The effect of acetylcholine on chloride transport across the mouse lacrimal gland acinar cell membranes

Fluid secretion and the Na+-K+-2Cl- cotransporter in mouse exorbital lacrimal gland

We have previously suggested that fluid flow in the mouse exorbital lacrimal gland is driven by the opening of apical Cl- and K+ channels. These ions move into the lumen of the gland and water follows by osmosis. In many tissues, the Na+-K+-2Cl- cotransporter (NKCC1) replaces the Cl- and K+ ions that move into the lumen. We hypothesize that mouse exorbital lacrimal glands would have NKCC1 co-transporters and that they would be important in fluid transport by this gland. We used immunocytochemistry to localize NKCC1-like immunoreactivity to the membranes of the acinar cells as well as to the basolateral membranes of the duct cells. We developed a method to measure tear flow and its composition from mouse glands in situ. Stimulation with the acetylcholine agonist carbachol produced a peak flow followed by a plateau. Ion concentration measurements of this stimulated fluid showed it was high in K+ and Cl-. Treatment of the gland with furosemide, a blocker of the NKCC1 cotransporter, reduced the plateau phase of fluid flow by approximately 30%. Isolated cells exposed to a hypertonic shock shrank by approximately 20% and then showed a regulatory volume increase (RVI). Both the RVI and swelling were blocked by treatment with furosemide. Cells isolated from these glands shrink by approximately 10% in the presence of carbachol. Blocking NKCC1 with furosemide reduced the amount of shrinkage by approximately 50%. These data suggest that NKCC1 plays an important role in fluid secretion by the exorbital gland of mice.

Stimulus-secretion coupling: cytoplasmic calcium signals and the control of ion channels in exocrine acinar cells

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[Ca2+]i modulation of Cl- content controls cell volume in single salivary acinar cells during fluid secretion

Differential interference contrast microscopy and low-light-level digital imaging of the fluorescent chloride indicator dye 6-methyl-1-(3-sulfonatopropyl)quinolinium (SPQ) were performed simultaneously in single mammalian salivary gland acinar cells to examine the relationship between cytoplasmic chloride concentration [( Cl-]i) and cell volume during stimulus-secretion coupling. Agonist stimulation of Cl(-)-driven fluid secretion is associated with rapid, Ca2(+)-dependent changes of cell volume, which are temporally coupled to changes of [Cl-]i. The agonist-induced changes in [Cl-]i, if accompanied by cations and water, quantitatively account for the cell volume changes, demonstrating in a single cell that cell volume is determined by cell solute content. Agonist-induced modulation of cell volume appears to be a consequence of the requirement to develop appropriate ion gradients necessary for vectorial salt (and fluid) transport.

Effects of intra- and extracellular H+ and Na+ concentrations on Na(+)-H+ antiport activity in the lacrimal gland acinar cells

Kinetic properties of the Na(+)-H+ antiport in the acinar cells of the isolated, superfused mouse lacrimal gland were studied by measuring intracellular pH (pHi) and Na+ activity (aNai) with the aid of double-barreled H(+)- and Na(+)-selective microelectrodes, respectively. Bicarbonate-free solutions were used throughout. Under untreated control conditions, pHi was 7.12 +/- 0.01 and aNai was 6.7 +/- 0.6 mmol/l. The cells were acid-loaded by exposure to an NH4+ solution followed by an Na(+)-free N-methyl-D-glucamine (NMDG+) solution. Intracellular Na+ and H+ concentrations were manipulated by changing the duration of exposure to the above solutions. Subsequent addition of the standard Na+ solution rapidly increased pHi. This Na(+)-induced increase in pHi was almost completely inhibited by 0.5 mmol/l amiloride and was associated with a rapid, amiloride-sensitive increase in aNai. The rate of pHi recovery induced by the standard Na+ solution increased in a saturable manner as pHi decreased, and was negligible at pHi 7.2-7.3, indicating an inactivation of the Na(+)-H+ antiport. The apparent Km for intracellular H+ concentration was 105 nmol/l (pH 6.98). The rate of acid extrusion from the acid-loaded cells increased proportionally to the increase in extracellular pH. Depletion of aNai to less than 1 mmol/l by prolonged exposure to NMDG+ solution significantly increased the rate of Na(+)-dependent acid extrusion. The rate of acid extrusion increased as the extracellular Na+ concentration increased following Michaelis-Menten kinetics (Vmax was 0.55 pH/min and the apparent Km was 75 mmol/l at pHi 6.88).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The effects of bumetanide, amiloride and Ba2+ on fluid and electrolyte secretion in rabbit salivary gland

1. In order to distinguish between models of anion secretion, the effects of transport inhibitors on saliva flow rate and electrolyte composition were studied during the plateau phase of secretion in rabbit mandibular salivary glands. 2. Bumetanide, an inhibitor of Na+,K+,2Cl- co-transport, inhibited flow rate (by 60%) and reduced Cl- concentration. K+ and HCO3- concentrations were increased. Forskolin, an adenylate cyclase activator which inhibits ductal transport, did not significantly affect this pattern of changes. 3. Amiloride, used at concentrations that would inhibit Na(+)-H+ exchange, inhibited flow rate (by 30%). Cl- concentration was initially increased before subsequently decreasing at the same time as HCO3- concentration increased. These concentration changes can probably be attributed to ductal transport. When amiloride was applied to glands perfused with nominally HCO3- -free solutions, inhibition of flow rate was rapid and almost complete. 4. When amiloride and bumetanide were both present in the perfusate, flow rate was inhibited by 92%. The pattern of electrolyte changes was not significantly different from that observed in the presence of bumetanide alone. 5. Inhibition of K+ channel activity using Ba2+ also inhibited flow rate. Cl- concentration was increased as was K+ concentration. HCO3- concentration was not increased. 6. The anion exchange inhibitor DIDS (4,4'-diisothiocyanatostilbene-2,2'-disulphonic acid) had no effect on either flow rate or electrolyte concentration. It did, however, elicit secretion in the absence of acetylcholine. 7. The data suggest that Na(+)-H+ and Cl- -HCO3- exchangers are unlikely to be involved in fluid and electrolyte secretion in these glands as suggested by some authors. Most of the data can be explained by postulating the existence of non-specific anion channels in the apical membranes of the acinar cells.

The initiation of calcium release following muscarinic stimulation in rat lacrimal glands

1. Acinar cells were isolated from rat lacrimal glands, and the Ca2+ release response of these cells was studied using two experimental approaches. In one approach, changes in Ca2+ concentration, Cai2+, were monitored by measuring Ca2(+)-dependent Cl- currents using tight-seal whole-cell recording. Alternatively, such changes were measured as a fluorescence signal in cells loaded with Fura-2. 2. Following bath application of ACh (0.5 microM), the cell current recorded at -60 mV was unchanged for ca 0.8 s, then rose in a biphasic manner. The initial phase of the current rise ('hump') took different appearances depending on the cell studied, and it sometimes stood out from the main part of the response as a partially isolated transient. 3. In cells which had been loaded with Fura-2, Cai2+ was found to rise abruptly following a silent period. The delay was larger if ACh (0.2-0.5 microM) was applied in a depolarizing isotonic K+ saline than if it was applied in the normal saline. In addition, the maximum of the Cai2+ response was reduced with depolarizing stimulating solutions. This indicates that membrane potential modulates the Cai2+ response. 4. Responses to 5 microM-ACh, a saturating agonist concentration, were almost identical in K+ saline and in normal saline. 5. If the cell potential was hyperpolarized, the delay of the ACh-induced current became shorter. 6. Breaking into an acinar cell with a pipette containing an elevated Ca2+ concentration (0.1-1 mM) led to a transient activation of Ca2(+)-induced currents during the first seconds of whole-cell recording. These transients were obtained more reliably if the transition to the whole-cell mode was achieved by applying a sharp pulse of potential ('zapping') rather than by applying suction to the pipette compartment. At -60 mV, the transients elicited with the former method by 0.5 mM-Ca2+ had a time-to-peak near 0.6s and an amplitude varying between 10 and 600 pA. With 0.1 mM-Ca2+, similar transients were also observed, but a number of cells failed to respond. Calcium-induced transients were blocked if cells were previously loaded with 50 microM-Ruthenium Red. 7. Performing the same experiments with inositol trisphosphate (InsP3, 20 microM) in the pipette solutions also led to early transient Ca2(+)-induced currents. Amplitudes, times-to-peak and 20-80% transition times were similar for 0.5 mM-Ca2+ and 20 microM-InsP3 stimulations.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Major ocular glands (harderian gland and lacrimal gland) of the musk shrew (Suncus murinus) with a review on the comparative anatomy and histology of the mammalian lacrimal glands

The Harderian gland of the musk shrew Suncus murinus is elongated anteroposteriorly from in front of the eye to behind the ear. The gland is divided into two portions: an anterior portion (A portion) and a posterior portion (P portion). The single secretory duct of the gland emerges from the anterior end of the P portion, receives several secretory ducts of the A portion during the course along it, runs around the ventral aspect of the eyeball, and finally opens into the anterior corner of conjunctival sacs. The two portions of the gland show a fundamentally similar histological structure, having a poorly developed intraglandular duct system and wide tubular alveoli. The quantity of lipid vacuoles and stromal connective tissue in the A portion is greater than in the P portion. The lipid vacuoles in both portions are surrounded by unit membranes, but their contents appear different. The lacrimal gland of the musk shrew is located along the ventral side of the P portion of the Harderian gland. The lacrimal duct emerges from its anterior end, runs around the ventral and anterior aspects of the ear, crosses the A portion of the Harderian gland, and finally opens at the posterior corner of conjunctival sacs. The lobules of the lacrimal gland comprise a branched duct system and terminal acini with two types of secretory cells: 1) acidic cells positive both for the periodic acid-Schiff reaction (PAS) and for Alcian blue (AB) and 2) neutral cells positive for PAS and negative for AB. Both cell types tend to make separate acini, but when present in the same acinus, the acidic cells occupy relatively peripheral positions in the acinus. Both cell types lack intercellular canaliculi. On the basis of the present study as well as previous descriptions in the literature, the author suggests that the mammalian lacrimal glands can be divided into two sets: 1) a Glandula lacrimalis superior with multiple secretory ducts associated with the upper eyelid and 2) a Glandula lacrimalis inferior with a single secretory duct opening into the lateral corner of the conjunctival sacs. These glands have a fundamentally similar histological structure; but in the rabbit, which possesses both sets of lacrimal glands, they are different. On the other hand, the secretory cells of lacrimal glands generally have no intercellular secretory canaliculi, which are characteristically present between the serous secretory cells of the salivary glands.

Evidence for an anion exchanger in the mouse lacrimal gland acinar cell membrane

Anion exchange transport in the mouse lacrimal gland acinar cell membrane was studied by measuring the intracellular H+ (pHi) and Cl- (aCli) activities with double-barreled ion-selective microelectrodes. In a HCO3- -free solution of pH 7.4 (HEPES/Tris buffered), pHi was 7.25 and aCli was 33 mM. By an exposure to a HCO3- (25 mM HCO3-/5% CO2, pH 7.4) solution for 15 min, aCli was decreased to 25 mM, and pHi was transiently decreased to about 7.05 within 1 min, then slowly relaxed to 7.18 in 15 min. Intracellular HCO3- concentration [HCO3-]i, calculated by the Henderson-Hasselbalch's equation, was 11 mM at 1 min after the exposure and then slowly increased to 15 mM. Readmission of the HCO3(-)-free solution reversed the changes in aCli and pHi. The intracellular buffering power was about 40 mM/pH. An addition of DIDS (0.2 mM) significantly inhibited the rates of change in aCli, pHi, and [HCO3-]i caused by admission/withdrawal of the HCO3- solution and decreased the buffer value. Replacement of all Cl- with gluconate in the HCO3- solution increased pHi, and readmission of Cl- decreased pHi. The rates of these changes in pHi were reduced by DIDS by 32-45% but not by amiloride (0.3 mM). In the HCO3- solution, a stimulation of intracellular HCO3- production by exposing the tissue to 25 mM NH4+ increased aCli significantly. While in the HCO3(-)-free solution or in the HCO3- solution containing DIDS, exposure to NH4+ had little effect on aCli.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Mechanism of uphill chloride transport of the mouse lacrimal acinar cells: studies with Cl- -sensitive microelectrode

The mechanism of uphill Cl- accumulation by mouse lacrimal acinar cells was studied using double-barrelled Cl- -selective microelectrodes. When measured in standard tris-buffered saline solution, the membrane potential (Vm) was -39.2 +/- 0.4 mV and intracellular Cl- activity (AiCl) was 34.6 +/- 0.7 mmol/l which was 1.4 times higher than the equilibrium level. In Na+-free solution, AiCl decreased from 34 mmol/l to 19 mmol/l in 100 min, a level that was close to the equilibrium activity. Return to the standard solution restored the normal level of AiCl in 5 min. In the presence of furosemide (1 mmol/l), Cl- uptake induced by Na+-readmission was inhibited by 44%. Superfusion with a K+-free solution gradually decreased AiCl until it was close to the equilibrium level after 75 min; superfusion with a high-K+ (29.5 mmol/l) solution increased AiCl significantly. In the presence of ouabain (1 mmol/l), switching the superfusing solutions from K+-free to high-K+ and from high-K+ to K+-free at timed intervals of 15 min caused, respectively, an increase (+9 mmol/l) and a decrease (-7 mmol/l) in AiCl. These changes in AiCl were inhibited by furosemide respectively by 61% and 24%. In the presence of furosemide, DIDS (1 mmol/l) or furosemide plus DIDS, the initial rate of Cl- uptake after cessation of acetylcholine (ACh 1 mumol/l) stimulation was inhibited by 47%, 37% or 74%, respectively. Present results show that the characteristics of the uphill chloride uptake by the mouse lacrimal acinar cells are consistent with those of Na+-K+-Cl- cotransport.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Effect of acetylcholine on electrical properties of subconfluent Madin Darby canine kidney cells

To elucidate the effects of acetylcholine on the electrical properties of incompletely confluent Madin Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells continuous measurements of the potential difference across the cell membrane (PD) were made with conventional microelectrodes during rapid changes of extracellular fluid composition. During control conditions PD averages -48.9 +/- 1.0 mV (n = 51). 1 mumol/l acetylcholine leads to a sustained but reversible hyperpolarization of the cell membrane by -17.9 +/- 0.7 mV (n = 51). Half-maximal effect is observed at some 100 nmol/l. 1 mumol/l atropine does not significantly alter the potential difference across the cell membrane, but abolishes reversibly the hyperpolarizing effect of acetylcholine. Increase of extracellular potassium concentration from 5.4 mmol/l to 20 mmol/l depolarizes the cell membrane by +12.1 +/- 1.1 mV (n = 12) in the absence and by +25.7 +/- 0.9 mV (n = 12) in the presence of acetylcholine. Within 80 s removal of extracellular calcium leads to a depolarization of the cell membrane by +16.2 +/- 3.2 mV (n = 9). In the nominal absence of extracellular calcium acetylcholine leads to a transient hyperpolarization by -13.8 +/- 1.8 mV (n = 9), which can be elicited only once. In conclusion, acetylcholine hyperpolarizes the plasma membrane of MDCK cells by calcium-dependent enhancement of potassium conductance.

Evidence for apical chloride channels in rabbit mandibular salivary glands. A chloride-selective microelectrode study

Double-barrelled, chloride-selective microelectrodes were used to study mandibular gland acinar cells at rest and during cholinergic stimulation. At rest, intracellular chloride activity was five times the expected equilibrium activity. During sustained stimulation with acetylcholine, chloride activity fell to three times the expected equilibrium activity. Thus, the gradient for chloride exit was reduced in the stimulated cell. These results lead to the conclusion that stimulation increases the permeability of the acinar cell to chloride. Experiments in which extracellular chloride was removed provided evidence that the permeability increase was due to opening of chloride channels located principally in the apical membrane of the acinar cell.

Differential effects of aldosterone and ADH on intracellular electrolytes in the toad urinary bladder epithelium

Quantitative electron microprobe analysis was employed to compare the effects of aldosterone and ADH on the intracellular electrolyte concentrations in the toad urinary bladder epithelium. The measurements were performed on thin freeze-dried cryosections utilizing energy dispersive x-ray microanalysis. After aldosterone, a statistically significant increase in the intracellular Na concentration was detectable in 8 out of 9 experiments. The mean Na concentration of granular cells increased from 8.9 +/- 1.3 to 13.2 +/- 2.2 mmol/kg wet wt. A significantly larger Na increase was observed after an equivalent stimulation of transepithelial Na transport by ADH. On average, the Na concentration in granular cells increased from 12.0 +/- 2.3 to 31.4 +/- 9.3 mmol/kg wet wt (5 experiments). We conclude from these results that aldosterone, in addition to its stimulatory effect on the apical Na influx, also exerts a stimulatory effect on the Na pump. Based on a significant reduction in the Cl concentration of granular cells, we discuss the possibility that the stimulation of the pump is mediated by an aldosterone-induced alkalinization. Similar though less pronounced concentration changes were observed in basal cells, suggesting that this cell type also participates in transepithelial Na transport. Measurements in mitochondria-rich cells provided no consistent results.

Acetylcholine-induced Na+ influx in the mouse lacrimal gland acinar cells: demonstration of multiple Na+ transport mechanisms by intracellular Na+ activity measurements

In the isolated, superfused mouse lacrimal gland, intracellular Na+ activities (aNai) of the acinar cells were directly measured with double-barreled Na+-selective microelectrodes. In the nonstimulated condition aNai was 6.5 +/- 0.5 mM and membrane potential (Vm) was -38.9 +/- 0.4 mV. Addition of 1 mM ouabain or superfusion with a K+-free solution slightly depolarized the membrane and caused a gradual increase in aNai. Stimulation with acetylcholine (ACh, 1 microM) caused a membrane hyperpolarization by about 20 mV and an increase in aNai by about 9 mM in 5 min. The presence of amiloride (0.1 mM) reduced the ACh-induced increase in aNai by approximately 50%, without affecting Vm and input resistance in both nonstimulated and ACh-stimulated conditions. Acid loading the acinar cells by an addition/withdrawal of 20 mM NH4Cl or by replacement of Tris+-buffer saline solution with HCO3-/CO2-buffered solution increased aNai by a few mM. Superfusion with a Cl(-)-free NO3- solution or 1 mM furosemide or 0.5 mM bumetanide-containing solution had little effect on the resting aNai levels, however, it reduced the ACh-induced increase in aNai by about 30%. Elimination of metabolite anions (glutamate, fumarate and pyruvate) from the superfusate reduced both the resting aNai and the ACh-induced increase in aNai. The present results suggest the presence of multiple Na+ entry mechanisms activated by ACh, namely, Na+/H+ exchange, Na-K-Cl cotransport and organic substrate-coupled Na+ transport mechanisms.