Ewald Wöll

Molecular and functional aspects of anionic channels activated during regulatory volume decrease in mammalian cells

Abstract. The ability of cells to readjust their volume after swelling, a phenomenon known as regulatory volume decrease (RVD), is a fundamental biological achievement guaranteeing survival and function of cells under osmotic stress. This article reviews the mechanisms of RVD in mammalian cells with special emphasis on the activation of ion channels during RVD.

Antisense oligonucleotides suppress cell-volume-induced activation of chloride channels

Cell volume regulation is an essential feature of most cells. After swelling in hypotonic media, the simultaneous activation of potassium and chloride channels is believed to be the initial, time-determining step in cell volume regulation. The activation of both pathways is functionally linked and enables the cells to lose ions and water, subsequently leading to cell shrinkage and readjustment of the initial volume. NIH 3T3 fibroblasts efficiently regulate their volume after swelling and bear chloride channels that are activated by decreasing extracellular osmolarity. The chloride current elicited in these cells after swelling is reminiscent of the current found in oocytes expressing an outwardly rectifying chloride current termed ICln. Introduction of antisense oligodeoxynucleotides complementary to the first 30 nucleotides of the coding region of the ICln channel into NIH 3T3 fibroblasts suppresses the activation of the swelling-induced chloride current. The experiments directly demonstrate an unambiguous link between a volume-activated chloride current and a cloned protein involved in chloride transport.

Na+/H+Exchangers: Linking Osmotic Dysequilibrium to Modified Cell Function

The Na+/H+ exchangers (NHEs) are among the major ion transporters involved in cell volume regulation. NHE activation leads to a cellular influx of Na+ ions and extrusion of H+ ions, which are readily replenished from intracellular buffers. This will result in a net import of Na+. In many systems NHE operates in parallel to Cl–-/ HCO33– exchange, resulting in cellular uptake of NaCl. The influx of osmotically obliged water will consequently lead to cell swelling. This makes NHEs suitable to serve as powerful mechanisms for increasing cell volume (CV). The low volume threshold for NHE activation enables the cells to respond to very minute reductions of the CV. By the coupling to the export of H+ ions cell volume regulatory NHE activation may lead to changes in intracellular pH. On the other hand NHEs are activated by a broad variety of ligands and by intracellular acidosis, which, in turn, may consequently lead to cell swelling. In addition, NHEs are linked to other intracellular proteins and structures, like e.g. the cytoskeleton, which themelves are involved in the regulation of numerous cellular processes. Therefore NHEs link CV regulation to a diversity of cellular functions, both in physiological and pathophysiological conditions. Six isoforms of the Na+/H+ exchanger, termed NHE1 - 6, have been cloned so far. NHE 1 - 5 are located in the plasma membrane, whereas NHE6 is sorted to the mitochondrial membrane. NHE1 and NHE6 are the ubiquitously expressed isoforms. The expression of the isoforms NHE2 to NHE5 is restricted to specific tissues and the pattern of their expression, as well as their subcellular localization indicate that they fulfill specialized functions. Cell shrinkage induced activation has been shown for NHE1,2 and 4. In contrast, NHE3 is inhibited by cell shrinkage. In many cells several isoforms are present and assigned to specific membrane domains where they may serve a functional crosstalk between the different ion transporters.

Effect of inhibitors of Na+/H+‐exchange and gastric H+/K+ ATPase on cell volume, intracellular pH and migration of human polymorphonuclear leucocytes

Stimulation of chemotaxis of human polymorphonuclear leucocytes (PMNs) with the chemoattractive peptide fMLP (N‐formyl‐Met‐Leu‐Phe) is paralleled by profound morphological and metabolic alterations like changes of intracellular pH (pHi) and cell shape. The present study was performed to investigate the interrelation of cell volume (CV) regulatory ion transport, pHi and migration of fMLP stimulated PMNs. Addition of fMLP to PMNs stimulated directed migration in Boyden chamber assays and was accompanied by rapid initial intracellular acidification and cell swelling. Inhibition of the Na+/H+ exchanger suppressed fMLP stimulated cell migration, accelerated the intracellular acidification and inhibited the fMLP‐induced cell swelling. Step omission of extracellular Na+ caused intracellular acidification, which was accelerated by subsequent addition of gastric H+/K+ ATPase inhibitor SCH 28080, or by omission of extracellular K+ ions. In addition Na+ removal caused cell swelling, which was further enhanced by fMLP. H+/K+ATPase inhibitors omeprazole and SCH 28080 inhibited stimulated migration and blunted the fMLP‐induced increase in CV. Increasing extracellular osmolarity by addition of mannitol to the extracellular solution caused cell shrinkage followed by regulatory volume increase, partially due to activation of the Na+/H+ exchanger. In fMLP‐stimulated cells the CV increase was counteracted by simultaneous addition of mannitol. Under these conditions the fMLP stimulated migration was inhibited. The antibacterial activity of PMNs was not modified by Hoe 694 or omeprazole. Western analysis with a monoclonal anti gastric H+/K+ATPase β‐subunit antibody detected a glycosylated 35 kD core protein in lysates of mouse and human gastric mucosa as well as in human PMNs. The results indicate that fMLP leads to cell swelling of PMNs due to activation of the Na+/H+ exchanger and a K+‐dependent H+‐extruding mechanism, presumably an H+/K+ ATPase. Inhibition of these ion transporters suppresses the increase in CV and precludes PMNs from stimulated migration.

Altered cell volume regulation in ras oncogene expressing NIH fibroblasts

Expression of the Ha-ras oncogene has been reported to stimulate the dimethylamiloride sensitive Na+/H+ exchanger and Na+, K+, 2Cl− cotransport, both transport systems which are involved in cell volume regulation. The present study has been performed to test for an influence of ras oncogene expression on cell volume regulation in NIH 3T3 fibroblasts expressing the Ha-ras oncogene (+ ras). As controls served NIH 3T3 fibroblasts not expressing the ras oncogene (− ras). In isotonic extracellular fluid, the cell volume of + ras cells (2.70±0.08 pl) is significantly greater than the cell volume of −ras cells (2.04±0.10 pl). Both, + ras and − ras cells exhibit a regulatory cell volume increase in hypertonic extracellular fluid and a regulatory cell volume decrease in hypotonic extracellular fluid. The regulatory cell volume decrease is inhibited by 1 mmol/l quinidine and barium, the regulatory cell volume increase is inhibited in − ras and + ras cells by dimethyl-amiloride (100 μmol/l) and, only in + ras cells, by furosemide (100 μmol/l) and bumetanide (10 μmol/l). In conclusion, expression of the ras oncogene leads to a shift of the set point for cell volume regulation to greater cell volumes, which may contribute to the activation of the Na+/H+ exchanger and Na+, K+, 2Cl− cotransport.

Fluorescence-optical measurements of chloride movements in cells using the membrane-permeable dye diH-MEQ.

Fluorescence-optical measurements of the intracellular chloride concentration facilitate identification of chloride movements across the cell membrane of living cells. The two main dyes used for this purpose are 6-methoxy-N-(3-sulfopropyl)quinolinium (SPQ) and 6-methoxy-quinolyl acetoethyl ester (MQAE). The use of both substances is impaired by their poor membrane permeability and therefore limited loading of the cells to be studied. Here we report the use of 6-methoxy-N-ethylquinolinium iodide (MEQ), a chloride-sensitive dye for which a membrane-permeable form is easily prepared. This makes the loading procedure as easy as with the acetoxymethyl (AM) forms of other dyes for sensing intracellular ions. In addition, the original method, which described absolute concentration measurements of chloride in the cytosol, was modified in so far as only relative measurements were made. This avoids the known limitations of single wavelength excitation and emission dyes with respect to exact concentration measurements. More-over, to enhance the signal-to-noise ratio the driving force for chloride was considerably increased by changing the original direction of the anion flux in the cells under investigation. We verified the method by using fibroblasts and activating ICln, a putative chloride channel cloned from epithelial cells and of paramount importance in the regulatory volume decrease in these cells. In the presence of SCN− the MEQ quench measured in NIH 3T3 fibroblasts is dramatically enhanced in hypotonically challenged cells compared with cells under isotonic conditions. Antisense oligodeoxynucleotides sensing ICln considerably impeded the swelling-induced chloride current (ICl) in NIH 3T3 fibroblasts. Accordingly, the chloride movement measured by the SCN− quench of the MEQ signal was significantly reduced. Similar results can be obtained in the presence of 5-nitro-2-(3-phenylpropylamino)benzoic acid (NPPB) or 4,4′-diisothiocyanatostilbene-2,2′-disulfonic acid (DIDS), two known blockers of chloride transport in the plasma membrane of a variety of cells. In conclusion, fluroscence-optical measurements using MEQ as the chloride-sensitive dye provide a reliable and easy-to-use method for measuring changes of the chloride flux across the cell membrane of living cells.

Thrombotic Microangiopathy with Renal Failure in Two Patients Undergoing Gemcitabine Chemotherapy

Described here are 2 patients who developed thrombotic microangiopathy of the kidneys after receiving high cumulative doses of the new anticancer drug gemcitabine. The first patient, who received gemcitabine for treatment of a carcinoma of the pancreas, required hemodialysis for 6 months. In the second case, a woman suffering from a cholangiocellular carcinoma, end-stage renal disease was irreversible. Clinical awareness, timely detection and discontinuation of gemcitabine are mandatory to prevent this rare but disastrous complication of gemcitabine therapy.

Modification of Cellular Ion Transport by the Ha-ras Oncogene: Steps towards Malignant Transformation

Expression of the transforming Ha-ras oncogene in NIH 3T3 fibroblasts (+ras cells) results in growth-factor-independent proliferation, breakdown of actin stress fiber network and increase in intracellular pH and cell volume due to activation of the Na+/H+ exchanger and Na+, K+, 2C1- cotransport. +ras cells respond to mitogens like serum or bradykinin with sustained oscillations of the cell membrane potential due to stimulated calcium entry which triggers pulsatile release of calcium from internal stores and subsequent activation of calcium-sensitive K+ channels. Calcium antagonists like bepridil or nifedipine inhibit cellular calcium entry and oscillations of the intracellular calcium concentration, protect +ras cells against actin stress fiber depolymerization, block activation of the Na+/H+ exchanger and inhibit cell proliferation. Inhibition of the Na+/H+ exchanger inhibits the increase in the intracellular pH and cell proliferation but does not alter cytoskeletal rearrangement, calcium entry or oscillations of intracellular calcium. In cells not expressing the oncogene (-ras cells), bradykinin causes a single transient hyperpolarization, is without effect on cytoarchitecture and leads to cell shrinkage unless actin filament disruption is induced by cytochalasin D or pretreatment of the cells with LiCl. Apparently the oscillations of intracellular calcium are required for depolymerization of the actin filaments and for activation of the Na+/H+ exchanger. Thus the alterations of ion transport are prerequisites for growth-factor-independent proliferation of Ha-ras-oncogene-expressing cells.Expression of the transforming Ha- ras oncogene in NIH 3T3 fibroblasts (+ras cells) results in growth-factor-independent proliferation, breakdown of actin stress f

Insight into the Structure-Function Relation of Chloride Channels

Chloride channels are highly selective transport proteins ubiquitously expressed in eukaryotic cells. Biophysical methods allow discrimination between several different types of chloride channels with

Secretoneurin-induced in vitro chemotaxis of human monocytes is inhibited by pertussis toxin and an inhibitor of protein kinase C

The sensory neuropeptide secretoneurin (SN) triggers chemotactic migration of monocytes. We have investigated the possibility that SN, like other chemoattractants such as formyl-Met-Leu-Phe and chemokines, might stimulate migration of monocytes by G protein and protein kinase C (PKC) activation and induce Ca2+i release. We report that preincubation of monocytes with pertussis toxin inhibited SN chemotaxis. Staurosporine, an inhibitor of PKC, significantly decreased SN-induced chemotaxis of monocytes, suggesting that PKC may be involved in the signaling. Tyrphostin-23, which inhibits tyrosin kinase, did not affect SN-induced chemotaxis of monocytes. This suggests that SN uses a signaling mechanism that is coupled to pertussis toxin-sensitive G proteins. Involvement of phospholipase C beta as a result of PKC activation is suggested by a SN-induced increase of intracellular Ca2+ concentration in monocytes.