiovascular system.

Adrenal Tissue-Specific Deletion of TASK Channels Causes Aldosterone-Driven Angiotensin II-Independent Hypertension.

The renin-angiotensin system tightly controls aldosterone synthesis. Dysregulation is evident in hypertension (primary aldosteronism), low renin, and resistant hypertension) but also can exist in normotension. Whether chronic, mild aldosterone autonomy can elicit hypertension remains untested. Previously, we reported that global genetic deletion of 2 pore-domain TWIK-relative acid-sensitive potassium channels, TASK-1 and TASK-3, from mice produces striking aldosterone excess, low renin, and hypertension. Here, we deleted TASK-1 and TASK-3 channels selectively from zona glomerulosa cells and generated a model of mild aldosterone autonomy with attendant hypertension that is aldosterone-driven and Ang II (angiotensin II)-independent. This study shows that a zona glomerulosa-specific channel defect can produce mild autonomous hyperaldosteronism sufficient to cause chronic blood pressure elevation.

Gene expression profile in rat adrenal zona glomerulosa cells stimulated with aldosterone secretagogues.

The mineralocorticoid aldosterone, mainly produced by the adrenal gland, is essential for life, but an abnormally excessive secretion causes severe pathological effects including hypertension and target organ injury in the heart and kidney. The aim of this study was to determine the gene regulatory network triggered by aldosterone secretagogues in a nontransformed cell system. Freshly isolated rat adrenal zona glomerulosa cells were stimulated with the two main aldosterone secretagogues, angiotensin II and potassium, for 2 h and subjected to whole genome expression studies using multiple biological and bioinformatics tools. Several genes were differentially expressed by ANG II (n = 133) or potassium (n = 216). Genes belonging to the nucleic acid binding and transcription factor activity categories were significantly enriched. A subset of the most regulated genes was confirmed by real-time RT-PCR, and then their expression was analyzed in time curve studies. Differentially expressed genes were grouped according to their time response expression pattern, and their promoter regions were analyzed for common regulatory transcription factor binding sites. Finally, data mining with gene promoters, transcription factors, and literature databases was performed to generate gene interaction networks for either ANG II or potassium. This paper provides for the first time a complete study of the genes that are regulated, and the interaction between them, by aldosterone secretagogues in rat adrenal cells. Increasing our knowledge of adrenal physiology and gene regulation in nontransformed cell systems could lead us to a better approach for the discovery of candidate genes involved in pathological conditions of the adrenal cortex.

Steroid-producing cells regulate arterial tone of adrenal cortical arteries.

Adrenal blood flow is coupled to adrenal hormone secretion. ACTH increases adrenal blood flow and stimulates the secretion of aldosterone and cortisol in vivo. However, ACTH does not alter vascular tone of isolated adrenal cortical arteries. Mechanisms underlying this discrepancy remain unsolved. The present study examined the effect of zona glomerulosa (ZG) cells on cortical arterial tone. ZG cells (10(5) to 10(7) cells) and ZG cell-conditioned medium relaxed preconstricted adrenal arteries (maximal relaxations = 79 +/- 4 and 66 +/- 4%, respectively). In adrenal arteries coincubated with a small number of ZG cells (0.5-1 x 10(6)), ACTH (10(-12) to 10(-8) m) induced concentration-dependent relaxations (maximal relaxation = 67 +/- 4%). Similarly, ACTH (10(-8) m) dilated (55 +/- 10%) perfused arteries embedded in adrenal cortical slices. ZG cell-dependent relaxations to ACTH were endothelium-independent and inhibited by high extracellular K(+) (60 mm); the K(+) channel blocker, iberiotoxin (100 nm); the cytochrome P450 inhibitors SKF 525A (10 microm) and miconazole (10 microm); and the epoxyeicosatrienoic acid (EET) antagonist 14,15-EEZE (2 microm). Four EET regioisomers were identified in ZG cell-conditioned media. EET production was stimulated by ACTH. We conclude that ZG cells release EETs and this release is stimulated by ACTH. Interaction of endocrine and vascular cells represents a mechanism for regulating adrenal blood flow and couples steroidogenesis to increased blood flow.

Functional TASK-3-Like Channels in Mitochondria of Aldosterone-Producing Zona Glomerulosa Cells.

Ca2+ drives aldosterone synthesis in the cytosolic and mitochondrial compartments of the adrenal zona glomerulosa cell. Membrane potential across each of these compartments regulates the amplitude of the Ca2+ signal; yet, only plasma membrane ion channels and their role in regulating cell membrane potential have garnered investigative attention as pathological causes of human hyperaldosteronism. Previously, we reported that genetic deletion of TASK-3 channels (tandem pore domain acid-sensitive K+ channels) from mice produces aldosterone excess in the absence of a change in the cell membrane potential of zona glomerulosa cells. Here, we report using yeast 2-hybrid, immunoprecipitation, and electron microscopic analyses that TASK-3 channels are resident in mitochondria, where they regulate mitochondrial morphology, mitochondrial membrane potential, and aldosterone production. This study provides proof of principle that mitochondrial K+ channels, by modulating inner mitochondrial membrane morphology and mitochondrial membrane potential, have the ability to play a pathological role in aldosterone dysregulation in steroidogenic cells.

NEFM (Neurofilament Medium) Polypeptide, a Marker for Zona Glomerulosa Cells in Human Adrenal, Inhibits D1R (Dopamine D1 Receptor)-Mediated Secretion of Aldosterone.

Heterogeneity among aldosterone-producing adenomas (APAs) has been highlighted by the discovery of somatic mutations. KCNJ5 mutations predominate in large zona fasciculata (ZF)-like APAs; mutations in CACNA1D, ATP1A1, ATP2B3, and CTNNB1 are more likely to be found in small zona glomerulosa (ZG)-like APAs. Microarray comparison of KCNJ5 mutant versus wild-type APAs revealed significant differences in transcriptomes. NEFM, encoding a neurofilament subunit which is a D1R (dopamine D1 receptor)-interacting protein, was 4-fold upregulated in ZG-like versus ZF-like APAs and 14-fold more highly expressed in normal ZG versus ZF. Immunohistochemistry confirmed selective expression of NEFM (neurofilament medium) polypeptide in ZG and in ZG-like APAs. Silencing NEFM in adrenocortical H295R cells increased basal aldosterone secretion and cell proliferation; silencing also amplified aldosterone stimulation by the D1R agonist, fenoldopam, and inhibition by the D1R antagonist, SCH23390. NEFM coimmunoprecipitated with D1R, and its expression was stimulated by fenoldopam. Immunohistochemistry for D1R was mainly intracellular in ZG-like APAs but membranous in ZF-like APAs. Aldosterone secretion in response to fenoldopam in primary cells from ZF-like APAs was higher than in cells from ZG-like APAs. Transfection of mutant KCNJ5 caused a large reduction in NEFM expression in H295R cells. We conclude that NEFM is a negative regulator of aldosterone production and cell proliferation, in part by facilitating D1R internalization from the plasma membrane. Downregulation of NEFM in ZF-like APAs may contribute to a D1R/D2R imbalance underlying variable pharmacological responses to dopaminergic drugs among patients with APAs. Finally, taken together, our data point to the possibility that ZF-like APAs are in fact ZG in origin.

Ouabain chronic infusion enhances the growth and steroidogenic capacity of rat adrenal zona glomerulosa: the possible involvement of the endothelin system.

Ouabain, an inhibitor of the Na+/K+-ATPase, has been reported to affect the secretory activity of the adrenal cortex, and especially of zona glomerulosa (ZG). However, conflicting results were obtained, depending on the experimental condition used since ouabain appears to interact with angiotensin-II (Ang-II) and its action to be influenced by the electrolyte balance. Hence, we investigated the effects of prolonged (4-month) infusion with ouabain on the rat adrenal cortex. Ouabain raised the plasma concentrations of aldosterone, corticosterone and endothelin-1 (ET-1), without affecting either systolic blood pressure (SBP) or plasma renin activity (PRA). The treatment caused a marked hypertrophy of ZG and ZG cells, which mainly ensued from increases in the volume of the mitochondrial and smooth-endoplasmic-reticulum compartments, where the enzymes of steroid synthesis are located. Conversely, the volume of the lipid-droplet compartment, which stores cholesterol utilized in steroid-hormone production, underwent a striking decrease. Zona fasciculata and its parenchymal cells were not affected. Basal and maximally agonist (ACTH, Ang-II and ET-1)-stimulated in vitro mineralocorticoid secretion from adrenal slices was also notably enhanced by ouabain administration. Collectively, these findings indicate that prolonged treatment with ouabain selectively stimulates the growth and steroidogenic capacity of the rat adrenal ZG. The possibility that the activation of the renin-angiotensin system may be involved in this effect of ouabain is ruled out by the lack of significant changes in SBP and PRA. Instead, our results suggest the possible involvement of ET-1, the plasma level of which is elevated in ouabain-infused rats.

G protein receptors 7 and 8 are expressed in human adrenocortical cells, and their endogenous ligands neuropeptides B and w enhance cortisol secretion by activating adenylate cyclase- and phospholipase C-dependent signaling cascades.

Neuropeptides B and W (NPB and NPW) are regulatory peptides that act via two subtypes of G protein-coupled receptors, named GPR7 and GPR8. RT-PCR demonstrated the expression of these receptors in both zona glomerulosa and zona fasciculata-reticularis (ZF/R) cells of the human adrenal cortex. NPB and NPW did not affect aldosterone secretion from dispersed zona glomerulosa cells but enhanced cortisol production from ZF/R cells, NPB being more effective than NPW. NPB evoked sizable cAMP and inositol triphosphate responses from ZF/R cells, which were abrogated by the adenylate cyclase inhibitor SQ-22536 and the phospholipase C inhibitor U-73122, respectively. Cortisol response to NPB was lowered by either SQ-22536 and the protein kinase (PK) A inhibitor H-89 or U-73122 and the PKC inhibitor calphostin-C and abolished by the simultaneous exposure to H-89 and calphostin-C. NPW elicited only a rise in cAMP production from dispersed ZF/R cells, and its cortisol response was suppressed by both SQ-22536 and H-89. PreproNPB and preproNPW mRNAs were detected in human adrenal cortexes. We conclude that: 1) NPB and NPW exert a secretagogue action on human ZF/R cells, probably acting in an autocrine-paracrine manner; and 2) the effect of NPB is mediated by both the adenylate cyclase/PKA and the phospholipase C/PKC cascades, whereas that of NPW involves only the activation of the former signaling pathway.

Differences between the growth regulatory pathways in primary rat adrenal cells and mouse tumor cell line.

In this study, DNA synthesis, phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and CREB proteins, as well as induction of c-Fos protein, were examined in rat adrenocortical, glomerulosa and fasciculata/reticularis cells, as well as in the Y1 cell line. We found that FGF2 was mitogenic only in glomerulosa cells and although ACTH did not activate ERK1/2, it did activate CREB protein, indicating efficient transduction of signals initiated in the ACTH receptors of rat adrenocortical cells. The FGF2 activated ERK1/2 in rat adrenal cells by a mechanism that might be modulated by upstream PKA pathway phosphorylation of MEK and despite the nonmitogenic effect of ACTH on rat adrenal cells it effectively induces c-Fos protein. The results presented herein describe distinct differences between the ACTH and FGF2 signal transduction mechanisms seen in adrenocortical cells and those observed in the Y1 cell line, indicating that, in vitro, ACTH blockage of the mitogenic effect occurs in normal adrenal cells after induction of c-Fos protein.

Modulation of a Ca(2+)-activated K+ channel by angiotensin II in rat adrenal glomerulosa cells: involvement of a G protein.

In the present study, we demonstrate the presence of Ca(2+)-activated K+ channels in rat glomerulosa cells. We find that angiotensin II (Ang II) inhibits this charybdotoxin-sensitive current. The effect of Ang II was dose-dependent with an inhibition constant (Ki) of 0.98 nM and a maximal effect observed at 200 nM. Time course of the blockage was as rapid as the one induced by charybdotoxin. This effect is mediated by the AT1 receptor subtype of Ang II, since it is blocked by DUP 753 but is unaffected by CGP 42112. Activation of protein kinase C by phorbol dibutyrate (1 microM) or dialysis of the cell with inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate (20 microM) were ineffective in blocking the current. However, experiments done with GDP beta S and GTP gamma S indicated that a G protein was involved. The inhibitory effect of Ang II was not pertussis toxin-sensitive, which excludes Gi protein, but was abrogated if an antibody raised against the alpha-subunit of the Gq/11 protein was present in the patch pipette medium. Further analysis showed that the Ca(2+)-activated K+ channel was able to modulate the membrane potential according to the level of intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i). Whereas a thapsigargin-induced increase in [Ca2+]i hyperpolarized the membrane, this effect was not observed when Ang II was used to increase [Ca2+]i because of the blockage of the Ca(2+)-activated K+ current. The blockage of Ca(2+)-activated K+ current by Ang II would result in a synergistic effect on the Ang II-induced depolarization, thus favoring Ca2+ influx, an event essential to secretion.

TASK-3 dominates the background potassium conductance in rat adrenal glomerulosa cells.

In a preceding study we showed that the highly negative resting membrane potential of rat adrenal glomerulosa cells is related to background potassium channel(s), which belong to the two-pore domain channel family. TWIK-related acid-sensitive K+ channel (TASK-1) expression was found in glomerulosa tissue, and the currents elicited by injection of glomerulosa mRNA (I(glom)) or TASK-1 cRNA (I(TASK-1)) showed remarkable similarity in Xenopus laevis oocytes. However, based on the different sensitivity of these currents to acidification, we concluded that TASK-1 may be responsible for a maximum of 25% of the weakly pH-dependent glomerulosa background K+ current. Here we demonstrate that TASK-3, a close relative of TASK-1, is expressed abundantly in glomerulosa cells. Northern blot detected TASK-3 message in adrenal glomerulosa, but not in other tissues. Quantitative RT-PCR experiments indicated even higher mRNA expression of TASK-3 than TASK-1 in glomerulosa tissue. Similarly to the glomerulosa background current, the current expressed by injection of TASK-3 cRNA (I(TASK-3)) was less acid-sensitive than I(TASK-1). Ruthenium red in the micromolar range inhibited I(glom) and I(TASK-3), but not I(TASK-1). Like I(TASK-1), I(TASK-3) was inhibited by stimulation of AT1a angiotensin II receptor coexpressed with the potassium channel. The high level of expression and its pharmacological properties suggest that TASK-3 dominates the resting potassium conductance of glomerulosa cells.

Regulation of the adrenal renin angiotensin system in cultured bovine zona glomerulosa cells: effect of catecholamines.

The renin-angiotensin system consists of two main enzymes, renin and angiotensin-converting enzyme, which lead to the formation of angiotensin-II. Angiotensin-II is a potent vasoconstrictor and stimulates the production of aldosterone. In this study we examined the effect of ACTH, potassium, (Bu)2cAMP (dbcAMP), and catecholamines on the adrenal renin-angiotensin system. To study the production of renin and aldosterone in vitro, we developed a monolayer culture of bovine zona glomerulosa cells in serum-free medium. Collagenase-dispersed zona glomerulosa cells were incubated in Pasadena Foundation for Medical Research-4 medium containing 10% fetal calf serum for 72 h, and the medium was replaced with serum-free medium for the next 24 h of the experimental period. The cells during this 24 h were exposed to various doses of ACTH, potassium, dbcAMP, and sympathomimetic agents. ACTH and dbcAMP stimulated aldosterone secretion, and this secretion was associated with an increase in renin activity in cells and medium. Aldosterone was also stimulated by high doses of potassium, and potassium had a stimulatory effect on the secretion of renin in medium. Catecholamines had a weak stimulating effect on aldosterone secretion and were potent stimulators of adrenal renin activity in cells and medium. Dopamine had no significant effect on basal aldosterone secretion or renin activity in cells and medium. In conclusion, these data indicate that adrenal renin is synthesized in bovine zona glomerulosa cells in vitro, and that ACTH and dbcAMP stimulate adrenal renin and aldosterone production. Furthermore, adrenal renin, like renal renin, may be under the control of the sympathetic nervous system.

Role of protein kinase C on the steroidogenic effect of angiotensin II in the rat adrenal glomerulosa cell.

The role of protein kinase C (PKC) in the steroidogenic action of angiotensin II (AII) was investigated by depletion of endogenous PKC using prolonged incubation with phorbol ester and direct measurement of PKC in isolated rat adrenal glomerulosa cells. PKC activity was measured by incorporation of 32P from [gamma 32P]ATP into histone in the presence of cytosolic and detergent-solubilized membrane fractions purified by diethylaminoethyl cellulose chromatography. Basal PKC activity was higher in cytosol than in membranes (1,000 +/- 57 and 413 +/- 14 pmol P incorporated/mg.min, respectively). After incubation of the cells with AII for 5, 15, 30, and 60 min, PKC activity in the cytosol decreased by 5, 18, 25, and 27%, respectively, while in the membrane there was a transient increase of 15% at 15 min returning to basal by 60 min. Incubation of the cells with 100 nM 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) resulted in transient translocation of PKC activity to the membrane (15 min) which was followed by a 64% decrease in total cellular enzyme activity after 3 h. In PKC-depleted cells, the aldosterone response to ACTH was increased by 25% but AII-stimulated steroidogenesis was unchanged. In contrast, in cells in which PKC was translocated to the membrane by a 15 min preincubation with TPA, aldosterone response to AII was enhanced by 40%, while the response to ACTH was reduced by 30%; under these conditions membrane PKC levels rapidly returned to basal. However, the changes in aldosterone response were still evident when addition of AII or ACTH was delayed for up to 30 min after removal of TPA, indicating a persistent modification in the cell membrane secondary to PKC activation. Aldosterone responses to potassium were not altered by preincubation of the cells with TPA. The inactive phorbol ester analog, 4 alpha-hydroxyphorbol-12,13-dibutyrate, had no effect on the steroid responses to either stimulus. The small but significant translocation of PKC activity from cytosol to membrane after treatment of rat adrenal glomerulosa cells with AII suggests that AII activates PKC. However, the fact that aldosterone responses to AII are potentiated during TPA-induced PKC translocation to the membrane suggests that AII and phorbol esters do not share the same mechanism of action in the regulation of steroidogenesis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Cholecystokinin stimulates aldosterone secretion from dispersed rat zona glomerulosa cells, acting through cholecystokinin receptors 1 and 2 coupled with the adenylate cyclase-dependent cascade.

Cholecystokinin is a regulatory peptide, that acts through two subtypes of receptors, 1 and 2. RT-PCR demonstrated the expression of both cholecystokinin receptors 1 and 2 genes in the zona glomerulosa, but not the zona fasciculata-reticularis, of rat adrenals. Autoradiography demonstrated the presence of abundant [(125)I]cholecystokinin-binding sites in the zona glomerulosa, but not the zona fasciculata-reticularis, which were displaced by both cholecystokinin receptor 1- and 2-selective antagonists (cholecystokinin 1-A and 2-A). Cholecystokinin increased basal aldosterone secretion from dispersed zona glomerulosa cells without affecting corticosterone secretion from zona fasciculata-reticularis cells. The aldosterone response to cholecystokinin was blunted by cholecystokinin 1-A and 2-A, which when added together abolished it. ACTH-stimulated aldosterone production was not affected by cholecystokinin; in contrast, cholecystokinin potentiated aldosterone response to both angiotensin II and K(+). Cholecystokinin enhanced cAMP, but not IP(3), release by dispersed zona glomerulosa cells. The aldosterone response to cholecystokinin was abolished by the adenylate cyclase inhibitor SQ-22536 and the PKA inhibitor H-89, but not by either the PLC inhibitor U-73122 or the PKC inhibitor calphostin C. In conclusion, our study provides evidence that cholecystokinin, acting through cholecystokinin receptors 1 and 2 coupled with the adenylate cyclase/PKA cascade, exerts a sizeable secretagogue action on rat zona glomerulosa cells.

Effects of adrenocorticotropin on action potential and calcium currents in cultured rat and bovine glomerulosa cells.

Action potentials (APs) and ionic currents were recorded in primary cultured rat and bovine glomerulosa cells by using the whole-cell recording technique. Switching from the current-clamp mode to the voltage-clamp mode allowed recordings of APs and currents in the same cell. APs can be elicited by appropriate stimulation in conditions where the excitability of the cell is increased by blocking a transient outward current. A T-current or a N-current was always present in cells in which APs were recorded; an L-current could also be recorded, but a cell presenting only an L-current was not able to fire an AP. The addition of Bay K 8644 (10(-8) M) induced a dramatic increase in the action potential duration. In the same cells, the analysis of the currents showed that the L-current was increased, whereas the T-current was not significantly affected. The effects of ACTH (10(-8) M) were analysed on APs and currents. On APs, at least two phases could be distinguished, the first corresponded to the reduction of the action potential duration, whereas the second was a huge increase of the plateau duration. The T-current was strongly affected by ACTH as a great inhibition took place in the first seconds after the superfusion with a 10(-8) M ACTH medium. Then a partial recovery of the T-current appeared. The effects of ACTh were reversible on washing. On the contrary, the L-current was increased by ACTH, but this effect was not reversible. The effects of ACTH were mimicked by 8 Bromo cAMP (10(-3) M). Similar results were found in rat and bovine glomerulosa cells. These results suggest that second messengers generated by ACTH would regulate Ca2+ entrance by nondetermined phosphorylation process in the sense of an increase in intracellular Ca2+.

Osmolality and potassium cause alterations in the volume of glomerulosa cells.

Alterations in extracellular osmolality have a powerful inverse effect on aldosterone secretion and potassium- and angiotensin-stimulated aldosterone secretion. Whether alterations in extracellular osmolality produced sustained changes in cell volume that may contribute to the regulation of aldosterone secretion is not known. Using dispersed bovine glomerulosa cells grown in primary culture, the effect of alterations in osmolality on cell volume, measured by the distribution of [14C]urea and [3H]inulin and videometric analysis of the surface area of glomerulosa cells, was determined. Alterations in osmolality had an inverse effect on cell volume and surface area. Changes in cell volume induced by exposure to anisotonic medium were 52% greater (P > 0.02) than that predicted by the changes in osmolality. Increases in potassium concentration also caused sustained (1-h) concentration-dependent increases in cell volume and surface area. Angiotensin-II did not increase glomerulosa cell volume, but did produce a small dose-dependent transient increase in cell surface area. The results demonstrate that alterations in osmolality do cause sustained changes in cell volume, and thus, membrane stretch could be an important part of the cellular mechanism responsible for causing osmolality-induced changes in the cytosolic calcium concentration and subsequent alterations in aldosterone secretion. Alterations in membrane stretch may also be an important component of potassium-induced, but not angiotensin II-induced, aldosterone secretion.

Role of cell volume in K+-induced Ca2+ signaling by rat adrenal glomerulosa cells.

The involvement of cell volume in the K+-evoked Ca2+ signaling was studied in cultured rat glomerulosa cells. Previously we reported that hyposmosis (250 mOsm) increased the amplitude of T-type Ca2+ current and, accordingly, enhanced the Ca2+ response of cultured rat glomerulosa cells to K+. In the present study we found that this enhancement is not influenced by the cytoskeleton-disrupting drugs cytochalasin-D (20 microM) and colchicine (100 microM). Elevation of extracellular potassium concentration ([K+]e) from 3.6 to 4.6-8.6 mM induced cell swelling, which had slower kinetics than the Ca2+ signal. Cytoplasmic Ca2+ signal measured in single glomerulosa cells in response to stimulation with 5 mm K+ for 2 min showed two phases: after a rapid rise reaching a plateau within 20-30 sec, [Ca2+]c increased further slowly by approximately one third. When 5 mM K+ was coapplied with elevation of extracellular osmolarity from 290 to 320 mOsm, the second phase was prevented. These results indicate that cell swelling evoked by physiological elevation of [K+]e may contribute to the generation of sustained Ca2+ signals by enhancing voltage-activated Ca2+ influx.