Sodium-potassium-activated adenosinetriphosphatase in isolated chloride cells from eel gills

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.

The existence of Na+/K+-ATPase-immunoreactive cells in the pharyngeal villiform-papilla epithelium of the soft-shelled turtle, Trionyx sinensis japonicus

The pharyngeal villiform processes of the hibernating soft-shelled turtle, Trionyx sinensis japonicus, were studied by immunohistochemistry for Na+/K+-ATPase in combination with a mitochondrion staining. Mitochondria-rich cells were recognized in the epithelium constituting the distal part of most processes, and exclusively showed the Na+/K+-ATPase immunoreactivity. These cells tended to attract each other to form clusters. When considering the physiological and histological data previously obtained in corresponding cells in the fish gill epithelium, the mitochondria-rich cells in the hibernating turtle were suggested to be involved in the electrolyte (Na+) uptake from the aquatic habitat.

Isolation of viable cell types from the gill epithelium of Japanese eel Anguilla japonica

High-purity viable cells with low mitochondria (pavement cells) and mitochondria-rich content (chloride cells) were successfully isolated from the gill epithelium of Japanese eels, using three-step Percoll gradient low-speed centrifugation. Cytochemistry (silver staining for chloride, rhodamine-123, and Mitotracker for mitochondria and actin/spectrin immunofluorescence) and scanning electron microscope images were used to identify the cell types in the gill epithelium of the eel. Pavement cells were isolated at 97 and 98% purity for freshwater- and seawater-adapted eels, respectively, and chloride cells were obtained at 89 and 92% purity. The enzymatic activities of the isolated cells were determined. Na+-K+-ATPase, Mg2+-ATPase, and succinate dehydrogenase were found mainly in the chloride cell. Alkaline Ca2+-ATPase and low- and high-affinity Ca2+-ATPase were about twice as high in the chloride cell compared with the pavement cell. Transfer of eels to seawater resulted in enlargement of chloride cell sizes and significant increases in Na+-K+-ATPase, Mg2+-ATPase, and succinate dehydrogenase activities, while all Ca2+-ATPases declined by approximately 60-80%. This is the first report demonstrating the successful isolation of freshwater chloride cells and also an exclusive method of getting high-purity seawater chloride cells. The isolated cells are viable and suitable for further cytological and molecular studies to elucidate the mechanisms of ionic transport.

Localization of Na+, K(+)-ATPase in tissues of rabbit and teleosts using an antiserum directed against a partial sequence of the alpha-subunit

A specific polyclonal antibody against Na+, K(+)-ATPase alpha-subunit was developed using a synthetic oligopeptide as antigen. By Western blot analysis under non-reducing conditions, this antibody recognized a protein band of approximately 150 kDa corresponding to the intact form (alpha beta-complex) of Na+, K(+)-ATPase in rabbit kidney. Furthermore, this antibody recognized a 150 kDa protein band corresponding to the intact form of Na+, K(+)-ATPase and some bands of about 60-65 kDa corresponding to fragments of the alpha-subunit in gill and kidney of masu salmon. This antibody did not recognize the alpha-subunit under reducing conditions. By immunohistochemical analysis, cells immunoreactive with this antibody were observed in renal tubular epithelial cells in kidney sections of rabbit, masu salmon, eel and rockfish. In addition, large spherical eosinophilic cells in gills of masu salmon, eel and rockfish were immunoreactive with the antibody. It is likely that these immunoreactive cells correspond to gill chloride cells. These data indicate that this antibody is a useful tool for studying changes in and the function of Na+, K(+)-ATPase during osmoregulatory adaptation in a variety of fish species.

Plasma membrane specializations in the cells of the kidney distal segment of the lamprey, Lampetra japonica (von Martens)

The unique and highly specialized structural features of the plasma membrane in the cells of the kidney distal segment of the lamprey, Lampetra japonica, were studied by electron microscopy. The cells of the distal segment are largely filled by a continuous network of cytoplasmic tubules which are derived from the basolateral plasma membrane. Thin sections and freeze-fracture replicas of the membrane of the cytoplasmic tubules show spirally wound parallel rows of particles. The rows are approximately 17 nm apart and are wound at a pitch of approximately 45 degrees with respect to the major axis of the tubules. Another type of membrane specialization was found in the freeze-cleaved surface of the basolateral plasma membrane. It consists of large square aggregations of membrane particles containing 100-400 cuboidal subunits. The distribution of these particles in this cell, as well as in other systems in which they have been noted, suggests a polarization of membrane activity.

Dissociation of avian salt gland: separation procedures and characterization of dissociated cells

A procedure for dissociation of the nasal salt glands of the domestic duck, Anas platyrhynchos, into suspensions of individual cells has been developed. This technique employs enzymatic digestion with collagenase, hyaluronidase, and chymotrypsin; divalent cation chelation with EDTA; and gentle mechanical dispersion. Average cellular yields of 39 and 26% based on DNA recovered were obtained from the glands of freshwater- and saline-adapted ducks, respectively. Epithelial secretory cells comprised 60-80% of the cell suspensions with the remainder of the populations consisting of endothelial cells, fibroblasts, and blood cells. The dissociated cells were viable as judged by trypan blue exclusion (80-100%, maintenance of ultrastructural integrity, and retention of responsiveness to secretagogues and metabolic inhibitors. Methacholine chloride (0.5 mM) stimulated oxygen consumption by suspensions of both freshwater- and saline-adapted cells, whereas ouabain (0.05 mM) abolished the methacholine-stimulated respiratory response. These cell suspensions provide a promising system for the in vitro study of secretory mechanisms in the avian salt gland.

Mitochondria-rich (chloride) cells in the gill epithelia from four species of stenohaline fresh water teleosts

The mitochondria-rich (chloride) cells have been found to be present in the gill epithelia of four species of stenohaline fresh water teleosts. The cytoplasm of these chloride cells contains an extensive network of cytoplasmic tubules which communicate with intercellular spaces bordering the lateral and basal cell surfaces. Numerous vesicles with fairly electron-dense interiors are also present in the apical cytoplasm of chloride cells. The apical surface of a chloride cell forms an apical pit, but the lumen of the pit does not appear to be in continuity with the interior of the apical vesicles and tubules inside the cell. When Carassius auratus were kept in 100, 200, 300, and 400 mOsm-diluted sea water for a month, no appreciable changes occurred in the number and fine structure of the chloride cells, except for a dilation of the apical vesicles and a slight decrease in diameter of the cytoplasmic tubules in these cells in the fishes kept in 300 and 400 mOsm. These results suggest that chloride cells may be a rather common occurrence in the gill epithelia of stenohaline fresh water teleosts, and may function in ion transport in these fishes in fresh water environments.

The nature and properties of the inducible sodium-plus-potassium ion-dependent adenosine triphosphatase in the gills of eels (Anguilla anguilla) adapted to fresh water and sea water

1. Gill tissue from eels adapted to fresh water or to sea water was disrupted in 0.32m-sucrose containing 0.1% (w/v) sodium deoxycholate and the subcellular distribution of (Na(+)+K(+))-dependent adenosine triphosphatase was determined. 2. About 70% of the recovered enzyme was in a fraction sedimenting between 225000g(av.)-min and 6000000g(av.)-min; the specific activities of enzymes from tissues of freshwater and seawater eels were 16 and 51 mumol of phosphate/h per mg of protein respectively. 3. The enzymes from gills of freshwater and seawater eels were indistinguishable on the basis of a number of parameters. These included phosphorylation by [gamma-(32)P]ATP, the binding of [(3)H]ouabain, the extent to which bound [(3)H]ouabain was displaced by increasing concentrations of KCl and pH optima. 4. Electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gels in sodium dodecyl sulphate showed that enzyme preparations from both sources had an identical number of protein components. 5. The higher specific activity of (Na(+)+K(+))-dependent adenosine triphosphatase from tissue of seawater eels was accompanied by increased amounts of two protein components. One of these proteins retained (32)P after treatment of the enzyme with [gamma-(32)P]ATP and had mol.wt. 97000; the other component was a glycoprotein with mol.wt. approx. 46000. 6. The results are discussed in terms of the nature of the transepithelial NaCl pumps in the gills of freshwater and seawater fish.