Wash out characteristics of tracer Na from the transport pool of frog skin

Effect of ouabain, amiloride, and antidiuretic hormone on the sodium-transport pool in isolated epithelia from frog skin (Rana temporaria)

When tracer Na+ is added to the solution bathing the apical side of isolated epithelia the observed transepithelial tracer influx increases with time until a steady state is reached. The build-up of the tracer flux follows a single exponential course. The halftime for this build-up under control conditions was 0.92 +/- 0.06 min, and in the presence of ouabain 4.51 +/- 0.7 min. It is shown that the calculated Na+-transport pool is located in the cells. The Na+-transport pool under control conditions was 35.6 +/- 3.4 nmol/cm2, which corresponds to an intracellular Na+ concentration of 7.9 mM. Activation of the active Na+ transport by addition of antidiuretic hormone resulted in a highly significant increase in the Na+ transport pool, and inhibition of the transcellular Na+ transport with amiloride resulted in a decrease in the Na+-transport pool. Furthermore, the active Na+ transport increased along an S-shaped curve with increasing intracellular Na+ concentration (Na+-transport pool). The Na+ pump was found to be half saturated at an intracellular Na+ concentration of 12.5 mM.

Time course of active Na transport and oxidative metabolism following transepithelial potential perturbation in toad urinary bladder

The use of an Ussing chamber with well-defined mixing characteristics coupled to a mass spectrometer permits the concurrent evaluation of transepithelial current and oxidative metabolism with improved temporal resolution. The time-course of the amiloride-sensitive current Ia and the rate of suprabasal CO2 production JsbCO2 were observed in 10 toad urinary bladders at short-circuit and after clamping delta psi at 100 mV, serosa positive. Following perturbation of delta psi (0 leads to 100 mV), Ia declined sharply within 1/2 min, remaining near constant approximately 15 min, and then increased slightly. JsbCO2 declined more gradually, remained near constant at approximately 4-7 min, and then declined further. Detailed analysis revealed an early quasi-steady state with near constancy of JsbCO2 starting at 2.9 +/- 1.1 (SD) min and lasting 4.7 +/- 1.8 (SD) min, followed by relaxation to a later steady state at about 15 min. During the early quasi-steady state, Ia was also nearly constant. Considering that in steady states Ia/F approximately or equal to JaNa, the rate of transepithelial active Na transport, during the early quasi-steady state mean values +/- SE of JaNa, JsbCO2 and (JaNa/JsbCO2) were, respectively, 29.9 +/- 1.7%, 59.4 +/- 3.2%, and 56.4 +/- 5.7% of values at short-circuit. Corresponding values during the late steady state were 41.4 +/- 6.0%, 38.2 +/- 6.1%, and 111.3 +/- 8.6%. Thus the flow ratio JaNa/JsbCO2 was depressed significantly during the early quasi-steady state, but returned later to the original value. The results of measurements of Ia and JsbO2 in three hemibladders were qualitatively similar. In terms of a phenomenological "black-box" treatment the findings are consistent with earlier studies indicating incomplete coupling between transport and metabolism. Further studies will be required to clarify the molecular basis for these observations.

Tizolemide-induced changes of passive transport components across the basolateral membrane of isolated frog skin

The effect on transepithelial Na transport of tizolemide was investigated in isolated frog skin (Rana temporaria). It was found that tizolemide (2-5 mM, serosal side) decreased transepithelial Na transport (measured as short circuit current and as net sodium flux) within 60 min to 25-40% of the control level resulting from reduction of the unidirectional sodium influx. Intracellular recording with microelectrodes revealed that these changes were associated with depolarization of the intracellular space to less than 40% of the control values (averaging - 71.7 +/- 5.1 mV) which is a consequence of a decrease in conductance of the basolateral border to about 25% of the control values. The conductance of the apical border was only slightly reduced. It is suggested that tizolemide blocks the partial conductance of potassium at the basolateral border which secondarily diminishes transepithelial Na transport due to a decrease of the driving force for apical border Na entry. A certain degree of inhibition of the Na-K-ATPase by tizolemide cannot be excluded. When vasopressin (ADH) was added to frog skin after treatment with tizolemide, the response was markedly reduced compared to that of untreated control preparations. Under these conditions, the conductance of the basolateral border increased while the apical border remained little influenced by the hormone--opposite to the response of frog skins under control conditions. It is concluded that the mode of action of ADH is more complex than has been recognized hitherto and includes effects at the basolateral border.

The regulation of volume and ion composition in frog skin

1. Chemical determinations of Cl- in frog skin indicate that the intracellular concentration of this ion is above that corresponding to an equilibrium distribution. 2. Published data on Na+ efflux from the cell compartments into the two external bathing solutions, and on unidirectional fluxes across the whole preparation suggest that there are large unidirectional fluxes across the basolateral membranes. 3. Cl- uptake from the mucosal barrier is very small, and the removal of Cl- from the mucosal bathing solution does not affect the intracellular Cl- concentration. 4. Removal of Cl- from the serosal bathing solution produces a drastic decrease in cell Cl- together with a loss of water. 5. This is accompanied by a less marked effect on Na+ and K+ content of the cells. 6. The removal of Na+ from the serosal bathing solution produces also a decrease in Cl-, Na+ and K+ content of the cells with a marked loss of water. 7. It is suggested that the basolateral membrane of the frog skin is the site of mechanisms able to regulate volume and ion composition of the epithelial cells and that part of these mechanisms consists of a coupling between the movements of Na+ and Cl-.

Time course of pump inhibition by ouabain in amphibian epithelia

Inhibition by ouabain of rheogenic Na+ transport across the basolateral membranes of frog skin is found to be manifest within 3-4 min. This rate of pump inhibition is not different from the rate of diffusion through extracellular tissue layers between the serosal bath and the actual site of action, i.e., the epithelial cell layers. It is concluded that the well-known slow time course of decrease in transepithelial current flow is due to ionic redistribution and conductance changes of the epithelial membranes secondary to pump inhibition.

Rheogenic sodium transport in a tight epithelium, the amphibian skin

1. Intracellular potentials from frog and toad skins were measured to identify rheogenic components of active Na transport across the basolateral membrane. Transcellular current flow and associated R . I-drops were blocked with amiloride or Na-free mucosal solution. 2. The potential difference across the basolateral membrane was found to be hyperpolarized by 18 . 5 +/- 1 . 6 mV above the steady-state value immediately after blockage of apical membrane Na conductance. The hyperpolarization disappeared within 15--25 min. 3. The final steady-state value of 93 . 1 +/- 2 . 5 mV was slightly less than reasonable estimates of the K equilibrium potential. 4. The hyperpolarization could not be observed 3--5 min after addition of ouabain (10(-4) M). 5. Both the magnitude and duration of the hyperpolarization correlate directly with the amount of Na accumulated in the intracellular space. 6. A fraction of the intracellular potential was missing when Na transport was re-established after long term blockage of apical membrane Na entry. It reappeared within 10--20 min. 7. It is suggested that the hyperpolarization is due to rheogenic Na transport across the basolateral membranes. This transport mechanism may contribute some 30--50% of the electrical gradient for passive Na entry across the mucosal membrane. 8. A coupling ratio between pumped fluxes of Na and K of about 2:1 is calculated from the data.

Decreased sensitivity to amiloride of amphibian epithelia treated with aldosterone. Further evidence for an apical hormonal effect

The reversible inhibition of transepithelial sodium transport achieved with amiloride (and triamterene) was evaluated in amphibian preparations stimulated with aldosterone so as to provide further information regarding a possible influence of this hormone on the apical border of target cells. When aldosterone secretion was enhanced by withdrawal of sodium from toad (Bufo marinus) habitat, sensitivity of abdominal skin to amiloride decreased; the same occurred in skin and bladder preparations incubated with aldosterone for several hours. Amiloride proved a less efficient blocker of sodium transport by toad skin exposed to vasopressin and to ouabain; both substances are capable or raising cell sodium content. It is therefore proposed that the decrease in sensitivity to amiloride of amphibian epithelial treated with aldosterone results from an increase in target cell sodium, itself due to a hormone-induced increas in sodium conductance at the apical cell border. Glucose, which enhanced markedly the rate of sodium transport in preparations treated with aldosterone for several hours, failed to decrease any further the response to amiloride; this is taken as an argument for an additional (? secondary) influence of aldosterone on the cell's metabolic machinery connected with the operation of the sodium 'pump'.

Inhibition of potassium conductance by barium in frog skin epithelium

The effect of Ba2+ (0.5 mM, corial side) upon the transport characteristics of the frog skin epithelium was investigated. It was observed that Ba2+ decreased the conductance of the preferably K+-permeable basolateral border to less than 30% of its control value. Furthermore, Ba2+ abolished the K+ electrode-like behaviour, existing at the basolateral membrane under conditions of zero transcellular current flow, for [K+] below 10--15 mM. Effects upon other parameters of transepithelial transport (electromotive forces and resistance of outer or basolateral border and shunt pathway, respectively) were small and might represent secondary events. It is concluded that Ba2+ inhibits passive fluxes of K+ across basolateral membranes of tight, Na+ transporting epithelia, similar to its influence upon membranes of nonpolar cells.