A phorbol ester-nonproliferative variant of Swiss 3T3 cells is deficient in Na+K+Cl- cotransport activity

The identity of the genetic defect(s) in Swiss 3T3 TNR-2 and TNR-9 that confers nonresponsiveness to the proliferative effect of 12-0-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) is not known. In BALB/c 3T3 cells, loss (via mutation) of a specific membrane ion transport system, the furosemide-sensitive Na+K+Cl- cotransporter, is associated with decreased responsiveness to TPA. In this study, the transport properties of parental Swiss 3T3 cells and the TPA-nonresponsive lines TNR-2 and TNR-9 were determined in the presence and absence of TPA. When the rate of 86Rb+ efflux (as a tracer for K+) was measured from each of the three cell lines, a furosemide- and TPA-inhibitable component of efflux was clearly evident in parental and TNR-9 cells but was virtually absent in TNR-2 cells. 86Rb+ influx measurements indicated the presence in parental 3T3 cells and the TNR-9 line of a substantial furosemide-sensitive flux that could be inhibited by TPA. In contrast, much less furosemide-sensitive influx was present in 3T3-TNR-2 cells and it was relatively unaffected by TPA. In both parental 3T3 and 3T3-TNR-2 cells, most of the furosemide-sensitive 86Rb+ influx is dependent on extracellular Na+ and Cl-. The apparent affinities of the transporter for these two ions, as well as for K+, were similar in both cell lines. In parental cells, the inhibition of furosemide-sensitive 86Rb+ influx was quite sensitive to TPA (K1/2 approximately equal to 1 nM) and occurred very rapidly after phorbol ester exposure. As expected because of its volume-regulatory role, inhibition of Na+K+Cl- cotransport by TPA in parental cells caused a substantial reduction in cell volume (25%). In contrast, because of the reduced level of cotransport activity in TNR-2 cells, TPA had only a slight effect on cell volume. These results suggest that the genetic defect in 3T3-TNR-2 cells (but not TNR-9 cells) responsible for nonresponsiveness to phorbol esters may be the reduction of Na+K+Cl- cotransport activity. Thus this membrane transport system may be an important component of the signal transduction pathway used by phorbol esters in 3T3 cells.     

Phorbol esters and gene expression: the role of rapid changes in K+ transport in the induction of ornithine decarboxylase by 12-O- tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate in BALB/c 3T3 cells and a mutant cell line defective in Na+K+Cl- cotransport

A BALB/c 3T3 preadipose cell line defective in Na+K+Cl- cotransport (3T3-E12a cells) has been used to study the relationship between phorbol ester-induced rapid changes in cation fluxes and changes in expression of a gene known to be modulated by this agent. In contrast to its effect on parental 3T3 cells, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) did not inhibit either furosemide-sensitive 86Rb+ influx or the rate of 86Rb+ efflux from preloaded mutant cells. TPA-induced changes in intracellular K+ content were diminished in 3T3-E12a cells as compared with parental cells. Thus, mutation of the Na+K+Cl- cotransport system renders overall potassium transport in mutant cells largely insensitive to modulation by TPA. The morphological and functional responses of 3T3 and 3T3-E12a cells to TPA were also compared. In contrast to the extensive and long-lasting changes in morphology of 3T3 cells after 0.16 microM TPA addition, only slight and shorter-lived morphological effects of TPA were observed in 3T3-E12a cells. The transport properties of mutant cells were not totally unresponsive to TPA since hexose transport (2-deoxyglucose uptake) could be stimulated in both cell types. To establish a possible link between early changes in cation fluxes and activation of gene expression by TPA, the induction of the enzyme ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) was studied in detail. Addition of fresh medium containing serum or exposure to hypoosmotic conditions resulted in the induction of ODC in both 3T3 and 3T3-E12a cells. However, TPA failed to cause an increase in ODC activity in mutant cells, although a substantial induction of the enzyme was seen in parental cells. These results suggest that rapid changes in ion fluxes mediated by the Na+K+Cl- cotransport system are necessary for at least one of the phorbol ester-induced changes in gene expression in responsive cells.     

Characterization of a BALB/c 3T3 preadipose cell mutant with altered Na+K+Cl- cotransport activity

A BALB/c 3T3 cell mutant (3T3-E12) was isolated by its ability to survive at a low extracellular K+ concentration (0.14 mM). The growth rate of mutant cells was less dependent on external K+ than parental cells. Analysis of potassium transport revealed that 3T3-E12 cells have a decreased activity of the furosemide-sensitive Na+K+Cl- cotransport system, both in the efflux and influx modes. This is shown to be a result of a decrease in the apparent affinity of the transport system for K+ and Na+, but not Cl-. Upon exposure to the phorbol ester 12-0-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA), BALB/c 3T3 cells exhibited a maximal volume decrease of 20%, while mutant cells shrunk by only 7%, suggesting that regulation of cell volume, at least four exposure to a tumor promoter, is impaired in mutant cells compared to parental 3T3 cells.     

Protein kinase C and membrane transport: divergent responses of Na+/K+/Cl- cotransport and sugar transport to exogenous diacylglycerol

Even though the phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA) is known to bind to and activate protein kinase C (PKC), it is still not certain that all cellular responses to phorbol esters are necessarily mediated by PKC. In BALB/c 3T3 preadipose cells, TPA has previously been shown to rapidly inhibit Na+K+Cl- -cotransport activity, stimulate 2-deoxyglucose uptake and induce ornithine decarboxylase activity. The cell-permeable diacylglycerol sn-1,2-dioctanoylglycerol (DiC8) was used in order to distinguish between PKC-dependent and -independent responses of BALB/c 3T3 cells. DiC8 modulated 86Rb+ fluxes in BALB/c 3T3 cells in the same manner as TPA: furosemide-sensitive 86Rb+ influx and efflux was inhibited, while in cotransport-defective cells no effect was observed. In contrast, DiC8 did not stimulate 2-deoxyglucose uptake in either parental or cotransport-defective cell lines, even though TPA is a very effective inducer of this transport system in both cell types. Pretreatment of cells with DiC8 did not substantially alter the subsequent induction of 2-deoxyglucose uptake by TPA, although a slight but reproducible reduction in the magnitude of the response was observed in DiC8-pretreated cells. The PKC-dependent phosphorylation of an acidic 80-kDa protein was stimulated by both TPA and DiC8 in parental and cotransport-defective cell lines, suggesting that a gross defect in the primary effector system used by both TPA and diacylglycerols cannot explain any of our results. Ornithine decarboxylase was induced by DiC8 and the K1/2 was approximately the same as that for inhibition of Na+/K+/Cl- cotransport in these cells. Thus, our results suggest that PKC is clearly essential for some phorbol ester membrane transport responses (such as inhibition of Na+/K+/Cl- cotransport), but our results do not allow us to conclude that other responses (such as stimulation of 2-deoxyglucose uptake) necessarily require PKC activation.     

Phorbol ester TPA inhibits the stimulation of bumetanide-sensitive Na+/K+/Cl- transporter by different mitogens in quiescent BALB/c 3T3 mouse fibroblasts

In this study we examined the effect of the phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) on the bumetanide-sensitive Na+/K+/Cl- transporter in quiescent BALB/c 3T3 cells. We have shown that exposure of quiescent BALB/c 3T3 cultures to phorbol ester did not inhibit the basal bumetanide-sensitive Rb+ influx or efflux. In fact, at high concentration (100 ng/ml), TPA slightly stimulated the bumetanide-sensitive Rb+ influx and efflux. However, when the quiescent cultures were stimulated by serum or by defined growth factors, the stimulated fraction of the bumetanide-sensitive Rb+ influx was drastically inhibited by exposure of the cells to the phorbol ester TPA. Based on the above findings, we propose that activation of protein kinase C by the phorbol ester TPA does not inhibit the Na+/K+/Cl- cotransport activity; however it does suppress only the growth-factors-stimulated fraction of the cotransport in quiescent BALB/c 3T3 cells. These data propose that activation of kinase C has a regulatory feedback effect on the stimulation of the Na+/K+/Cl- cotransport activity by growth factors.     

Na+/K+/Cl- cotransport is stimulated by a Ca(++)-calmodulin-mediated pathway in BALB/c 3T3 fibroblasts.

In the present study, we investigated the role of intracellular Ca++ in the stimulation of the Na+/K+/Cl- cotransport in synchronized BALB/c 3T3 cells. The Na+/K+/Cl- cotransport was stimulated by the growth factors EGF, TGF-alpha, IGF-1, and IGF-2, which do not activate protein kinase C, but do induce a transient increase in free cytoplasmic Ca++. In addition, direct activation of protein kinase C by the phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) did not affect the Na+/K+/Cl- cotransport activity of quiescent cells. The Na+/K+/Cl- cotransport was also stimulated by the above mitogens in cells pretreated with the phorbol ester TPA. This treatment led to a progressive decline in the activity of cellular protein kinase C. This result implies that cells deficient in protein kinase C may still support stimulation of the Na+/K+/Cl- cotransport. Taken as a whole, these findings suggest that the Na+/K+/Cl- cotransport is stimulated predominantly by a protein kinase C-independent mechanism in BALB/c 3T3 fibroblasts. Both the intracellular Ca++ antagonist 8-(N,N-diethylamino)octyl-3,4,5-trimethoxybenzoate (TMB-8) and two potent calmodulin antagonists, trifluoperazine (TFP) and chloropromazine (CP), blocked serum- and mitogen-stimulated Na+/K+/Cl- cotransport. These results suggest that the Na+/K+/Cl- cotransport is stimulated by an increase of intracellular Ca++ and subsequently by a Ca(++)-calmodulin-mediated pathway in the synchronized BALB/c 3T3 fibroblasts.     

Na+,K+ pump and Na+-coupled ion carriers in isolated mammalian kidney epithelial cells: regulation by protein kinase C.

This review updates our current knowledge on the regulation of Na+/H+ exchanger, Na+,K+,Cl- cotransporter, Na+,Pi cotransporter, and Na+,K+ pump in isolated epithelial cells from mammalian kidney by protein kinase C (PKC). In cells derived from different tubule segments, an activator of PKC, 4beta-phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), inhibits apical Na+/H+ exchanger (NHE3), Na+,Pi cotransport, and basolateral Na+,K+ cotransport (NKCCl) and augments Na+,K+ pump. In PMA-treated proximal tubules, activation of Na+,K+ pump probably plays a major role in increased reabsorption of salt and osmotically obliged water. In Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells, which are highly abundant with intercalated cells from the collecting duct, PMA completely blocks Na+,K+,Cl- cotransport and decreases the activity of Na+,Pi cotransport by 30-40%. In these cells, agonists of P2 purinoceptors inhibit Na+,K+,Cl- and Na+,Pi cotransport by 50-70% via a PKC-independent pathway. In contrast with MDCK cells, in epithelial cells derived from proximal and distal tubules of the rabbit kidney, Na+,K+,Cl- cotransport is inhibited by PMA but is insensitive to P2 receptor activation. In proximal tubules, PKC-induced inhibition of NHE3 and Na+,Pi cotransporter can be triggered by parathyroid hormone. Both PKC and cAMP signaling contribute to dopaminergic inhibition of NHE3 and Na+,K+ pump. The receptors triggering PKC-mediated activation of Na+,K+ pump remain unknown. Recent data suggest that the PKC signaling system is involved in abnormalities of dopaminergic regulation of renal ion transport in hypertension and in the development of diabetic complications. The physiological and pathophysiological implications of PKC-independent regulation of renal ion transporters by P2 purinoceptors has not yet been examined.     

Volume-dependent regulation of ion carriers in human and rat erythrocytes: role of cytoskeleton and protein phosphorylation

This study examines the effect of heat-induced cytoskeleton transitions and phosphoprotein phosphatase inhibitors on the activity of shrinkage-induced Na+, K+, 2Cl- cotransport and Na+/H+ exchange in rat erythrocytes and swelling-induced K+, Cl- cotransport in human and rat blood cells. Preincubation of human and rat erythrocytes at 49 degrees C drastically activated K+, Cl- cotransport and completely (rat) or partly (human) abolished its volume-dependent regulation. The same procedure did not affect basal activity of Na+, K+, 2Cl- cotransport but completely abolished its activation by shrinkage thus suggesting the involvement of a thermosensitive element of cytoskeleton network in the volume-dependent regulation of cotransporters. Both the shrinkage- and electrochemical proton gradient-induced Na+/H+ exchange was inhibited by the heat treatment to the same extent (50-70%), thus indicating the different signaling pathways involved in the activation of Na+, K+, 2Cl- cotransport and Na+/H+ exchange by cell shrinkage. This suggestion is in accordance with data on the different kinetics of volume-dependent activation and inactivation of these carriers as well as on their sensitivity to medium osmolality. Both swelling- and heat-induced increments of K+, Cl- cotransport activity were diminished by inhibitors of phosphoprotein phosphatases (okadaic acid and calyculin). In rat erythrocytes these compounds potentiate shrinkage-induced Na+/H+ exchange. On the contrary, neither basal nor shrinkage-induced Na+, K+, 2Cl- cotransport was affected by these compounds. Our results indicate a key role of cytoskeleton network in volume-dependent activation of K+, Cl- and Na+, K+, 2Cl- cotransport and the involvement of protein phosphorylation-dephosphorylation cycle in regulation of the activity of K+, Cl- cotransport and Na+/H+ exchange.     

Coordinate expression of piretanide receptors and Na+,K+,Cl- cotransport activity in Madin-Darby canine kidney cell mutants

Two receptor sites for [3H]piretanide, a sulfamoylbenzoic acid loop diuretic, have been identified in intact Madin-Darby canine kidney cells, an epithelial cell line derived from dog kidney. The two receptor sites differed in their affinity for piretanide (KD1 = 2.1 +/- 1.4 nM and KD2 = 264 +/- 88 nM) and the maximal number of sites (Bmax1 = 11 +/- 4 and Bmax2 = 120 +/- 80 fmol/mg of protein). Madin-Darby canine kidney cells are known to possess a tightly coupled and highly cooperative Na+,K+,Cl- cotransporter which is sensitive to loop diuretics. Under ionic conditions identical to those used to study piretanide binding (30 mM Na+, 30 mM K+, 30 mM Cl-), the Ki for inhibition of the initial rate of 86Rb+ uptake by piretanide was 333 +/- 92 nM, a value not significantly different from the KD of the low affinity receptor site. [3H]Piretanide binding to three low K+-resistant mutants derived from this cell line was also studied. These mutants had been previously characterized as being partially or completely defective in Na+,K+,Cl- cotransport activity (McRoberts, J. A., Tran, C. T., and Saier, M. H., Jr. (1983) J. Biol. Chem. 258, 12320-12326). One of these mutants had undetectable levels of Na+,K+,Cl- cotransport activity and low to undetectable levels of specific piretanide binding. The second mutant had low but measurable levels of cotransport activity (11% of the wild-type levels) and displayed very low affinity (KD approximately 8000 nM) specific piretanide binding. In the third mutant, expression of Na+,K+,Cl- cotransport activity and both piretanide receptors was cell density-dependent. Subconfluent to just-confluent cultures of this mutant lacked detectable cotransport activity as well as specific piretanide binding, whereas very dense cultures displayed both piretanide receptors and had intermediate to nearly normal levels of cotransport activity. These results demonstrate that the Na+,K+,Cl- cotransporter is a receptor for loop diuretics, but they also raise questions about the functional significance of the two piretanide receptor sites.     

Modulation of rabbit ventricular cell volume and Na+/K+/2Cl- cotransport by cGMP and atrial natriuretic factor.

Previously we showed that atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) decreases cardiac cell volume by inhibiting ion uptake by Na+/K+/2Cl- cotransport. Digital video microscopy was used to study the role of guanosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cGMP) in this process in rabbit ventricular myocytes. Each cell served as its own control, and relative cell volumes (volume(test)/volume(control)) were determined. Exposure to 10 microM 8-bromo-cGMP (8-Br-cGMP) reversibly decreased cell volume to 0.892 +/- 0.007; the ED50 was 0.77 +/- 0.33 microM. Activating guanylate cyclase with 100 microM sodium nitroprusside also decreased cell volume to 0.889 +/- 0.009. In contrast, 8-bromo-adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (8-Br-AMP; 0.01-100 microM) neither altered cell volume directly nor modified the response to 8-Br-cGMP. The idea that cGMP decreases cell volume by inhibiting Na+/K+/2Cl- cotransport was tested by blocking the cotransporter with 10 microM bumetanide (BUM) and removing the transported ions. After BUM treatment, 10 microM 8-Br-cGMP failed to decrease cell volume. Replacement of Na+ with N-methyl-D-glucamine or Cl- with methanesulfonate also prevented 8-Br-cGMP from shrinking cells. The data suggest that 8-Br-cGMP, like ANF, decreases ventricular cell volume by inhibiting Na+/K+/2Cl-cotransport. Evidence that ANF modulates cell volume via cGMP was also obtained. Pretreatment with 10 microM 8-Br-cGMP prevented the effect of 1 microM ANF on cell volume, and ANF suppressed 8-Br-cGMP-induced cell shrinkage. Inhibiting guanylate cyclase with the quinolinedione LY83583 (10 microM) diminished ANF-induced cell shrinkage, and inhibiting cGMP-specific phosphodiesterase with M&B22948 (Zaprinast; 100 microM) amplified the volume decrease caused by a low dose of ANF (0.01 microM) approximately fivefold. In contrast, neither 100 microM 8-Br-cAMP nor 50 microM forskolin affected the response to ANF. The effects of ANF, LY83583, and M&B29948 on cGMP levels in isolated ventricular myocytes were confirmed by 125I-cGMP radioimmunoassay. These data argue that ANF shrinks cardiac cells by increasing intracellular cGMP, thereby inhibiting Na+/K+/2Cl- cotransport. Basal cGMP levels also appear to modulate cell volume.     

The Na+/K+/Cl- cotransport in C6 glioma cells. Properties and role in volume regulation

The role of the Na+/K+/Cl- cotransporter in the regulation of the volume of C6 astrocytoma cells was analyzed using isotopic fluxes and cell cytometry measurements of the cell volume. The system was inhibited by 'loop diuretics' with the following order of potency: benzmetanide greater than bumetanide greater than piretanide greater than furosemide. Under physiological conditions of osmolarity of the incubation media, equal rates of bumetanide-sensitive inward and outward K+ fluxes were observed. Blockade of the Na+/K+/Cl- cotransporter with bumetanide did not lead to a modification in the mean cell volume. When C6 cells were incubated in an hyperosmotic solution, a cell shrinkage was observed. It was accompanied by a twofold increase in the activity of the Na+/K+/Cl- cotransport, which then catalyzed the net influx of K+. In spite of this increased activity, no cell swelling could be measured. Incubation of the cells in an iso-osmotic medium deprived of either Na+, K+ or Cl- also produced cell shrinkage. Large activations (up to tenfold) of the Na+/K+/Cl- cotransport together with a cell swelling back to the normal volume were observed upon returning ion-deprived C6 cells to a physiological solution. This cell swelling was completely prevented in the presence of bumetanide. It is concluded that the Na+/K+/Cl- cotransport system is one of the transport systems involved in volume regulation of glial cells. The system can either be physiologically quiescent or active depending on the conditions used. A distinct volume regulating mechanism is the Na+/H+ exchange system.     

Volume regulatory activity of the Ehrlich ascites tumor cell and its relationship to ion transport

The volume regulatory response of the Ehrlich ascites tumor was studied in KCl-depleted, Na+-enriched cells. Subsequent incubation in K+-containing NaCl medium results in the reaccumulation of K+, Cl-, water and the extrusion of Na+. The establishment of the physiological steady state is due primarily to the activity of 2 transport systems. One is the Na/K pump (KM for K+o = 3.5 mM; Jmax = 30.1 mEq/kg dry min), which in these experiments was coupled 1K+/1 Na+. The second is the Cl--dependent (Na+ + K+) cotransport system (KM for K+o = 6.8 mM; Jmax = 20.8 mEq/kg dry min) which mediates, in addition to net ion uptake in the ratio of 1K+:1Na+:2Cl-, the exchange of K+i for K+o. The net passive driving force on the cotransport system is initially inwardly directed but does not decrease to zero at the steady state. This raises the possibility of the involvement of an additional source of energy. Although cell volume increases concomitant with net ion uptake, this change does not appear to be a major factor regulating the activity of the cotransport system.     

Stimulation of Na+/phosphate cotransport in LLC-PK1 cells by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA)

We have tested for the effect of the phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA) on Na+/phosphate cotransport in an established epithelial cell line of renal origin (LLC-PK1). Incubation of LLC-PK1 cells with TPA produced an increase in Na+/phosphate (Pi) cotransport. The maximal response was reached at a TPA concentration of 10 ng/ml. Other phorbol esters which have no potency or a smaller one to activate protein kinase C had no effect on Na+/Pi cotransport. Incubation of LLC-PK1 cells with 10 ng/ml TPA for 8 h led to a 300% increase in Na+/Pi cotransport; in the presence of cycloheximide the increase amounted only to a 100% and was reached within 2 h. Kinetic analysis of Na+/Pi cotransport indicated an increase in the apparent Vmax without an effect on the apparent Km. The increased Pi transport was retained in isolated apical vesicles. Na+-dependent alanine transport into LLC-PK1 monolayers was affected by TPA administration in a similar manner. TPA had under the chosen experimental conditions no effect on [3H]thymidine incorporation into DNA excluding a general proliferative effect. We conclude that TPA via activation of protein kinase C regulates the number of operating transport systems. As also other Na+-coupled transport systems are influenced, the TPA effect appears to be related to the expression of a general 'adaptive' alteration of membrane transport in LLC-PK1 cells.     

Characterization of low potassium-resistant mutants of the Madin-Darby canine kidney cell line with defects in NaCl/KCl symport

Three independent mutants of the Madin-Darby canine kidney cell line (MDCK) have been isolated which were capable of growth in media containing low concentrations of potassium. All three mutants were deficient to varying extents in furosemide- and bumetanide-sensitive 22Na+, 86+b+, and 36Cl- uptake. The two mutants most resistant to low K+ media had lost essentially all of the 22Na+, 86Rb+, and 36Cl- uptake activities of this system. The third mutant was partially resistant to low K+ media and had reduced levels of bumetanide-sensitive uptake for all three ions. Extrapolated initial uptake rates for 22Na+, 86Rb+, and 36Cl- revealed that the partial mutant exhibited approximately 50% of the parental uptake rates for all three ions. The stoichiometries of bumetanide-sensitive uptake in both the parental cell line and the partial mutant approximated 1 Rb+:1 Na+:2 Cl-. The results of this study provide genetic evidence for a single tightly-coupled NaCl/KCl symporter in MDCK cells. The correlation between the ability to grow in low K+ media and decreased activity of the bumetanide-sensitive co-transport system suggests that the bumetanide-sensitive transport system catalyzes net K+ efflux from cells in low K+ media. The results of 86Rb+ efflux studies conducted on ouabain-pretreated mutant and parental cells are consistent with this interpretation. Cell volume measurements made on cells at different densities in media containing normal K+ concentrations showed that none of the mutants differed significantly in volume from the parental strain at a similar cell density. Furthermore, all three mutants were able to readjust their volume after suspension in hypotonic media. These results suggest that in the MDCK cell line, the bumetanide-sensitive NaCl/KCl symport system does not function in the regulation of cell volume under the conditions employed.     

Characterization of Na+/K+/Cl- cotransport in cultured HT29 human colonic adenocarcinoma cells

A Na+/K+/Cl- cotransport pathway has been examined in the HT29 human colonic adenocarcinoma cell line using 86Rb as the K congener. Ouabain-resistant bumetanide-sensitive (OR-BS) K+ influx in attached HT29 cells was 17.9 +/- 0.9 nmol/min per mg protein at 25 degrees C. The identity of this pathway as a Na+/K+/Cl- cotransporter has been deduced from the following findings: (a) OR-BS K+ influx ceased if the external Cl- (Cl-o) was replaced by NO3- or the external Na+ (Na+o) by choline; (b) neither OR-BS 24Na+ nor 36Cl- influx was detectable in the absence of external K+ (K+o); and (c) concomitant measurements of 86Rb+, 22Na+, and 36Cl- influx indicated that the stoichiometry of the cotransport system approached a ratio of 1N+:1K+:2Cl-. In addition, OR-BS K+ influx was exquisitely sensitive to cellular ATP levels. Depletion of the normal ATP content of 35-40 nmol/mg protein to 10-15 nmol/mg protein, a concentration at which the ouabain-sensitive K+ influx was unaffected, completely abolished K+ cotransport. OR-BS K+ influx was slightly reduced by the divalent cations Ca2+, Ba2+, Mg2+ and Mn2+. Although changes in cell volume, whether shrinking or swelling, did not influence OR-BS K+ influx, ouabain-sensitive K+ influx was activated by cell swelling. As in T84 cells, we found that the OR-BS K+ influx in HT29 cells was stimulated by exogenous cyclic AMP analogues and by augmented cyclic AMP content in response to vasoactive intestinal peptide, forskolin, norepinephrine and forskolin or prostaglandin E1.     

Growth factors activate the bumetanide-sensitive Na+/K+/Cl-cotransport in hamster fibroblasts

alpha-Thrombin, a potent mitogen for the hamster fibroblast cell line CCL 39, stimulates by approximately 3-fold 86Rb+ uptake in a mutant lacking the Na+/H+ antiport activity (PS 120). The major component of this stimulated 86Rb+ (K+) uptake is a bumetanide-sensitive flux (IC50 = 0.4 microM), which accounts for 50% of total K+ uptake in Go-arrested cells and is approximately 4-fold stimulated by maximal thrombin concentrations (EC50 = 5 X 10(-4) units/ml). This bumetanide-sensitive 86Rb+ uptake represents a Na+/K+/Cl- cotransport, as indicated by its dependence on extracellular Na+ and Cl- and by the existence in PS 120 cells of a bumetanide-sensitive K+-dependent 22Na+ uptake. The stimulation reaches its maximum within 2 min, is reduced at acidic intracellular pH values (half-maximal at pHi = 6.8), and can also be induced, to a lesser extent, by EGF and the phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate, the effects of which are nearly additive. In contrast, preincubation with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate results in inhibition of thrombin- and EGF-induced stimulations, suggesting that activated protein kinase C might exert a feedback inhibitory control. This study clearly demonstrates that the growth factor-induced activation of the Na+/K+/Cl- cotransport is separated from the activation of the Na+/H+ antiport. However, activation of this cotransporter does not seem to play a major role in the mitogenic signaling pathway since its complete inhibition with bumetanide reduces only by 25-30% reinitiation of DNA synthesis.     

Role of cyclic GMP in atrial natriuretic factor stimulation of Na+,K+,Cl- cotransport in vascular smooth muscle cells

Atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) has been shown to bind to specific receptors on vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) and to cause an increase in intracellular cyclic GMP (cGMP) content. We have recently demonstrated that a prominent Na+,K+,Cl- cotransport system is present in VSMC and that a permeable cGMP analog (8-bromo-cGMP) stimulates activity of the cotransporter. We have also shown that the ANF peptide, rat atriopeptin III, stimulates Na+,K+,Cl- cotransport and elevates intracellular cGMP levels in VSMC. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that ANF stimulation of Na+,K+,Cl- cotransport occurs via an increase in cGMP levels. When the quinolinedione, 6-anilo-5,8-quinolinedione (LY83583) (10 microM), was used to block formation of cGMP in VSMC from primary cultures of rat thoracic aorta, it was found that both basal and rat atriopeptin III (100 nM)-stimulated Na+,K+,Cl- cotransport were significantly inhibited. The effect of LY83583 was dose-dependent and the half-maximal inhibitory concentration was 0.5 microM. LY83583 also inhibited cotransport in the presence of a maximal concentration of 8-bromo-cGMP. However, this inhibition was not seen in cells also treated with 2-O-propoxyphenyl-8-azapurin-6-one (M&B 22,948), an inhibitor of cGMP phosphodiesterase. M&B 22,948 alone also increased levels of cotransport. Since inhibition of cGMP formation blocks ANF-stimulated Na+,K+,Cl- cotransport and inhibition of cGMP breakdown enhances Na+, K+, Cl- cotransport, we conclude that ANF stimulation of Na+,K+,Cl- cotransport in VSMC is mediated via increase in intracellular cGMP levels.     

Cyclic AMP and Ca2+-activated K+ transport in a human colonic epithelial cell line

Addition of either vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) or the Ca2+ ionophore, A23187, to confluent monolayers of the T84 epithelial cell line derived from a human colon carcinoma increased the rate of 86Rb+ or 42K+ efflux from preloaded cells. Stimulation of the rate of efflux by VIP and A23187 still occurred in the presence of ouabain and bumetanide, inhibitors of the Na+,K+-ATPase and Na+,K+,Cl- cotransport, respectively. The effect of A23187 required extracellular Ca2+, while that of VIP correlated with its known effect on cyclic AMP production. Other agents which increased cyclic AMP production or mimicked its effect also increased 86Rb+ efflux. VIP- or A23187-stimulated efflux was inhibited by 5 mM Ba2+ or 1 mM quinidine, but not by 20 mM tetraethylammonium, 4 mM 4-aminopyridine, or 1 microM apamin. Under appropriate conditions, VIP and A23187 also increased the rate of 86Rb+ or 42K+ uptake. Stimulation of the initial rate of uptake by either agent required high intracellular K+ and was not markedly affected by the imposition of transcellular pH gradients. The effect of A23187, but not VIP or dibutyryl cyclic AMP, was refractory to depletion of cellular energy stores. A23187-stimulated uptake was not significantly affected by anion substitution, however, stimulation of uptake by VIP required the presence of a permeant anion. This result may be due to the simultaneous activation of a cyclic AMP-dependent Cl- transport system. The kinetics of both VIP- and A23187-stimulated uptake and efflux were consistent with a channel-rather than a carrier-mediated K+ transport mechanism. The results also suggest that cyclic AMP and Ca2+ may activate two different kinds of K+ transport systems. Finally, both transport systems have been localized to the basolateral membrane of T84 monolayers, a result compatible with their possible regulatory role in hormone-activated electrogenic Cl- secretion.     

Time-dependent biphasic regulation of Na+/K+/Cl- cotransport in rat glomerular mesangial cells

Time-dependent regulation of loop diuretic-sensitive Na+/K+/Cl- cotransport and [3H]bumetanide binding was investigated in cultured rat glomerular mesangial cells. Angiotensin II or epidermal growth factor induced stimulation of Na+/K+/Cl- cotransport within 5 min, with a return to the control values by 30 min. Treatment of cells with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (0.1 microM) (PMA), the calcium ionophore A23187 (1 microM), or the combination of 5 mM NaF and 10 microM AlCl3 produced a transient stimulation of Na+/K+/Cl- cotransport in 5-10 min to 148, 135, and 163% of control, respectively, which was followed by a progressive decrease to 34, 64, and 20% of the base-line activity, respectively, by 60 min. Exposure to cyclic 8-bromo-AMP (0.1 mM) or to forskolin (1 microM) and isobutylmethylxanthine (0.1 mM) caused a maximal inhibition of the cotransport in 5 min to 79 and 60% of control, respectively, with a subsequent gradual increase to 137 and 164% of the base-line activity, respectively, by 60 min. The effects of PMA, forskolin, and cyclic 8-bromo-AMP were concentration-dependent. In order to characterize further the alterations in the cotransport activity, binding of [3H]bumetanide was determined. Saturation binding analyses showed that the late inhibition of the cotransport by PMA and stimulation by forskolin were associated with a significant decrease and increase, respectively, in Bmax, with no significant changes in binding affinity. Correlations between changes in the cotransport activity and [3H]bumetanide binding were also observed in cells treated with cyclic 8-bromo-AMP or with NaF and AlCl3. Incubation of cells in Cl- or Na+ free solution greater than or equal to 60 min resulted in an increase in both the cotransport activity and [3H]bumetanide binding. These observations indicate that, in glomerular mesangial cells, persistent stimulation of second messengers that regulate the cotransporter induces a time-dependent, biphasic regulation of Na+/K+/Cl- cotransport and that the regulation occurring after greater than or equal to 60 min of treatment is primarily due to changes in the number of the active cotransport sites. Because long term removal of the transported ions also increases the number of active cotransport sites, these results suggest that alterations in intracellular ionic homeostasis may also mediate cotransport activity.     

Regulation of Na+/K+/Cl- cotransport and [3H]bumetanide binding site density by phorbol esters in HT29 cells

The involvement of protein kinase C in the regulation of Na+/K+/Cl- cotransport was investigated in cultured HT29 human colonic adenocarcinoma cells. We have demonstrated previously the presence of a Na+/K+/Cl- cotransport pathway in HT29 cells (Kim, H.D., Tsai, Y-S., Franklin, C.C., and Turner, J.T. (1989) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 946, 397-404). Treatment of cells with the phorbol esters phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) and phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PDBu) caused an increase in membrane-associated protein kinase C activity that was accompanied by a concomitant decrease in cytosolic protein kinase C activity. PMA also produced a rapid transient increase in cotransport to 137% of control values by 5 min followed by a progressive decrease to 19% of control values by 2 h. To determine the underlying mechanism for the reduction in Na+/K+/Cl- cotransport, changes in cotransporter number and/or affinity were determined in radioligand binding studies using [3H]bumetanide. PMA and PDBu produced essentially identical time- and dose-dependent decreases in specific [3H]bumetanide binding that were similar to the observed decreases in cotransport. Analysis of saturation and competition binding data indicated that the decrease in binding was due to a lowered Bmax with no change in affinity. Both the decrease in binding and the changes in cotransport elicited by PMA were prevented by the protein kinase inhibitor H7. These findings suggest that phorbol esters cause a decrease in the number of cotransporters in HT29 cells, resulting in a reduction in Na+/K+/Cl- cotransport activity.