Evidence for two modes of Ca2+ entry following muscarinic stimulation of a human salivary epithelial cell line

Reengineering salivary gland cells to enhance protein secretion for use in developing artificial salivary gland device

Salivary glands (SGs) are considered exocrine glands, which mainly secrete water into the oral cavity. Nevertheless, they also exhibit a smaller endocrine secretory pathway toward the bloodstream. The concept of an artificial SG device for exocrine fluid secretion into the oral region in xerostomic patients has been previously studied. The purpose of the current study was to examine the potential of such a device for enhancing bioactive protein secretion. We engineered a plasmid encoding a SG-specific signal peptide sequence adjacent to a normally nonsecreted encoded reporter gene creating a chimera protein, and examined if this construct can enhance secretion from salivary epithelial cells. An N-terminal encoding epidermal growth factor (EGF) sequence was synthesized and inserted into a pGL3 control vector 5' of a firefly luciferase gene, creating a pGL3-EGF signal peptide (pGL3-EGFSP) fused vector. This vector was cotransfected with a pRL-CMV vector containing a Renilla luciferase gene, in 293 cells (serving as controls), and human submandibular gland ductal epithelial (HSG), rat submandibular gland acinar epithelial (SMIE), and rat submandibular gland ductal epithelial (A5) salivary cell lines. The transfected 293, SMIE, and HSG cells showed 8-, 18-, and 40-fold higher luciferase activity, respectively. These observations lead to the concept of an envisioned secretory device, which can serve as a potential biological pump for bioactive proteins.

Prospects for re-engineering salivary glands

In the last decade, two areas of biomedical research--gene therapy and tissue engineering--have especially captured the imagination of the public. Both areas offer the potential for the treatment of clinical conditions that now are considered impossible or extremely difficult to manage by conventional therapeutic measures. Gene therapy has made remarkable scientific progress in the laboratory, but has yet to realize its enormous clinical promise. Tissue engineering studies have led to some tangible clinical breakthroughs, but the routine replacement of whole internal organs is still well into the future. This report will examine the applications of gene therapy and tissue engineering to salivary glands, with a focus on the repair of irreversible gland damage.

The growth and morphological behavior of salivary epithelial cells on matrix protein-coated biodegradable substrata

The purpose of this study was to examine the growth and morphology of a salivary epithelial cell line (HSG) in vitro on several biodegradable substrata as an important step toward developing an artificial salivary gland. The substrates examined were poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA), polyglycolic acid (PGA), and two co-polymers, 85% and 50% PLGA, respectively. The substrates were formed into 20- to 25-mm disks, and the cells were seeded directly onto the polymers or onto polymers coated with specific extracellular matrix proteins. The two copolymer substrates became friable over time in aqueous media and proved not useful for these experiments. The purified matrix proteins examined included fibronectin (FN), laminin (LN), collagen I, collagen IV, and gelatin. In the absence of preadsorbed proteins, HSG cells did not attach to the polymer disks. The cells, in general, behaved similarly on both PLLA and PGA, although optimal results were obtained consistently in PLLA. On FN-coated PLLA disks, HSG cells were able to form a uniform monolayer, which was dependent on time and FN concentration. Coating of disks with LN, collagen I, and gelatin also promoted monolayer growth. This study defines the conditions necessary for establishing a monolayer organization of salivary epithelial cells with rapid proliferation on a biodegradable substrate useful for tissue engineering.

ATP-dependent activation of K(Ca) and ROMK-type K(ATP) channels in human submandibular gland ductal cells

[Ca(2+)](i) and membrane current were measured in human submandibular gland ductal (HSG) cells to determine the regulation of salivary cell function by ATP. 1-10 microM ATP activated internal Ca(2+) release, outward Ca(2+)-dependent K(+) channel (K(Ca)), and inward store-operated Ca(2+) current (I(SOC)). The subsequent addition of 100 microM ATP activated an inwardly rectifying K(+) current, without increasing [Ca(2+)](i). The K(+) current was also stimulated by ATP in cells treated with thapsigargin in a Ca(2+)-free medium and was blocked by glibenclamide and tolbutamide, but not by charybdotoxin. This suggests the involvement of a Ca(2+)-independent, sulfonylurea-sensitive K(+) channel (K(ATP)). UTP mimicked the low [ATP] effects, while benzoyl-ATP activated internal Ca(2+) release, a Ca(2+) influx pathway, and K(Ca). Thus, ATP acts via P(2U) (P2Y(2)) and P(2Z) (P2X(7)) receptors to increase [Ca(2+)](i) and activate K(Ca), but not K(ATP). Importantly, (i) ROMK1 and the cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator protein (but not SUR1, SUR2A, or SUR2B) and (ii) cAMP-stimulated Cl(-) and K(+) currents were detected in HSG cells. These data demonstrate for the first time that a ROMK-type K(ATP) channel is present in salivary gland duct cells that is regulated by extracellular ATP and possibly by the cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator. This reveals a potentially novel mechanism for K(+) secretion in these cells.

Ca2+-dependent inactivation of a store-operated Ca2+ current in human submandibular gland cells. Role of a staurosporine-sensitive protein kinase and the intracellular Ca2+ pump

Stimulation of human submandibular gland cells with carbachol, inositol trisphosphate (IP3), thapsigargin, or tert-butylhydroxyquinone induced an inward current that was sensitive to external Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]e) and was also carried by external Na+ or Ba2+ (in a Ca2+-free medium) with amplitudes in the order Ca2+ > Ba2+ > Na+. All cation currents were blocked by La3+ and Gd3+ but not by Zn2+. The IP3-stimulated current with 10 microM 3-deoxy-3-fluoro-D-myo-inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate and 10 mM 1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid in the pipette solution, showed 50% inactivation in <5 min and >5 min with 10 and 1 mM [Ca2+]e, respectively. The Na+ current was not inactivated, whereas the Ba2+ current inactivated at a slower rate. The protein kinase inhibitor, staurosporine, delayed the inactivation and increased the amplitude of the current, whereas the protein Ser/Thr phosphatase inhibitor, calyculin A, reduced the current. Thapsigargin- and tert-butylhydroxyquinone-stimulated Ca2+ currents inactivated faster. Importantly, these agents accelerated the inactivation of the IP3-stimulated current. The data demonstrate that internal Ca2+ store depletion-activated Ca2+ current (ISOC) in this salivary cell line is regulated by a Ca2+-dependent feedback mechanism involving a staurosporine-sensitive protein kinase and the intracellular Ca2+ pump. We suggest that the Ca2+ pump modulates ISOC by regulating [Ca2+]i in the region of Ca2+ influx.

Interferon-gamma-induced JAK2 and STAT1 signalling in a human salivary gland cell line

We have used a human salivary gland cell line (HSG) as a possible in vitro model to evaluate the effects of IFN-gamma on human salivary gland epithelium (Wu et al., 1994, 1996, 1997). In the present study, we examined the JAK-STAT signal-transduction pathway in IFN-gamma-treated HSG cells. We demonstrate that JAK2 and Stat1 are phosphorylated at tyrosine residues in a time- and concentration-dependent manner following exposure to IFN-gamma. In addition, we show that activation of this signalling pathway is decreased by the addition of a blocking antibody to the IFN-gamma receptor. The same maneuver is also able to reduce by approximately 50-70% the surface expression of two IFN-gamma-induced immunoregulatory molecules: HLA-DR and ICAM-1. These results demonstrate that the JAK2 and Stat1 signalling pathway is active in salivary-derived epithelial cells and may contribute to their immunopathologic destruction.

Evidence that quantal Ca2+ release in HSG cells is not due to 'all-or-none' release from discrete Ca2+ stores with differing sensitivities to IP3

We demonstrate that the application of the muscarinic agonist carbachol to the human salivary epithelial cell line HSG elicits the now well-known phenomenon of 'quantal' Ca2+ release; namely, that the application of a submaximal concentration of agonist results in the release of only a portion of the agonist-sensitive intracellular Ca2+ pool. One explanation that has been proposed to account for this effect is that there are multiple intracellular Ca2+ stores, each with a different agonist sensitivity, which release Ca2+ in an 'all-or-none' fashion. We test this hypothesis in intact HSG cells with an experimental protocol designed to preferentially load less-agonist-sensitive stores with 40Ca2+ and more-agonist-sensitive stores with 45Ca2+. However, contrary to the expectations of the above explanation, these cells do not preferentially release 45Ca2+ in response to low concentrations of agonist. Thus our data suggest that quantal Ca2+ release must arise from some other property of the stores or their Ca2+ release channels.

Interferon-gamma induces persistent depletion of internal Ca2+ stores in a human salivary gland cell line

Interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), in the presence of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), decreases proliferation of a human salivary gland ductal cell line, HSG (Wu, A., R. Kurrasch, J. Katz, P. Fox, B. Baum, and J. Atkinson. J. Cell. Physiol. 161:217-226, 1994). We examined the possible effects of these cytokines (1,000 U/ml IFN-gamma +/- 20 U/ml TNF-alpha for 7 days) on Ca2+ mobilization in HSG cells. In HSG cells, fetal bovine serum (10%) or carbachol (100 microM) stimulated rapid increases in cytosolic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i), apparently mobilized from different thapsigargin-sensitive intracellular Ca2+ stores. Serum induced a proliferative effect on HSG cells, which was suppressed (> 90%) by treatment with IFN-gamma +/- TNF-alpha, but not with TNF-alpha alone. Serum-, carbachol-, and thapsigargin-stimulated [Ca2+]i elevations were reduced by 90, 60, and > 65%, respectively, in cells treated with IFN-gamma +/- TNF-alpha and 30, 45, and 45%, respectively, in cells treated with TNF-alpha. Removal of the cytokines from the growth medium induced recovery of both cell proliferation and Ca2+ mobilization responses within 7 days. Treatment of HSG cells with thapsigargin (0.02-2 nM) induced a dose-dependent decrease in cell proliferation. Additionally, acute treatment (< 10 min) of cells with IFN-gamma did not affect [Ca2+]i or alter carbachol-, thapsigargin-, or serum-induced changes in [Ca2+]i. These data demonstrate that prolonged treatment of HSG cells with IFN-gamma +/- TNF-alpha leads to a persistent depletion of intracellular Ca2+ stores. We suggest that this may have a role in cell growth.

G-protein- and capacitatively regulated Ca2+ entry pathways are activated by muscarinic receptor stimulation in a human submandibular ductal cell line

In the human submandibular ductal cell line (HSG) thapsigargin and carbachol stimulated Ca2+ release from the internal Ca2+ pool, resulting in the activation of capacitatively regulated Ca2+ entry (CRCE). This entry pathway was permeant to both Ca2+ and Mn2+, blocked by Ni2+ and insensitive to the muscarinic antagonist, atropine. Carbachol also stimulated an increase in cytosolic [Ca2+] in internal Ca(2+)-pool-depleted (i.e. thapsigargin-treated) cells which was dependent on the presence of external Ca2+ and blocked by Ni2+, demonstrating that it was due to Ca2+ entry. However, under the same experimental conditions, carbachol was unable to stimulate Mn2+ entry. Additionally, this latter carbachol-stimulated Ca2+ entry pathway was blocked by atropine. Pretreatment of HSG cells with AlF4-increased basal rates of Mn2+ entry due to CRCE activation, but attenuated carbachol-stimulated Ca2+ entry into thapsigargin-treated cells. The data suggest that two distinct divalent cation entry pathways are activated in muscarinic-receptor-stimulated HSG cells; a CRCE mechanism, permeable to both Mn2+ and Ca2+, and a second entry mechanism, permeable only to Ca2+. The latter does not depend on internal pool depletion, but appears to be regulated via G-protein activation.

Characteristics and regulation of a muscarinically activated K current in HSG-PA cells

Whole cell currents were measured in HSG-PA cells (a proposed model for salivary gland duct cells) after muscarinic receptor activation or exposure to known signaling agents. Exposure to carbachol or oxotremorine M produced large and often oscillatory increases in outward current whose reversal potentials indicated a K current. The current was sensitive to extracellular atropine, charybdotoxin, and quinine, but not apamin, and to 1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid in the pipette. The response was prolonged or increased by guanosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) and mimicked by D-myo-inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) or heparin in the pipette and by extracellular Ca ionophores. Tetraethylammonium indirectly inhibited the response via the muscarinic receptor. Fura 2 in cell suspensions showed that muscarinic agonists increased cytosolic Ca ion concentration ([Ca2+]i) five- to sevenfold, and measurements with indo 1 in individual cells showed that the oscillatory changes in outward current were tightly correlated with parallel changes in [Ca2+]i. The results indicate that muscarinic receptor stimulation of HSG-PA cells activates Ca(2+)-activated K channels through a signaling pathway involving a G protein, IP3 production, and increased [Ca2+]i levels. These findings are similar to those in salivary gland acinar cells.

Intracellular Ca2+ signalling is modulated by K+ channel blockers in colonic epithelial cells (HT-29/B6)

We investigated the inhibitory action of K+ channel blockers on carbachol-stimulated Ca2+ entry into human Cl(-)-secretory colonic epithelial cells (HT-29/B6). Digital imaging of the fluorescent calcium indicator dye fura-2 was performed to monitor effects of K+ channel blockers on cytosolic calcium in resting and carbachol-stimulated HT-29/B6 cells. Stimulation with the muscarinic agonist carbachol (100 microM) caused a clearly biphasic intracellular calcium (Cai) response: Cai was stimulated from resting levels (85 +/- 3 nM, n = 100) to a sudden transient peak (821 +/- 44 nM) followed by a sustained plateau (317 +/- 12 nM). The maintained elevation was dependent on external Ca2+ and represented a new steady state between Ca2+ entry and exit across the plasma membrane. A monophasic Ca2+ response was induced in the absence of external Ca2+ and after the initial peak Cai returned to baseline. The Cai plateau was reduced to resting levels by either the muscarinic antagonist atropine (1 microM) or the inorganic Ca2+ channel blocker lanthanum (effective concentration for 50% inhibition of Cai plateau EC50 = 68 +/- 18 nM), but it was unaffected by the organic Ca2+ channel blockers verapamil and nifedipine. Barium, lidocaine and 4-nitro- 2-(3-phenylpropylamino)benzoate (NPPB), well-known blockers of basolateral K+ channels of HT-29/B6 cells, rapidly and reversibly reduced carbachol-stimulated Ca2+ entry.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Second messengers and ion channels in acetylcholine-induced chloride secretion in hen trachea

1. Hen tracheal epithelium can be stimulated by serosal application of acetylcholine (ACh) to secrete Cl- equal to approximately 60-90 microA/cm2. 2. Radio-ligand-displacement for IP3, cAMP and cGMP and ion channel selective drugs in voltage clamp set-ups were employed to characterize second messengers and Cl-, K+ and Ca2+ channels involved in the ACh response. 3. ACh induced a significant rise in IP3 in isolated tracheocytes, while ACh did not influence the production of cAMP in whole tissue, isolated tracheocytes or basolateral cell membrane vesicles. Further ACh desensitization did not effect cAMP level in tracheocytes. In addition neither ACh stimulation nor desensitization interfered with cAMP production in presence of 4.5 microM forskolin in tracheocytes, a level of forskolin rising base level cAMP by around five fold. 4. Around 35% of ACh Cl- secretion depends on Ca2+ mobilization from internal stores and about 65% on Ca2+ influx over basolateral membrane. The activated Ca2+ channel is insensitive to class I, II, III and IV Ca2+ antagonists. 5. A 23187 can mimic the ACh effect although 30% is indomethacin-sensitive demonstrating a prostaglandin activated adenylyl cyclase. 6. Two K+ channels are involved in ACh secretion, one sensitive to Ba2+ and quinine and both insensitive to 4-aminopyridine, apamin, charybdotoxin and TEA. 7. Flufenamate and triaminopyrimidine block a non-selective ion channel likely involved in the ACh response. An ACh activated apical Cl- channel is NPPB-sensitive.