Studies on sodium-potassium-activated adenosinetriphosphatase. XV. The rectal gland of the elasmobranchs

Characterization of Aquaporin 4 Protein Expression and Localization in Tissues of the Dogfish (Squalus acanthias)

The role of aquaporin water channels such as aquaporin 4 (Aqp4) in elasmobranchs such as the dogfish Squalus acanthias is completely unknown. This investigation set out to determine the expression and cellular and sub-cellular localization of Aqp4 protein in dogfish tissues. Two polyclonal antibodies were generated (AQP4/1 and AQP4/2) and these showed somewhat different characteristics in Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Western blots using the AQP4/1 antibody showed two bands (35.5 and 49.5 kDa) in most tissues in a similar fashion to mammals. Liver had an additional band of 57 kDa and rectal gland two further faint bands of 37.5 and 38.5 kDa. However, unlike in mammals, Aqp4 protein was ubiquitously expressed in all tissues including gill and liver. The AQP4/2 antibody appeared much less specific in Western blots. Both antibodies were used in immunohistochemistry and showed similar cellular localizations, although the AQP4/2 antibody had a more restricted sub-cellular distribution compared to AQP4/1 and therefore appeared to be more specific for Aqp4. In kidney a sub-set of tubules were stained which may represent intermediate tubule segments (In-III-In-VI). AQP4/1 and AQP4/2 antibodies localized to the same tubules segments in serial sections although the intensity and sub-cellular distribution were different. AQP4/2 showed a basal or basolateral membrane distribution whereas AQP4/1 was often distributed throughout the whole cell including the nuclear region. In rectal gland and cardiac stomach Aqp4 was localized to secretory tubules but again AQP/1 and AQP/2 exhibited different sub-cellular distributions. In gill, both antibodies stained large cells in the primary filament and secondary lamellae. Again AQP4/1 antibody stained most or all the cell including the nucleus, whereas AQP4/2 had a plasma membrane or plasma membrane and cytoplasmic distribution. Two types of large mitochondrial rich transport cells are known to exist in elasmobranchs, that express either Na, K-ATPase, or V-type ATPase ion transporters. Using Na, K-ATPase, and V-type ATPase antibodies, Aqp4 was colocalized with these proteins using the AQP4/1 antibody. Results show Aqp4 is expressed in both (and all) branchial Na, K-ATPase, and V-type ATPase expressing cells.

A brief history of the study of fish osmoregulation: the central role of the Mt. Desert Island Biological Laboratory

The Mt. Desert Island Biological Laboratory (MDIBL) has played a central role in the study of fish osmoregulation for the past 80 years. In particular, scientists at the MDIBL have made significant discoveries in the basic pattern of fish osmoregulation, the function of aglomerular kidneys and proximal tubular secretion, the roles of NaCl cotransporters in intestinal uptake and gill and rectal gland secretion, the role of the shark rectal gland in osmoregulation, the mechanisms of salt secretion by the teleost fish gill epithelium, and the evolution of the ionic uptake mechanisms in fish gills. This short review presents the history of these discoveries and their relationships to the study of epithelial transport in general.

Contributions of K+:Cl- cotransport and Na+/K+-ATPase to basolateral ion transport in malpighian tubules of Drosophila melanogaster

Mechanisms of Na+ and K+ transport across the basolateral membrane of isolated Malpighian tubules of Drosophila melanogaster were studied by examining the effects of ion substitution and putative inhibitors of specific ion transporters on fluid secretion rates, basolateral membrane potential and secreted fluid cation composition. Inhibition of fluid secretion by [(dihydroindenyl)oxy]alkanoic acid (DIOA) and bumetanide (10(-)4 mol l-1) suggested that a K+:Cl- cotransporter is the main route for K+ entry into the principal cells of the tubules. Differences in the effects of bumetanide on fluxes of K+ and Na+ are inconsistent with effects upon a basolateral Na+:K+:2Cl- cotransporter. Large differences in electrical potential across apical (>100 mV, lumen positive) and basolateral (<60 mV, cell negative) cell membranes suggest that a favourable electrochemical gradient for Cl- entry into the cell may be used to drive K+ into the cell against its electrochemical gradient, via a DIOA-sensitive K+:Cl- cotransporter. A Na+/K+-ATPase was also present in the basolateral membrane of the Malpighian tubules. Addition of 10(-)5 to 10(-)3 mol l-1 ouabain to unstimulated tubules depolarized the basolateral potential, increased the Na+ concentration of the secreted fluid by 50-73 % and increased the fluid secretion rate by 10-19 %, consistent with an increased availability of intracellular Na+. We suggest that an apical vacuolar-type H+-ATPase and a basolateral Na+/K+-ATPase are both stimulated by cyclic AMP. In cyclic-AMP-stimulated tubules, K+ entry is stimulated by the increase in the apical membrane potential, which drives K+:Cl- cotransport at a faster rate, and by the stimulation of the Na+/K+-ATPase. Fluid secretion by cyclic-AMP-stimulated tubules was reduced by 26 % in the presence of ouabain, suggesting that the Na+/K+-ATPase plays a minor role in K+ entry into the tubule cells. Malpighian tubules secreted a Na+-rich (150 mmol l-1) fluid at high rates when bathed in K+-free amino-acid-replete saline (AARS). Secretion in K+-free AARS was inhibited by amiloride and bafilomycin A1, but not by bumetanide or hydrochlorothiazide, which inhibit Na+:Cl- cotransport. There was no evidence for a Na+ conductance in the basolateral membrane of unstimulated or cyclic-AMP-stimulated tubules. Possible mechanisms of Na+ entry into the tubule cells include cotransport with organic solutes such as amino acids and glucose.

The cellular location of 1 alpha-hydroxycorticosterone binding protein in skate

Antiserum to 1 alpha-hydroxycorticosterone binding protein was used to investigate its location in selected tissues of the skate Raja ocellata. Immunofluorescence, using an indirect technique, showed 1 alpha-hydroxycorticosterone binding sites in potential target tissue: gill. chloride cells, rectal gland parenchyma, and a portion of the kidney tubule. The binding protein was not detectable in the ventricle or the intestinal spiral valve but was associated with liver parenchyma and interrenal cells. The intracellular location of the binding protein is apparently tissue specific.

Cyclic AMP-dependent stimulation of Na,K-ATPase in shark rectal gland

Scatchard analysis of 3H ouabain bound to isolated rectal gland cells as a function of increasing ouabain concentrations produced a concave curvilinear plot that was resolved into two specific sites with either a high (I) or low (II) affinity for ouabain. Cyclic cAMP/theophylline (+/- furosemide, 10(-4) M) increased the amount of 3H ouabain bound to the high-affinity site I. Vanadate, a phosphate congener which promotes formation of the ouabain-binding state of the enzyme, mimicked the effects of cAMP/theophylline at low concentrations of ouabain, suggesting that cAMP/theophylline increases binding to site I by enhancing the rate of turnover of resident enzyme. Enhanced 86Rb uptake seen following cAMP/theophylline administration was primarily associated with increased flux through the high-affinity ouabain site, and this stimulation was not obliterated by the co-administration of furosemide. A model was presented which suggested the presence of two noninteracting pools of enzyme or isozymes which exhibit either a high or low affinity for ouabain. Cyclic AMP both stimulated turnover via site I, and modified the kinetics of binding of 3H ouabain to site II. The (ave) Kd of 3H ouabain for site II was increased from 3.6 microM (controls) to 0.5 microM (cAMP/theophylline) and the Hill coefficient was modified from 0.45 (controls) to 1.12 (cAMP/theophylline), suggesting a transition from a negative- to a noncooperative binding state. While furosemide reversed the effects of cAMP/theophylline on site II kinetics, it did not obliterate cAMP/theophylline effects on site I. This suggests that cAMP may alter the intrinsic turnover rate of this particular pool of Na,K-ATPase in shark rectal gland.

Inositol lipid turnover and adenosine 3,5 cyclic monophosphate in the salt-secreting rectal gland of the dogfish (Scyliorhinus canicula)

The rectal gland of the dogfish is rich in inositol lipids. Total phospholipids from the gland contained 9.1 mol% of phosphatidylinositol (PtdIns), 1.0 mol% of phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PtdIns4P) and 0.9 mol% of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-biphosphate (PtdIns4,5P2). [32P]Orthophosphate was readily incorporated into PtdIns, phosphatidic acid (PtdA) and especially into PtdIns4P and PtdIns4,5P2 in salt gland slices incubated in elasmobranch Ringer with glucose and no other additions over a 2 hr period. The calcium ionophore A23187 stimulated incorporation into PtdIns and PtdA, but not into PtdIns4P or PtdIns4,5P2. Oxygen uptake by rectal gland slices was maximally stimulated by 0.08mM forskolin, 2.5mM 8-chlorophenylthio cyclic AMP, 2.0mM dibutyryl cyclic AMP and 0.25mM theophylline. Stimulated oxygen uptake was inhibited by 0.1mM ouabain in all cases. Incorporation of [32P]orthophosphate into PtdIns, PtdA, PtdIns4P and PtdIns4,5P2 was inhibited by 0.08mM forskolin and 2.0mM dibutyryl cyclic AMP over a 2 hr period. The results are discussed in relation to the control of salt secretion by the rectal gland.

Structure of tight junctions during Cl secretion in the perfused rectal gland of the dogfish shark

In epithelia that secrete sodium chloride, high-conductance tight junctions between cells have been proposed as the primary pathway for transepithelial sodium flux. We examined the properties of tight junctions in the perfused rectal gland of the dogfish shark during basal secretion and following adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate stimulation of sodium chloride secretion. Freeze-fracture electron microscopy revealed extensive interdigitation of adjacent cells with an associated amplification in the length of tight junctions per area of luminal surface, averaging 102 +/- 4.7 m/cm2 in outer regions of 80 +/- 6.7 in inner regions of the gland. Marked heterogeneity of junctional structure was present with junctional elements varying from single strands to three duplex elements and junctional depth varying from 15 to 60 nm. In glands perfused with lanthanum chloride, ionic lanthanum filled the intercellular space up to but not through the tight junctions. Characteristics of tight junctions were not different during basal and maximally stimulated sodium chloride secretion. These studies define tight junctions in the rectal gland as an anatomical barrier capable of restricting the passage of relatively small molecules such as urea while providing a greatly amplified junctional area for the passive diffusion of sodium and water.

Effects of high hydrostatic pressures on the activity of the membrane ATPases of some organs implicated in hydromineral regulation

1. The effects of high hydrostatic pressures have been studied on the ATPases extracted from tissues implicated in iono- and osmoregulation of a frog and various teleostean fishes. Pressure affects enzyme activity in the same qualitative way, whatever the tissue and the species considered. 2. The Mg2+ ATPase activity is maximally enhanced at 250 kg/cm2. A slight inhibition is observed at higher pressures up to 1000 kg/cm2. 3. The (Na+ + K+)ATPase is little affected by low pressures but strongly inhibited at 500 kg/cm2 and more. 4. The results are discussed in terms of pressure effects on the recently described protein-lipid interaction linked to ATPase activity.

Biochemical and histochemical features of human cultured cells (EUE) adapted to hypertonic medium

EUE cells from a human heteroploid line cultured in hypertonic medium (0.274 M NaCl) modify their lipid pattern: sulfolipid concentration reaches 86 to 90 microgram/mg protein whilst it ranges between 19 to 32 microgram/mg in cells cultured in isotonic medium. Ganglioside concentration reaches 2.6 nmoles of sialic acid/mg protein (after 75 days) and 13 (after 85 days) in hypertonic saline medium. Whilst it is 0.5 in isotonic medium. Phospholipid concentration does not show any similar change. Cytoenzymatic analysis reveals that dehydrogenases (lactate, G-6-P dehydrogenases, tetrahydrofolate reductase and NADH diaphorase) appear strongly enhanced in cells grown on hypertonic medium. On the contrary higher acid phosphatase and ATPase activity was demonstrable in cells grown on isotonic medium. These results are similar (except for ATPase activity) to those observed in salt secreting glands involved in strong osmotic work. The results are discussed in relation to the problem of energy supply in cells performing osmotic work.

Cyclic AMP regulation of active chloride transport in the rectal gland of marine elasmobranchs

Active transport of chloride in the salt secreting rectal gland of the dogfish Squalus acanthias is markedly stimulated by the addition of theophylline (0.01 to 5 mM) or dibutyryl cyclic AMP (0.05 mM) during in vitro perfusion. The effect occurs promptly and may persist for two hours. Specific hormonal effectors have not yet been identified. The isolated perfused rectal gland thus offers a unique opportunity to examine the cellular mechanisms of active chloride secretion.

Localization of ouabain-sensitive, potassium-dependent nitrophenyl phosphatase in the rectal gland of the spiny dogfish, Squalus acanthias

Tissue from the digitiform rectal gland of the spiny dogfish, Squalus acanthias, was fixed briefly by formaldehyde perfusion and studied for the specificity and localization of p-nitrophenyl phosphatase (NPP'ase) activity. The enzymatic activity was K+-dependent (56%) and ouabain-sensitive (67%-inhibition). The electron-dense reaction product (SrPO4) of the cytochemical reaction (Ernst, 1972b) was localized along the inner surfaces of the basolateral membranes of the secretory cells. It was absent from mitochondria nuclei, vesicles, and other organelles. The luminal surface of the secretory cells was slightly reactive. On the basis of (1) this pattern of localization for the sodium transport system, (2) the presence of extensive intercellular labyrinthine channels (Bulger, 1963) that would facilitate "standing gradients" (Diamond and Bossert, 1968), and (3) the specific distribution of the energy-providing mitochondria, we conclude that the concentration and electrochemical gradients recorded from the secreting gland (Hayslett et al., 1974) are maintained across the domains of the basolateral surfaces of the secretory cells.

The sulfatides and some histochemical correlations of the lachrymal glands involved in salt secretion in Chelonia

High concentrations of sulfolipids (four fractions having different hexose/sulfate ratio), intense enzyme activity (ATPase, oxoreductases) and evidence of mucines (staining with PAS and Alcian blue) in intercellular spaces were found in the lachrymal glands of Caretta caretta and Malaclemys terrapin adapted to sea water. In addition, the supranuclear region of the gland cells in Malaclemys terrapin is filled with mucin granules. These biochemical and histochemical observations indicate that these glands have a function in salt secretion in both species and are also consistent with a function of mucous secretion exclusively in Malaclemys terrapin. Limited signs of hypotrophy are not accompanied by changes in concentrations of sulfolipids in Malaclemys terrapin adapted to fresh water; only the reactions for enzyme activities are less intense. The mucous secretion is not affected, whereas, in correlation with changes in salt secretion, the change in ATPase activity is mot conspicuous. The correlations between the different components of the gland and salt secretion are compared with salt glands of birds and elasmobranchs.