The Na+-K+-ATPase as self-adhesion molecule and hormone receptor

Thanks to the homeostasis of the internal milieu, metazoan cells can enormously simplify their housekeeping efforts and engage instead in differentiation and multiple forms of organization (tissues, organs, systems) that enable them to produce an astonishing diversity of mammals. The stability of the internal milieu despite drastic variations of the external environment (air, fresh or seawater, gastrointestinal fluids, glomerular filtrate, bile) is due to transporting epithelia that can adjust their specific permeability to H(2)O, H(+), Na(+), K(+), Ca(2+), and Cl(-) over several orders of magnitude and exchange substances with the outer milieu with exquisite precision. This exchange is due to the polarized expression of membrane proteins, among them Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase, an oligomeric enzyme that uses chemical energy from ATP molecules to translocate ions across the plasma membrane of epithelial cells. Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase presents two types of asymmetries: the arrangement of its subunits, and its expression in one pole of the epithelial cell ("polarity"). In most epithelia, polarity consists of the expression of Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase towards the intercellular space and arises in part from the interaction of the extracellular segment of the β-subunit with another β-subunit present in a Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase molecule expressed by a neighboring cell. In addition to enabling the Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase to transport ions and water vectorially, this position exposes its receptors to ouabain and analogous cardiotonic steroids, which are present in the internal milieu because these were secreted by endocrine cells.

The polarized distribution of Na+,K+-ATPase: role of the interaction between {beta} subunits

Na⁺,K⁺-ATPase polarity depends on the interaction between the β subunits of Na⁺,K⁺-ATPases located on neighboring cells. In the present work, we use energy transfer methods (FRET), in vivo to demonstrate that these β subunits interact directly at the intercellular space of epithelial cells.

The very existence of higher metazoans depends on the vectorial transport of substances across epithelia. A crucial element of this transport is the membrane enzyme Na⁺,K⁺-ATPase. Not only is this enzyme distributed in a polarized manner in a restricted domain of the plasma membrane but also it creates the ionic gradients that drive the net movement of glucose, amino acids, and ions across the entire epithelium. In a previous work, we have shown that Na⁺,K⁺-ATPase polarity depends on interactions between the β subunits of Na⁺,K⁺-ATPases located on neighboring cells and that these interactions anchor the entire enzyme at the borders of the intercellular space. In the present study, we used fluorescence resonance energy transfer and coprecipitation methods to demonstrate that these β subunits have sufficient proximity and affinity to permit a direct interaction, without requiring any additional extracellular molecules to span the distance.

Control of tight junctional sealing: roles of epidermal growth factor and prostaglandin E2

Epithelia can adjust the permeability of the paracellular permeation route by regulating the degree of sealing of the tight junction. This is reflected by a transepithelial electrical resistance (TER) ranging from a few tenths to several thousand ohms times square centimeters, depending on the difference in composition between the fluid in the lumen and the interstitial fluid. Although teleologically sound, such correlation requires a physiological explanation. We have previously shown that urine extracts from different animal species increase the TER of Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) monolayers and that these effects are mediated by epidermal growth factor (EGF) contained in the flowing intratubular fluid that eventually reaches the urine. This increase in TER is accompanied by an enhanced expression of claudin-4 (cln-4) and a decrement of cln-2. These changes are transient, peaking at approximately 16 h and returning to control values in approximately 24 h. In the present work we investigated how EGF provokes this transient response, and we found that the activation of extracellular-regulated kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2) by EGF is essential to increase TER and cln-4 content, but it does not appear to participate in cln-2 downregulation. On the other hand, prostaglandin synthesis, stimulated by EGF, functions as a negative feedback, turning off the signal initiated by EGF. Thus, PGE(2) blocks ERK1/2 by a mechanism that involves the G alpha(s) protein, adenylyl cyclase as well as protein kinase A in MDCK cells. In summary, the permeability of a given segment of the nephron depends on the expression of different claudin types, which may be modulated by EGF and prostaglandins.

Control of tight junctional sealing: role of epidermal growth factor

Epithelia can adjust the permeability of their paracellular permeation route to physiological requirements, pathological conditions, and pharmacological challenges. This is reflected by a transepithelial electrical resistance (TER) ranging from a few tenth to several thousands Ω·cm2, depending on the degree of sealing of the tight junction (TJ). The present work is part of an effort to understand the causes and mechanisms underlying these adaptations. We observed that an extract of human urine (hDLU) increases TER in a concentration- and time-dependent manner and is more effective when added from the basolateral side of cultured monolayers of Madin-Darby canine kidney cells than from the apical one. We found that its main TER-increasing component is epidermal growth factor (hEGF), as depletion of this peptide with specific antibodies, or inhibition of its receptor with PD153035, abolishes its effect. Since the permeability of the TJ depends on the expression of several species of membrane proteins, chiefly claudins, we explored whether hDLU can affect five members of the claudin family, the three known members of the ZO family, and occludin. EGF present in hDLU decreases the content of claudins-1 and -2 as well as delocalizes them from the TJ and increases the content of claudin-4. As expected from the fact that the degree of sealing of the TJ must be a physiologically regulated parameter, besides of hEGF, we also found that hDLU appears to contain also other components that decrease TER, claudin-4 and -7, and that seem to act with different kinetics than the TER-increasing ones.

Na+,K+-ATPase and hormone ouabain:new roles for an old enzyme and an old inhibitor

Na+,K+-ATPase and its specific inhibitor ouabain entered the 21st century with an entirely new set of properties, that are the focuses of the present review. (i) The adhesive property of the beta-subunit explains why is Na+,K+-ATPase expressed polarizedly on one side of epithelial cells, a crucial property to explain the exchange of substances between higher organisms and the environment; (ii) Ouabain was recently recognized to be a hormone. (iii) Na+,K+-ATPase is known to act as a receptor for hormone ouabain, (iv) binding of ouabain to the Na+,K+-ATPase modifies adhesion: at high concentrations the outcome is total detachment. (v) Ouabain-resistant cells and ouabain-sensitive ones establish a special type of cell-cell interaction, so that sensitive cells withstand the presence of otherwise lethal levels of ouabain. (vi) Hormone ouabain provokes relocalization of specific molecules from the submembrane scaffold to the nucleus, where these bind to promoters of genes involved in proliferation, differentiation, migration, etc. (vii) Finally, ouabain causes a retrieval of Na+,K+-ATPase from the plasma membrane. We speculate that this would reduce the driving force that operates co- and counter-transporters, which are responsible for the exchange of substances across epithelia.

Sodium/potasium ATPase (Na+, K+-ATPase) and ouabain/related cardiac glycosides: a new paradigm for development of anti- breast cancer drugs?

Prolonged exposure to 17beta-estradiol (E2) is a key etiological factor for human breast cancer. The biological effects and carcinogenic effects of E2 are mediated via estrogen receptors (ERs), ERalpha and ERbeta. Anti-estrogens, e.g. tamoxifen, and aromatase inhibitors have been used to treat ER-positive breast cancer. While anti-estrogen therapy is initially successful, a major problem is that most tumors develop resistance and the disease ultimately progresses, pointing to the need of developing alternative drugs targeting to other critical targets in breast cancer cells. We have identified that Na+, K+-ATPase, a plasma membrane ion pump, has unique/valuable properties that could be used as a potentially important target for breast cancer treatment: (a) it is a key player of cell adhesion and is involved in cancer progression; (b) it serves as a versatile signal transducer and is a target for a number of hormones including estrogens and (d) its aberrant expression and activity are implicated in the development and progression of breast cancer. There are several lines of evidence indicating that ouabain and related digitalis (the potent inhibitors of Na+, K+-ATPase) possess potent anti-breast cancer activity. While it is not clear how the suggested anti-cancer activity of these drugs work, several observations point to ouabain and digitalis as being potential ER antagonists. We critically reviewed many lines of evidence and postulated a novel concept that Na+, K+-ATPase in combination with ERs could be important targets of anti-breast cancer drugs. Modulators, e.g. ouabain and related digitalis could be useful to develop valuable anti-breast cancer drugs as both Na+, K+-ATPase inhibitors and ER antagonists.

Cell Adhesion, Polarity, and Epithelia in the Dawn of Metazoans

Transporting epithelia posed formidable conundrums right from the moment that Du Bois Raymond discovered their asymmetric behavior, a century and a half ago. It took a century and a half to start unraveling the mechanisms of occluding junctions and polarity, but we now face another puzzle: lest its cells died in minutes, the first high metazoa (i.e., higher than a sponge) needed a transporting epithelium, but a transporting epithelium is an incredibly improbable combination of occluding junctions and cell polarity. How could these coincide in the same individual organism and within minutes? We review occluding junctions (tight and septate) as well as the polarized distribution of Na+-K+-ATPase both at the molecular and the cell level. Junctions and polarity depend on hosts of molecular species and cellular processes, which are briefly reviewed whenever they are suspected to have played a role in the dawn of epithelia and metazoan. We come to the conclusion that most of the molecules needed were already present in early protozoan and discuss a few plausible alternatives to solve the riddle described above.

Ouabain Binding to Na+,K+-ATPase Relaxes Cell Attachment and Sends a SpecificSignal (NACos) to the Nucleus

Abstract. In previous work we described a "P-->A mechanism" that transduces occupancy of the pump ( P) by ouabain into changes in phosphorylation, stimulation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and endocytosis of cell-cell- and cell-substrate-attaching molecules ( A), thereby causing a release of the cell from the monolayer. In the present work we try to understand the mechanism of this effect; whether, in order to trigger the P-->A mechanism, ouabain should block the pumping activity of Na(+),K(+)-ATPase as pump, or whether it would suffice that the drug occupies this enzyme as a receptor. We assay a series of drugs known to act on the pump, such as ouabain, digoxin, digitoxin, palytoxin, oligomycin, strophanthidin, neothyoside-A, proscillaridin-A, etc. We gauge their ability to block the pump by measuring the K(+) content in the cells, and their ability to detach the cells from the monolayer by determining the amount of protein remaining in the culturing well. None of the drugs tested was able to cause detachment without stopping the pump. Ouabain also enhances phosphorylation, yet pump inhibition and signal transduction do not seem to be intimately associated in a causal chain, but to occur simultaneously. To investigate the response of the site of cell attachment, we analyze the position of beta-catenin by fluorescence confocal microscopy, and find that this adherent junction-associated molecule is sent to the nucleus, where it is known to act as a transcriptional cofactor.

Inhibitors of glycosphingolipid biosynthesis reduce transepithelial electrical resistance in MDCK I and FRT cells

Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) I and Fisher rat thyroid (FRT) cells exhibit transepithelial electrical resistance (TER) values in excess of 5,000 Omega. cm(2). When these cells were incubated in the presence of various inhibitors of sphingolipid biosynthesis, a >5-fold reduction of TER was observed without changes in the gate function for uncharged solutes or the fence function for apically applied fluorescent lipids. The localization of ZO-1 and occludin was not altered between control and inhibitor-treated cells, indicating that the tight junction was still intact. Furthermore, the complexity of tight junction strands, analyzed by freeze-fracture microscopy, was not reduced. Once the inhibitor was removed and the cells were allowed to synthesize sphingolipids, a gradual recovery of the TER was observed. Interestingly, these inhibitors did not attenuate the TER of MDCK II cells, a cell line that typically exhibits values below 800 omega x cm(2.) These results suggest that glycosphingolipids play a role in regulating the electrical properties of epithelial cells.

Tight junctions are sensitive to peptides eliminated in the urine

We prepare an extract of dog urine (DLU) that, when applied to monolayers of MDCK cells (epithelial, derived from a normal dog), enhances the transepithelial electrical resistance (TER) in a dose-dependent manner. This increase is not reflected in variations of the linear amount of TJ nor in changes of the pattern of junctional strands as observed in freeze fracture replicas, nor in the distribution of claudin 1 (a membrane protein of the TJ) nor ZO-1 (a TJ-associated protein). A preliminary characterization of the active component of DLU indicates that it weighs 30-50 kDa, bears a net negative electric charge, and is destroyed by type I protease but not by 10-min boiling. DLUs prepared from human, dog, rabbit and cat are effective on MDCK cells. However, dog DLU increases TER in MDCK (dog) as well as LLCPK1 (pig) monolayers, but not in other epithelial cell lines such as LLCRK1 (rabbit), PTK2 (kangaroo) and MA-104 (monkey), nor in the endothelial cell line CPA47 (cow). Given that in its transit from the glomerulus to the urinary bladder the filtrate increases its concentration by more than two orders of magnitude, the substance(s) we report may act at increasingly higher concentrations in each segment, and afford a potential clue to the progressive increase of TER across the walls of the nephron from the proximal to the collecting duct.

Exocytosis of a 60 kDa protein (calreticulin) from activated hamster oocytes

The sp50 protein localized at the acrosomal region of guinea pig sperm was suggested to participate in acrosome exocytosis, the acrosome reaction (AR). On the other hand, the cortical reaction (CR), also an exocytotic event, occurs during egg activation. The aim of the present work was to identify sp50 and also to define if sp50 is present in hamster eggs, as well as its location before and after CR. Sp50 was identified as calreticulin (CRT), based on: (a) its NH(2)-terminal amino acid (25 aa) sequence, (b) a cross-recognition of pure sp50 and pure CRT with anti-CRT (from Santa Cruz, anti-CRTsc), and anti-sp50 (anti-sp50/CRT) antibodies, respectively, and (c) that both antibodies revealed a 50 kDa protein in a Brij sperm extract. On the other hand, CRT presence in eggs was positively determined by Western blotting (Wb) using anti-sp50/CRT antibody which recognized a 60 kDa protein in the egg extract, and by indirect immunofluorescence (IIF), CRT was located in the cortical granules (CG). It was defined by a granular pattern and co-localization with mannose, a specific carbohydrate of the CG. Additionally, a decrease in CRT concentration occurred in eggs after their activation and, in parallel, the protein was revealed in the egg's incubation medium. In activated eggs with zona pellucida (ZP), CRT remains as a halo in the perivitelline space and around the polar body. From these results we suggest that: (1) CRT is present in the CG of non-activated hamster eggs, (2) CRT is exocytosed during the CR, in response to egg activation, and (3) CRT might participate in the block to polyspermy, together with other CG components.

Molecular physiology and pathophysiology of tight junctions. I. Biogenesis of tight junctions and epithelial polarity

The tight junction (TJ) was first noticed through its ability to control permeation across the paracellular route, but the homologies of its molecular components with peptides that participate in tumor suppression, nuclear addressing, and cell proliferation indicate that it may be involved in many other fundamental functions. TJs are formed by a dozen molecular species that assemble through PDZ and other protein-protein clustering promoting sequences, in response to the activation of E-cadherin. The TJ occupies a highly specific position between the apical and the basolateral domains. Its first molecular components seem to be delivered to such a position by addressing signals in their molecule and, once anchored, serve as a clustering nucleus for further TJ-associated molecules. Although in mature epithelial cells TJs and E-cadherin do not colocalize, a complex chain of reactions goes from one to the other that involves alpha-, beta-, and gamma-catenins, two different G proteins, phospholipase C, protein kinase C, calmodulin, mitogen-activated protein kinase, and molecules pertaining to the cytoskeleton, which keep the TJ sensitive to physiological requirements and local conditions (notably to Ca(2+)-dependent cell-cell contacts) throughout the life of the epithelium.

Relationship between Na(+),K(+)-ATPase and cell attachment

A prolonged ouabain blockade of the Na(+),K(+)-ATPase detaches cells from each other and from the substrate. This suggests the existence of a link between pump (P) and attachment (A). In the present work, we report that MDCK-W cells treated with ouabain increase tyrosine phosphorylation and content of active MAP kinase, redistribute molecules involved in cell attachment (occludin, ZO-1, desmoplakin, cytokeratin, alpha-actinin, vinculin and actin), and detach. Genistein and UO126, inhibitors of protein tyrosine kinase and of MAP kinase kinase, respectively, block this detachment. The content of P190(Rho-GAP), a GTPase activating protein of the Rho small G-protein subfamily, is increased by ouabain, suggesting that both the Rho/Rac and MAPK pathways are involved. Another clone of MDCK cells whose Na(+),K(+)-ATPase has a negligible affinity for the drug, show none of the effects described for MDCK-W and remain attached. Ma104 cells, a line that has a high affinity for ouabain and stops pumping, fail to modify phosphorylation, as well as the pattern of distribution of attaching molecules, and remain in the monolayer. Taken together, these results suggest that there is a mechanism (P-->A) that transduces a blockade of the pump in a detachment of the cell from neighbors and substrate, in which Ma104 cells are faulty.

Molecular characterization of the tight junction protein ZO-1 in MDCK cells

Most of the information on the structure and function of the tight junction (TJ) has been obtained in MDCK cells. Accordingly, we have sequenced ZO-1 in this cell type, because this protein is involved in the response of the TJ to changes in Ca2+, phosphorylation, and the cytoskeleton. ZO-1 of MDCK cells comprises 6805 bp with a predicted open reading frame of 1769 amino acids. This sequence is 92 and 87% homologous to human and mouse ZO-1, respectively. Two nuclear sorting signals located at the PDZ1 and GK domains and 17 SH3 putative binding sites at the proline-rich domain were detected. We found two new splicing regions at the proline-rich region: beta had not been reported in human and mouse counterparts, and gamma, which was previously sequenced in human and mouse ZO-1, is now identified as a splicing region. The expression of different beta and gamma isoforms varies according to the tissue tested. With the information provided by the sequence, Southern blot, and PCR experiments we can predict a single genomic copy of MDCK-ZO-1 that is at least 13.16 kb long. MDCK-ZO-1 mRNA is 7.4 kb long. Its expression is regulated by calcium, while the expression of MDCK-ZO-1 protein is not.

Tight junctions and the experimental modifications of lipid content

Tight junctions (TJs) are cell-to-cell contacts made of strands, which appear as ridges on P faces and complementary furrows on E faces on freeze fracture replicas. Evidences and opinions on whether these strands are composed of either membrane-bound proteins or lipid micelles are somewhat varied. In the present work we alter the lipid composition of Madin-Darby canine kidney monolayers using a novel approach, while studying (i) their transepithelial electrical resistance, a parameter that depends on the degree of sealing of the TJs; (ii) the apical-to-basolateral flux of 4 kD fluorescent dextran (JDEX), that reflects the permeability of the intercellular spaces; (iii) the ability of TJs to restrict apical-to-basolateral diffusion of membrane lipids; and (iv) the pattern of distribution of endogenous and transfected occludin, the sole membrane protein presently known to form part of the TJs. We show that changing the total composition of phospholipids, sphingolipids, cholesterol and the content of fatty acids, does not alter TER nor the structure of the strands. Interestingly, enrichment with linoleic acid increases the JDEX by 631%. The fact that this increase is not reflected in a decrease of TER, suggests that junctional strands do not act as simple resistive elements but may contain mobile translocating mechanisms.

Role of tight junctions in establishing and maintaining cell polarity

The tight junction (TJ) is not randomly located on the cell membrane, but occupies a precise position at the outermost edge of the intercellular space and, therefore, is itself considered a polarized structure. This article reviews the most common experimental approaches for studying this relationship. We then discuss three main topics. (a) The mechanisms of polarization that operate regardless of the presence of TJs: We explore a variety of polarization mechanisms that operate at stages of the cell cycle in which TJs may be already established. (b) TJs and polarity as partners in highly dynamic processes: Polarity and TJs are steady state situations that may be drastically changed by a variety of signaling events. (c) Polarized distribution of membrane molecules that depend on TJs: This refers to molecules (mainly lipids) whose polarized distribution, although not the direct result of TJs, depends on these structures to maintain such distribution.

Morphogenesis of the epithelial cell transporting phenotype: synthesis and distribution of ion channels

The exchange of substances between higher organisms and the environment takes place across epithelia consisting of one or more cell layers. To perform this function, epithelial cells have two basic differentiated properties: 1) they form tight junctions (TJs) that seal the extracellular space, and 2) they are polarized into an apical and a basolateral domain, with entirely different structural, biochemical and physiological properties. Our understanding of the mechanisms involved in the expression of these properties has been greatly enhanced by the availability of epithelial cell lines that form TJs and polarize in vitro under conditions suitable for experimental control. In this article we summarize our studies on the synthesis and polarized expression of ion channels in epithelial cells. MDCK cells have four types of K+ channels in the apical domain, and a fifth one in the basolateral domain. The basolateral side also has a population of CI- channels. Each type of channel is absolutely polarized. Harvesting with trypsin-EDTA reduces the area of the plasma membrane by 50% and the channel population by 90%. Upon plating, these channels are recovered within a few hours. We describe here the main extracellular and intracellular mechanisms involved in these phenomena.

A novel type of cell-cell cooperation between epithelial cells

Ma104 cells (renal, epithelial) have a peculiar way of resisting ouabain: their Na+,K(+)-pumps bind the drug with high affinity, cellular K+ is lost and cell division arrested, but cells do not detach as most cell types do. Then, if up to 4 days later the drug is removed, Ma104 cells recover K+ and resume proliferation (Contreras et al., 1994). In the present work, we investigate whether Ma104 cells are able to protect ouabain-sensitive MDCK cells in co-culture. The main finding is that they do, but in this case protection is not elicited by the usual mechanism of maintaining the K+ content of neighboring cells through cell-cell communications. Ma104 cells treated with ouabain simply remain attached to the substrate and to their MDCK neighbors, and both cells lose K+. This attachment includes tight junctions, because the transepithelial electrical resistance of the monolayers is not abolished by ouabain. Although the beta-subunit of the Na+,K(+)-ATPase is known to possess molecular characteristics of cell-cell attachment molecules, attachment between Ma104-MDCK cells does not seem to be mediated by this enzyme, as immunofluorescence analysis reveals that Na+,K(+)-ATPase is only inserted in the plasma membrane facing a neighboring cell of the same type.

Ouabain resistance of the epithelial cell line (Ma104) is not due to lack of affinity of its pumps for the drug

Na+, K(+)-pumps of most eukaryotic animal cells bind ouabain with high affinity, stop pumping, and consequently loose K+, detach from each other and from the substrate, and die. Lack of affinity for the drug results in ouabain resistance. In this work, we report that Ma104 cells (epithelial from Rhesus monkey kidney) have a novel form of ouabain-resistance: they bind the drug with high affinity (Km about 4 x 10(-8) M), they loose their K+ and stop proliferating but, in spite of these, up to 100% of the cells remain attached in 1.0 microM ouabain, and 53% in 1.0 mM. When 4 days later ouabain is removed from the culture medium, cells regain K+ and resume proliferation. Strophanthidin, a drug that attaches less firmly than ouabain, produces a similar phenomenon, but allows a considerably faster recovery. This reversal may be associated to the fact that, while in ouabain-sensitive MDCK cells Na+, K(+)-ATPases blocked by the drug are retrieved from the plasma membrane, those in Ma104 cells remain at the cell-cell border, as if they were cell-cell attaching molecules. Cycloheximide (10 micrograms/ml) and chloroquine (10 microM) impair this recovery, suggesting that it also depends on the synthesis and insertion of a crucial protein component, that may be different from the pump itself. Therefore ouabain resistance of Ma104 cells is not due to a lack of affinity for the drug, but to a failure of its Na+, K(+)-ATPases to detach from the plasma membrane in spite of being blocked by ouabain.

Expression of potassium channels in epithelial cells depends on calcium-activated cell-cell contacts

Harvesting MDCK cells with trypsin-EDTA reduces potassium currents (IK) to a mere 10%, presumably by hydrolysis of K+ channels, but replating at confluence restores them in 12-18 hr, through a process that requires transcription, translation and exocytic fusion of intracellular membrane vesicles to the plasma membrane (Ponce & Cereijido, 1991; Ponce et al., 1991a). In the present work we find that this restoration of IK also requires cell-cell contacts and the presence of 1.8 mM Ca2+. The role of extracellular Ca2+ may be substituted by 2.0 microM TRH, 10 nM PMA or 200 micrograms/ml DiC8. drugs that stimulate the system of phospholipase C (PLC) and protein kinase C (PKC). Conversely, the recovery of IK triggered by Ca-dependent contacts can be blocked by 110 microM neomycin, 2.0 microM H7, and 250 nM staurosporine, inhibitors of PLC and PKC. These results suggest that the expression of new K+ channels depends on Ca(2+)-activated contacts with neighboring cells and that the information is conveyed through PLC and PKC, a process in keeping with changes in its enzymatic activity and cellular distribution of PKC. Plasma membrane is also reduced and restored upon harvesting and replating, and depends on Ca(2+)-activated contracts. However, the effects of the chemicals tested on IK differ from the ones they elicit on the recovery of plasma membrane, suggesting that cells can independently regulate their population of K+ channels and the surface of their membrane.

The making of a tight junction

MDCK (epithelial cells from the dog kidney) plated at confluence, establish tight junctions in 12-15 hours through a process that requires protein synthesis, formation of a ring of actin filaments in close contact with the lateral membrane of the cells, calmodulin, and a Ca(2+)-dependent exocytic fusion of tight junction (TJ)-associated components. Monolayers incubated in the absence Ca2+ make no TJs. Yet, if Ca2+ is added under these circumstances, TJs are made with a faster kinetics. Ca2+ is needed mainly at a site located on the outer side of the cell membrane, where it activates uvomorulin and triggers the participation of the cellular components mentioned above, via G-proteins associated with phospholipase C and protein kinase C. In principle, the sites of all these molecules and mechanisms involved in junction formation may be where a variety of agents (hormones, drugs, metabolites) act to produce epithelia with a transepithelial electrical resistance (TER) ranging from 10 to 10,000 omega.cm2. This range may be also due to a variety of substances found in serum and in urine, that increase the TER in a reversible and dose-dependent manner.

Interaction of calcium with plasma membrane of epithelial (MDCK) cells during junction formation

We have previously shown that upon transferring confluent monolayers of Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells from low- to normal-Ca2+ medium, cytosolic Ca2+ increases and tight junctions (TJs) assemble and seal, but the increase in cytosolic Ca2+ does not seem to be necessary for junction formation. In the present work we establish that these are in fact two independent phenomena. We first measured unidirectional Ca2+ fluxes across the plasma membrane of MDCK cells to find suitable inhibitors and tested their effects on the ability of Ca2+ to seal the TJ. Likewise, we studied a variety of multivalent cations. We observed that 1) Ca2+ triggering of junction formation does not depend on its entering the cell, 2) cations like La3+ may impair the influx of Ca2+ without affecting the sealing of TJs, and 3) only Cd2+ is able to block both Ca2+ penetration and junction formation; however, 4) Cd2+ itself cannot trigger junction formation. We interpret that Ca2+ triggers junction formation by acting mainly on an extracellular membrane site and that this site has a higher Ca2+ selectivity than the mechanisms for Ca2+ translocation across the membrane.

Assembly and sealing of tight junctions: possible participation of G-proteins, phospholipase C, protein kinase C and calmodulin

The making and sealing of a tight junction (TJ) requires cell-cell contacts and Ca2+, and can be gauged through the development of transepithelial electrical resistance (TER) and the accumulation of ZO-1 peptide at the cell borders. We observe that pertussis toxin increases TER, while AIF3 and carbamil choline (carbachol) inhibit it, and 5-guanylylimidodiphosphate (GTPTs) blocks the development of a cell border pattern of ZO-1, suggesting that G-proteins are involved. Phospholipase C (PLC) and protein kinase C (PKC) probably participate in these processes since (i) activation of PLC by thyrotropin-1 releasing hormone increases TER, and its inhibition by neomycin blocks the development of this resistance; (ii) 1,2-dioctanoylglycerol, an activator of PKC, stimulates TER development, while polymyxin B and 1-(5-isoquinoline sulfonyl)-2-methyl-piperazine dihydrochloride (H7), which inhibit this enzyme, abolish TER. Addition of 3-isobutyl-1-methyl-xanthine, dB-cAMP or forskolin do not enhance the value of TER, but have just the opposite effect. Trifluoperazine and calmidazoline inhibit TER development, suggesting that calmodulin (CaM) also plays a role in junction formation. These results indicate that junction formation may be controlled by a network of reactions where G-proteins, phospholipase C, adenylate cyclase, protein kinase C and CaM are involved.

Role of calcium in tight junction formation between epithelial cells

Upon transferring confluent monolayers of Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells from a low-Ca2+ medium (1-5 microM) to one with 1.8 mM Ca2+ (Ca switch), tight junctions (TJs) assemble and seal, and transepithelial electrical resistance (TER) develops in 4-5 h, presumably through exocytotic fusion that incorporates junctional components to the surface membrane. In the present work we test this possibility and observe 1) that the Ca switch raises the cytosolic concentration of this ion; 2) that it also increases the membrane area by 22%; 3) that chloroquine, a drug which prevents exocytosis, blocks both the increase of surface membrane and the sealing of TJs; and 4) that if monolayers are not permanently switched to 1.8 mM Ca2+, but are subject to a 15-min pulse, cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration [( Ca2+]c) transiently increases but returns to low values (14 +/- 11 nM) and TER does not develop. Comparisons of the time course of TJ sealing with levels of [Ca2+]c, as well as the relationship between these parameters and extracellular Ca2+ levels, suggest that this ion may act from the extracellular side or in a narrow intracellular domain in the close vicinity of the plasma membrane.

Repolarization of Na+-K+ pumps during establishment of epithelial monolayers

Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells plated at confluence and incubated for 20 h in low (5 microM) Ca2+ have no tight junctions (TJs), and their Na+-K+-ATPase is randomly distributed over the surface. On transfer to normal Ca2+ levels (1.8 mM) ("Ca2+ switch"), TJs and transepithelial resistance develop quickly, trapping a considerable fraction (35%) of the surface Na+-K+-ATPase on the apical (incorrect) side. This misplaced enzyme is subsequently removed from this region or inactivated, demonstrating that polarization proceeds despite TJs. Simultaneously, the amount of Na+-K+-ATPase on the basolateral side increases in a higher proportion (125%), than could be accounted for by relocation of the misplaced apical enzyme. This incorporation is prevented by cycloheximide, ammonium chloride, primaquine, or chloroquine, suggesting that Na+-K+-ATPase originates in an intracellular pool and that its surface insertion requires synthesis of new enzyme or of a protein factor, since it is carried to the surface membrane through a mechanism of exocytosis. In summary, asymmetric distribution of ion pumps depends 1) on polarized insertion of Na+-K+-ATPase as well as 2) on removal or inactivation of misplaced enzyme.

Development and alteration of polarity

Overall polarization of the plasma membrane of epithelial cells is the sum of the individual polarizations of its components. These individual polarizations in turn, may vary independently in degree (apical/basolateral ratio) and may be expressed at different stages of the cell cycle. They occur in response to cell contacts, nature of the support, and presence of triggering hormones; once established, polarizations may be subject to disruption and resorting. Epithelial cells transcytose receptors, insert membrane mechanisms during a particular period of the cell cycle, remove and relocate misplaced membrane components, and even completely reverse their polarity in the presence of well established TJs. TJs are not responsible for polarization but, ironically, they should be regarded as a result of the polarization process itself (31). The polarization of single cells, such as neurons and muscle cells mentioned at the beginning of this article, may represent extreme cases of cells that polarize but do not produce TJs. However, if an asymmetrically inserted protein is subsequently released from underlying anchoring structures (e.g. the cytoskeleton) to become free (e.g. 50% of Na,K-ATPase in MDCK cells), then the TJ may play a role in confining the free fraction to the apical or to the basolateral region. But even if TJs fail to completely segregate membrane components, mechanisms can restore polarization as in the case of the Na,K-ATPase trapped on the apical side. Lipid polarization seems to depend on the existence of the fence like character of the TJs and to the best of our knowledge lipid polarization is only found in epithelial cells with well established TJs.