Glucagon-like peptide-1 can reverse the age-related decline in glucose tolerance in rats.

Wistar rats develop glucose intolerance and have a diminished insulin response to glucose with age. The aim of this study was to investigate if these changes were reversible with glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), a peptide that we have previously shown could increase insulin mRNA and total insulin content in insulinoma cells. We infused 1.5 pmol/ kg-1.min-1 GLP-1 subcutaneously using ALZET microosmotic pumps into 22-mo-old Wistar rats for 48 h. Rat infused with either GLP-1 or saline were then subjected to an intraperitoneal glucose (1 g/kg body weight) tolerance test, 2 h after removing the pump. 15 min after the intraperitoneal glucose, GLP-1-treated animals had lower plasma glucose levels (9.04+/-0.92 mmol/liter, P < 0.01) than saline-treated animals (11.61+/-0.23 mmol/liter). At 30 min the plasma glucose was still lower in the GLP-1-treated animals (8.61+/-0.39 mmol/liter, P < 0.05) than saline-treated animals (10.36+/-0.43 mmol/liter). This decrease in glucose levels was reflected in the higher insulin levels attained in the GLP-1-treated animals (936+/-163 pmol/liter vs. 395+/-51 pmol/liter, GLP-1 vs. saline, respectively, P < 0.01), detected 15 min after glucose injection. GLP-1 treatment also increased pancreatic insulin, GLUT2, and glucokinase mRNA in the old rats. The effects of GLP-1 were abolished by simultaneous infusion of exendin [9-39], a specific antagonist of GLP-1. GLP-1 is therefore able to reverse some of the known defects that arise in the beta cell of the pancreas of Wistar rats, not only by increasing insulin secretion but also by inducing significant changes at the molecular level.

Severe deficiency of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator messenger RNA carrying nonsense mutations R553X and W1316X in respiratory epithelial cells of patients with cystic fibrosis.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most common, lethal inherited disorder in the Caucasian population. We have recently reported two African-American patients with nonsense mutations in each CF gene and severe pancreatic disease, but mild pulmonary disease. In order to examine the effect of these nonsense mutations on CF gene expression, bronchial and nasal epithelial cells were obtained from one of these patients (no. 246), a compound heterozygote for nonsense mutations R553X and W1316X; a healthy normal individual; a patient (no. 528) homozygous for the common CF mutation (delta F508); and a CF patient (no. 272) who carries the R553X mutation and a missense mutation, S549N. When mRNA from bronchial cells of the normal individual, the delta F508 homozygote, and the S549N/R553X compound heterozygote was reverse transcribed and amplified by polymerase chain reaction using primers derived from the CF gene, DNA fragments of the predicted size were observed. However, patient no. 246 with nonsense mutations in each CF gene has no detectable cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) messenger RNA, and therefore should have severely diminished, and possibly absent, CFTR protein. Furthermore, less than 2% of the CFTR transcripts in nasal epithelial cells from patient no. 272 (S549N/R553X) were derived from the gene with the nonsense mutation. We conclude that severe reduction in CFTR mRNA causes CF, but can have different consequences in the lung and pancreas.

Axial heterogeneity of organic cation transport along the rabbit renal proximal tubule: studies with brush-border membrane vesicles.

Brush-border membrane vesicles prepared from rabbit kidney outer cortex (rich in S1 and S2) and outer medulla (rich in S3) were used to evaluate the axial heterogeneity of tetraethylammonium transport in the proximal tubule. The vesicle preparations had similar Km values but the Vmax values differed, suggesting that axial heterogeneity of tetraethylammonium secretion may be due to differences in transport across the brush-border membrane.

Effect of hypoxia on endothelin-1 production by pulmonary vascular endothelial cells.

Endothelin-1 (ET-1), a peptide product of endothelial cells, is mitogenic for fibroblasts and smooth muscle cells. In this study we examined the effect of hypoxia on ET-1 production by bovine pulmonary vascular endothelial cells. Bovine pulmonary artery (BPAE) and microvascular endothelial (BMVE) cells were isolated, grown in tissue culture, and characterized by the presence of Factor VIII related antigen and LDL uptake. Baseline production of ET-1 by BPAE cells (measured by radioimmunoassay) increased over time. BMVE cells produced one tenth the amount of ET-1 as produced by the pulmonary artery endothelial cells under the same conditions. In both cell types, hypoxia (0% O2) significantly reduced the amount of ET-1 at 48 h. Restoration of normoxia in 21% O2 for 48 h resulted in a return of ET-1 levels to baseline. Northern blot analysis showed decreased ET-1 mRNA in cells exposed to hypoxia for 48 h. These data demonstrate that pulmonary vascular endothelial cells respond to hypoxia by reversibly decreasing ET-1 production, and this attenuation is likely regulated at the level of transcription.

Incretin hormones regulate glucose-dependent insulin secretion in RIN 1046-38 cells: mechanisms of action.

Glucagon-like peptide-1-(7-36) amide (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP) are known incretin hormones, released from enteroendocrine cells in response to food, that enhance insulin secretion, but only in the presence of elevated blood glucose. We used a rat insulinoma cell line, RIN 1046-38, to study the mechanisms underlying the interaction of incretins and glucose. We measured insulin secretion using RIA and the reverse hemolytic plaque assay. GLP-1 stimulates insulin secretion, with a half-maximal concentration of 34 pM. GLP-1 is approximately 2 orders of magnitude more potent than GIP. GLP-1 and GIP have additive effects at submaximal concentrations, but probably not at maximal concentrations, suggesting a common signal transduction pathway. The glucose requirement for GLP-1 action can be replaced by cell membrane depolarization (20 mM KCl in the extracellular medium), suggesting that a rise of intracellular Ca2+ may be an early step required for GLP-1 action. GLP-1 stimulates insulin secretion by significantly increasing the maximum rate of insulin secretion from 10.3 +/- 2.25 to 25.2 +/- 2.94 ng insulin/mg protein.h. GLP-1 acts by recruiting 1.5-fold more cells to secrete insulin as well as enhancing insulin secretion by individual cells. Combinations of stimuli, such as glucose, cell membrane depolarization, and GLP-1, can recruit 90% of RIN 1046-38 cells to secrete insulin.

Overexpression and activation of the insulin receptor enhances expression of ERCC-1 messenger ribonucleic acid in cultured cells.

In this study, a partial hamster complementary DNA encoding ERCC-1, a member of the DNA excision repair gene family, has been cloned. The nucleic acid and amino acid sequences were highly homologous to those of human and mouse ERCC-1. The hamster ERCC-1 gene was expressed as a 1.2-kilobase message in cultured Chinese hamster ovary cells. Northern (RNA) blot analysis revealed that overexpression of the insulin receptor or various growth factor receptor tyrosine kinases in Chinese hamster ovary cells increased ERCC-1 messenger RNA (mRNA) levels. This effect did not occur in cells overexpressing mutated insulin receptors that are known to have impaired kinase-related signaling. Increased ERCC-1 expression correlated with resistance to UV exposure. Fluorescent-activated cell sorter analysis of confluent cell populations indicated no differences in cell cycle distribution. Furthermore, no significant relationship was demonstrated between the relative expression of ERCC-1 mRNA and the rate of glucose utilization. Insulin enhanced the accumulation of ERCC-1 mRNA in serum-deprived cells expressing wild-type insulin receptors. The potential role for activation of the insulin receptor and related growth factor receptors in ERCC-1 gene expression and function remains to be defined.

Differential expression of a novel seven transmembrane domain protein in epididymal fat from aged and diabetic mice.

To identify novel seven transmembrane domain proteins from 3T3-L1 adipocytes, we used PCR to amplify 3T3-L1 adipocyte complementary DNA (cDNA) with primers homologous to the N- and C-termini of pancreatic glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor. We screened a cDNA library prepared from fully differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes using a 500-bp cDNA PCR product probe. Herein describes the isolation and characterization of a 1.6-kb cDNA clone that encodes a novel 298-amino acid protein that we termed TPRA40 (transmembrane domain protein of 40 kDa regulated in adipocytes). TPRA40 has seven putative transmembrane domains and shows little homology with the known GLP-1 receptor or with other G protein-coupled receptors. The levels of TPRA40 mRNA and protein were higher in 3T3-L1 adipocytes than in 3T3-L1 fibroblasts. TPRA40 is present in a number of mouse and human tissues. Interestingly, TPRA40 mRNA levels were significantly increased by 2- to 3-fold in epididymal fat of 24-month-old mice vs. young controls as well as in db/db and ob/ob mice vs. nondiabetic control littermates. No difference in TPRA40 mRNA levels was observed in brain, heart, skeletal muscle, liver, or kidney. Furthermore, no difference in TPRA40 expression was detected in brown fat of ob/ob mice when compared with age-matched controls. Taken together, these data suggest that TPRA40 represents a novel membrane-associated protein whose expression in white adipose tissue is altered with aging and type 2 diabetes.

Glucagon-like peptide-1(7-36) amide (GLP-1) enhances insulin-stimulated glucose metabolism in 3T3-L1 adipocytes: one of several potential extrapancreatic sites of GLP-1 action.

We investigated the effects of glucagon-like peptide-1(7-36) amide, GLP-1, on glucose metabolism in 3T3-L1 adipocytes and we used polymerase chain reaction to search for the presence of GLP-1 receptors in various rat tissues. GLP-1 at 1 nM significantly increased insulin-mediated 2-deoxyglucose uptake by 40% while having no effect on basal uptake. In conjunction with the elevated uptake, the insulin-dependent incorporation of 14C-glucose into fatty acids was also increased. Moreover, neither glycogen synthesis nor insulin binding to its receptor were affected by GLP-1. In addition to the presence of GLP-1 receptor in pancreas we found messenger RNA for this receptor in brain, kidney, heart, fat, skeletal muscle, liver, and intestine. This study indicates that GLP-1, in addition to its well known effect of stimulating insulin secretion, may improve insulin responsiveness by promoting fatty acid synthesis in adipose cells and possibly modulating insulin signaling in other insulin sensitive tissues.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 affects gene transcription and messenger ribonucleic acid stability of components of the insulin secretory system in RIN 1046-38 cells.

It has been previously demonstrated that the enteric hormone glucagon-like peptide-1 (7-36 amide) (GLP-1) has acute effects on glucose-induced insulin secretion by RIN 1046-38 cells. In this study, we investigated the effects of extended exposure of RIN 1046-38 cells to GLP-1 and examine the mechanism by which GLP-1 synergizes with glucose in stimulating insulin secretion. Compared with cells cultured with glucose alone, incubation of cells with glucose plus 1 or 10 nM GLP-1 for 12 or 24 h significantly increased insulin release by about 3-fold, intracellular insulin content by 1.5-fold, and insulin messenger RNA (mRNA) by almost 2.5-fold. The insulinotropic effects of GLP-1 on RIN 1046-38 cells were accompanied by an up-regulation of both glucose transporter-1 (GLUT-1) and hexokinase I mRNA by about 2-fold. mRNA levels of GLUT-2 and glucokinase, which were low in controls, were unchanged by GLP-1 treatment. Treatment of cells with a transcription inhibitor, actinomycin D, demonstrated that elevated insulin mRNA levels after a GLP-1 exposure are mainly due to stabilization of the mRNA. In contrast, the elevated mRNA levels of GLUT-1 and hexokinase I are the result of increased transcription stimulated by GLP-1 exposure. Actinomycin D blunted the GLP-1 effect on insulin release but did not affect GLP-1 mediated elevation of insulin mRNA. This suggests that actinomycin D inhibits the transcription of the proteins necessary for insulin biosynthesis and insulin release, such as GLUT-1 and hexokinase I. Our study suggests that the mechanisms by which extended exposure of RIN 1046-38 cells to GLP-1 increases glucose-stimulated insulin secretion include significant up-regulation of glucose-sensing elements.

Pancreatic glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor couples to multiple G proteins and activates mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways in Chinese hamster ovary cells.

Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells stably expressing the human insulin receptor and the rat glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor (CHO/GLPR) were used to study the functional coupling of the GLP-1 receptor with G proteins and to examine the regulation of the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase signaling pathway by GLP-1. We showed that ligand activation of GLP-1 receptor led to increased incorporation of GTP-azidoanilide into Gs alpha, Gq/11 alpha, and Gi1,2 alpha, but not Gi3 alpha. GLP-1 increased p38 MAP kinase activity 2.5- and 2.0-fold over the basal level in both CHO/GLPR cells and rat insulinoma cells (RIN 1046-38), respectively. Moreover, GLP-1 induced phosphorylation of the immediate upstream kinases of p38, MKK3/MKK6, in CHO/GLPR and RIN 1046-38 cells. Ligand-stimulated GLP-1 receptor produced 1.45- and 2.7-fold increases in tyrosine phosphorylation of 42-kDa extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) in CHO/GLPR and RIN 1046-38 cells, respectively. In CHO/GLPR cells, these effects of GLP-1 on the ERK and p38 MAP kinase pathways were inhibited by pretreatment with cholera toxin (CTX), but not with pertussis toxin. The combination of insulin and GLP-1 resulted in an additive response (1.6-fold over insulin alone) that was attenuated by CTX. In contrast, the ability of insulin alone to activate these pathways was insensitive to either toxin. Our study indicates a direct coupling between the GLP-1 receptor and several G proteins, and that CTX-sensitive proteins are required for GLP-1-mediated activation of MAP kinases.

Regulation of glucose transporters and hexose uptake in 3T3-L1 adipocytes: glucagon-like peptide-1 and insulin interactions.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (7-36 amide) (GLP-1) is known to increase insulin release when given as a bolus in the fasted and fed state. GLP-1 also increases glucose uptake and lipid synthesis in cultured adipocytes. In this study we investigated the effects of GLP-1 on glucose uptake and on the levels of expression of the facilitative glucose transporters, GLUT1 and GLUT4, in fully differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Cells were incubated with GLP-1 (10 nM) with or without insulin (10 and 100 nM) for 24 h. Under these conditions, GLP-1 alone caused an increase in basal and acute insulin-stimulated glucose uptake along with an increase in GLUT1 and GLUT4 protein levels. However, there was no change in the expression of GLUT1 and GLUT4 mRNAs. In the absence of GLP-1, prolonged exposure to insulin caused a marked reduction in the levels of GLUT4 mRNA and protein, and an inhibition of glucose uptake after an acute exposure to insulin. This insulin-induced down-regulation of GLUT4 was prevented when GLP-1 was present during the 24-h treatment. In contrast, the acute insulin-stimulated glucose uptake could not be restored by GLP-1. GLP-1 is therefore the first gut hormone shown to be capable of modulating glucose transporter levels in cultured adipocytes.

Design and synthesis of 2-methyl-2-[4-(2-[5-methyl-2-aryloxazol-4-yl]ethoxy)phenoxy]propionic acids: a new class of dual PPARalpha/gamma agonists.

Propionic acid derivative 8, which was designed and synthesized based on putative pharmacophores of known PPARgamma- and PPARalpha-selective compounds, exhibits potent dual PPARalpha/gamma agonist activity as demonstrated by in vitro binding and dose overlap in the newly introduced EOB mouse model for glucose lowering and lipid/cholesterol homeostasis.

Insulin regulation of a novel WD-40 repeat protein in adipocytes.

A 400 bp PCR product generated with degenerate primers derived from the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor was used to screen a rat skeletal muscle cDNA library. The predicted amino acid sequence of the 978 bp open reading frame has a predicted M(r) of 35 804, an estimated isoelectric point (pI) of 5.31 and contains seven WD-40 repeats, which are common to G-protein beta subunits (Gbeta). Although chemically and structurally similar to Gbeta subunits, the predicted amino acid sequence, when compared with the previously cloned Gbeta isoforms, was found to be only 31-41% similar and thus was named Gbeta-like (GbetaL, 'Gable'). Western blotting of whole-cell lysates and immunoprecipitates of membrane and cytosolic fractions of HEK 293 cells stably overexpressing a carboxy-terminal His-tagged GbetaL indicates that the protein is cytosolic and that it migrates at 42 kDa. A 4 kb transcript was detected in all tissues surveyed by northern blotting; however, an additional 2 kb transcript was detected in testis. Expression of GbetaL mRNA was highest in the brain and testis, followed by lung, heart, kidney, skeletal muscle, spleen and liver. In addition, reverse transcriptase/PCR showed that several other tissues and cell lines express GbetaL. The ubiquitous nature of the tissue expression pattern of GbetaL is similar to that of the insulin receptor, which suggests that insulin may influence GbetaL expression. Indeed, GbetaL protein and mRNA levels, in fully differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes, were upregulated by insulin in a concentration-dependent fashion. These changes were highly sensitive to insulin stimulation, being minimally affected by doses as low as 0.1 nM and maximally elevated by 1 nM doses. These data suggest that insulin regulates GbetaL production and imply that some of the actions of insulin may be mediated, in part, by this novel intracellular protein.

Overexpression of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor in an insulin-secreting cell line enhances glucose responsiveness.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), secreted from intestine in response to food intake, enhances insulin secretion from pancreatic beta-cells. In this study, we evaluated the effects of stably transfecting the GLP-1 receptor into an insulinoma cell line, RIN 1046-38, on basal and glucose-mediated insulin secretion and on second messenger pathways involved in insulin secretion. The GLP-1 receptor transfected cells had similar insulin mRNA levels but higher insulin content compared with parental cells. In GLP-1 receptor transfected cells, glucose (0.5 mM)-mediated insulin release was increased compared with parental cells (4.52 +/- 0.79 pmol insulin/l per mg protein x h vs. 2.21 +/- 0.36 pmol insulin/l per mg protein x h; mean +/- S.E., n = 6, P = 0.015, in transfected vs. parental cells, respectively). By hemolytic plaque assay measuring single cell insulin secretion, we observed that in the GLP-1 receptor transfected cells versus parental cells the increased insulin secretion was due to the presence of more glucose-responsive cells as well as more insulin released in response to glucose per cell. Resting intracellular cAMP was higher in the GLP-1 transfected cells (35.96 +/- 3.88 vs. 18.6 +/- 2.01 nmol/l per mg protein x h; mean +/- S.E., n = 4, P = 0.039, in transfected vs. parental cells, respectively). In response to GLP-1, both GLP-1 receptor transfected cells and parental cells showed increased cAMP levels independent of glucose. Resting intracellular calcium was the same in both parental and GLP-1 receptor transfected cells. However, more cells were responsive to glucose in the GLP-1 receptor transfected cells and the calcium transients attained in the presence of glucose developed at a faster rate and reached a higher amplitude than in parental cells. We conclude that having an excess of GLP-1 receptors renders beta-cells more sensitive to glucose.

GIP regulates glucose transporters, hexokinases, and glucose-induced insulin secretion in RIN 1046-38 cells.

Acute studies of glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP) have shown that GIP can synergize with glucose in stimulating insulin secretion both in vivo and in vitro. Here we studied the effects of extended exposure of RIN 1046-38 cells, an insulin-secreting cell line, to GIP and the mechanisms by which GIP synergizes with glucose in stimulating insulin secretion. Incubation of the cells with 100 nM GIP in the presence of glucose for 12 h significantly increased insulin release (287 +/- 31.7 vs. 102 +/- 9.7 ng/mg protein; n = 3), intracellular insulin content (12.8 +/- 0.83 vs. 8.2 +/- 0.52 ng/mg protein; n = 3), and insulin mRNA (approximately 2.7-fold; 24 h incubation) when compared to cells cultured with glucose alone. The insulinotropic effects of GIP on RIN 1046-38 cells were accompanied by an up-regulation of GLUT-1 and hexokinase I mRNA (1.75-fold) compared to non-GIP-treated cells; mRNA levels of GLUT-2 and glucokinase were unchanged by GIP, in the presence or absence of glucose. Our study suggests that the mechanism by which extended exposure of RIN 1046-38 cells to GIP increases glucose-stimulated insulin secretion includes up-regulation of glucose sensing elements.

Insulin release and insulin mRNA levels in rat islets of Langerhans cultured on extracellular matrix.

Primary culture of rat islets of Langerhans lose glucose responsiveness and eventually die when cultured for a long period of time. In this study we evaluated the effect of matrigel, a basement membrane extract, on (i) islet cell survival, (ii) cell responsiveness following a glucose challenge, and (iii) mRNA levels for insulin, glucagon, and somatostatin. Pancreatic islets were isolated by collagenase digestion and plated in culture dishes either coated or not with a matrigel layer. Using the reverse hemolytic plaque assay, we determined the total number of insulin-secreting cells and the amount of insulin secreted by individual beta cells. After 1 h of exposure to 5 mM glucose, beta cells from 6-month-old rat islets cultured for 6 weeks on matrigel showed an equal number of insulin-secreting cells compared to freshly isolated islets cultured for only 3 days in the absence of matrigel (39.5 +/- 2.5 vs. 37.1 +/- 2.6%). Furthermore, the release of insulin by cells cultured on matrigel for 6 weeks increased in a glucose-dependent manner (p < 0.001) and showed an ED50 of 7 mM. However, the amount of insulin released per single beta cell was reduced by 40-60% (p < 0.02) compared to that released from isolated beta cells derived from a 3-day culture of islets. Finally, there was a 35-55% increase (p < 0.05) in the levels of insulin, glucagon, and somatostatin mRNAs in cells cultured for 6 weeks on matrigel. These data suggest a trophic effect of matrigel on the maintenance of normal beta-cell activity and function and may lead the way to the development of a new model for the study of pancreatic islets in long-term culture.

The nongenotropic synthetic ligand 4-estren-3alpha17beta-diol is a high-affinity genotropic androgen receptor agonist.

The nongenotropic ligand estren (Science 298:843-846, 2002) was evaluated for its transcriptional activity mediated by the human androgen receptor (AR). Our results show that estren can bind, translocate, transactivate, and regulate two known target genes of AR in androgen-responsive cell lines. Estren binds recombinant AR with 10-fold higher affinity than either estrogen receptor (ER)-alpha or ERbeta. Estren-bound AR can translocate AR to the nucleus and stimulate the androgen response element-luciferase reporter activity with an efficacy similar to that of androgen. Estren also increased the expression of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in a dose-dependent manner in human LnCaP cells. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis, we show that the estren-bound AR coimmunoprecipitates with a region of the PSA gene promoter. Therefore, cotreatment with an AR antagonist, bicalutamide, blocked the estren-induced increase in PSA expression. In contrast, phosphoinositol 3-kinase inhibitor wortmannin, or extracellular signal-regulated kinase inhibitor 1,4-diamino-2,3-dicyano-1,4-bis(2-aminophynyltio)butadiene (U0126), and ER antagonist ICI-182780 failed to block the effects of estren. In vivo analysis of estren's action on male-orchidectomized ICR mice revealed estren's AR agonist actions on the levator ani and seminal vesicle target tissues. Taken together, our results reveal the hitherto unidentified genotropic action of estren mediated by AR in androgen-responsive cells and tissues.

Cell volume regulation in the nephron.

Nearly every cell in the kidney can volume regulate in response to a hypertonic challenge. Some are able to respond immediately to hyperosmotic media by a RVI. Other cells require stimulation prior to exposure to hyperosmolarity to demonstrate RVI. An increase of intracellular osmolytes during RVI usually occurs by an increase of NaCl influx either via the activation of parallel Na(+)-H+ and Cl(-)-HCO3- exchangers, or Na(+)-K(+)-2Cl- cotransporters. Medullary and papillary cells use organic solutes as well to increase the intracellular concentration of osmolytes. In response to a hypotonic challenge, a RVD response has been demonstrated in the majority of the kidney cells. The efflux of solute during RVD is usually via K+ loss by activation of conductance pathways. Stretch-activated K+ channels and Ca2(+)-activated-K+ channels have been shown to be stimulated in cells exposed in hyposmotic solutions and could thus be involved in RVD. The accompanying anion loss is less well-defined but could be either Cl- or HCO3- in different segments of the nephron. In some cells, the reduction of intracellular solute content is via an efflux of organic osmolytes. Thus it appears that cells in all segments of the nephron volume regulate in response to osmotic stresses. This regulation may be an essential part of transepithelial transport since the cells have to survive transcellular fluxes of osmolytes. It may be particularly important in the kidney to control cell volume both in response to changes in osmolarity and transcellular fluxes of solute in order to maintain proper flow of fluid through the nephron.

Role of intracellular calcium in volume regulation by rabbit medullary thick ascending limb cells.

Previous studies demonstrated that Ca2(+)-activated K+ channels in luminal membrane of rabbit medullary thick ascending limb cells (MTAL) are activated on exposure of the cells to hyposmotic solutions [J. Taniguchi and W. B. Guggino. Am. J. Physiol. 257 (Renal Fluid Electrolyte Physiol. 26): F347-F352, 1989]. In this study, we investigated the mechanism of activation of Ca2(+)-activated K+ channels in MTAL cells exposed to hyposmotic solutions. MTAL cells swell in hyposmotic medium and regulate volume back toward the starting volume. This regulatory volume decrease (RVD) is inhibited at high medium K+ concentrations or by presence of quinine or Ba2+ in extracellular medium, suggesting involvement of K+ channels. Measurements of intracellular Ca2+ concentrations with fura-2 show that intracellular Ca2+ rises in hyposmotic solutions and that this rise does not occur in absence of extracellular Ca2+. Nifedipine and verapamil also inhibit rise in intracellular Ca2+. Decreasing intracellular Ca2+ by removal of external Ca2+ in presence of EDTA or by chelation of intracellular Ca2+ with 1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (BAPTA) inhibits RVD. We conclude that hypotonic solutions activate K+ efflux probably via K+ channels and Ca2+ influx via a nifedipine- and verapamil-sensitive pathway. Lowering intracellular Ca2+ removes the ability of MTAL cells to regulate volume in hyposmotic solutions.

Cellular differentiation regulates expression of Cl- transport and cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator mRNA in human intestinal cells.

The gene defective in cystic fibrosis has recently been shown to code for a membrane protein designated the "cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator" (CFTR) protein. While it has been shown that detectable levels of the mRNA for the normal CFTR protein are present in epithelial cells from different tissues, factors which regulate CFTR expression have not been identified. A clonal cell line originating from a human colon adenocarcinoma (HT29-18) differentiates to multiple epithelial cell types when deprived of glucose in the culture medium. In these studies, mRNA isolated from these cells was examined by hybridization to a 1.45-kilobase cDNA probe which encodes transmembrane portions of the CFTR protein between exons 13 and 19. Cellular differentiation of HT29-18 causes a 9-18-fold increase in CFTR mRNA abundance versus the mRNA for the structural proteins actin and tubulin. Cellular differentiation also causes a 5-fold increase in second messenger-regulated Cl- transport which is sensitive to a Cl- channel blocker (diphenylamine 2-carboxylate). Subclones of HT29-18 which are committed to differentiate to either a mucin-secreting (HT29-18-N2) or an "enterocyte-like" (HT29-18-C1) phenotype have also been examined. In both subclones, elevated levels of CFTR mRNA are observed when compared with undifferentiated HT29-18 cells. However, during cellular differentiation, the regulation of CFTR mRNA abundance and membrane enzyme expression by the subclones is different from HT29-18. The results show that elevated CFTR mRNA occurs in multiple differentiated intestinal epithelial cell types, despite a phenotype-specific regulation of membrane protein expression. This suggests that CFTR expression plays a role in the differentiated functions of multiple epithelial phenotypes and that both cellular differentiation and cellular phenotypes are factors which regulate CFTR expression.