M. Kansen

Immortalization of nasal polyp epithelial cells from cystic fibrosis patients

We have developed immortalized epithelial cystic fibrosis (CF) cell lines by infecting cultured nasal polyp cells with a SV40/Adenol2 hybrid virus. The cell lines obtained are epithelial in nature as shown by cytokeratin production and morphology, although cytokeratins 4 and 13 typical of primary nasal polyp cells are produced at a much reduced rate. Ussing chamber experiments showed that the precrisis CF cell line NCF3 was able to perform trans-cellular chloride transport when activated by agents which elevate intracellular calcium. cAMP agonists had no effect on chloride flux in NCF3 as expected for CF cells. The apical chloride channels found with the patch clamp technique in NCF3 and in the postcrisis cell line NCF3A have a conductance similar to that of chloride channels found earlier in normal and CF epithelial cells. The channels show a delay in the onset of activity in off-cell patches and are not activated by increased cAMP levels in the cell. This indicates that immortalized CF epithelial cells will provide a useful model for the study of cystic fibrosis.

Synergistic activation of non-rectifying small-conductance chloride channels by forskolin and phorbol esters in cell-attached patches of the human colon carcinoma cell line HT-29cl.19A

Cell-attached patch-clamp studies with the human colon carcinoma HT-29cl.19A cells revealed a small chloride channel with a unitary conductance of 6.5 pS at 70 mV and 4.6 pS at −70 mV clamp potential after cAMP was increased by activation of adenylyl cyclase by forskolin. Usually channels inactivated upon patch excision, but in a few excised patches the channels stayed active and displayed a linear I/V relation in symmetrical (150 mmol/l) chloride solutions with a conductance of 7.5 pS. A 16-fold increase in channel incidence was observed when forskolin and phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PDB) were present together. The open probability was voltage-independent and was not different in the presence of forskolin plus PDB or with forskolin alone. The conductance sequence of the channel as deduced from outward currents carried by five different anions including chloride was: Cl−>Br−>NO3−>gluconate > I−. The permeability sequence deduced from the reversal potentials was NO3−≥Br−>Cl−>I−>gluconate. With iodide in the pipette the conductance decreased strongly. Moreover, the inward current was reduced by 61%, indicating a strong inhibition of the chloride efflux by iodide. Similarly, the forskolin-induced increase of the short-circuit current (Isc) in confluent filter-grown monolayers was strongly reduced by iodide in the apical perfusate. Iodide also increased the fractional resistance of the apical membrane and repolarized the membrane potential, indicating an inhibitory action on the forskolin-induced increase of the apical chloride conductance. The PDB-induced Isc was also reduced by iodide, suggesting that the same chloride conductance is involved in the forskolin and in the PDB response. The results suggest that forskolin via cAMP-dependent protein kinase and PDB via protein kinase C regulate the same non-rectifying small-conductance chloride channels in the HT-29cl.19A cells.

Chloride Transport in the Cystic Fibrosis Enterocyte

Molecular mechanisms of intestinal chloride channel regulation and potential abnormalities in electrogenic chloride secretion in intestinal epithelium from cystic fibrosis (CF) patients were investigated by a combination of Ussing chamber, vesicle transport and off-cell patch-clamp analysis. Short circuit current (Isc) measurements in normal and CF rectal biopsies provided evidence for i) a defect in the cAMP-provoked activation of chloride secretion and a (hyper)expression of cAMP-dependent potassium secretion in all CF patients examined (n = 11); ii) a defect in the carbachol-provoked chloride secretion and a (hyper)expression of carbachol-induced potassium secretion in 6/11 patients; iii) a residual (but still impaired) carbachol-induced chloride secretion in 5/11 CF patients (including 2 sibs). The latter class of CF patients appeared to consist genetically of compound heterozygotes for the major delta-F508 deletion, suggesting a correlation between the nature of the mutation in the CF gene and the severity of the chloride secretory defect in CF intestine. In our search for a regulatory function of GTP-binding (G-) proteins detected previously in the luminal membrane of rat and human intestinal epithelial cells, evidence was found for the presence of a GTP[S]-activatable- and GDP[S]-inhibitable chloride conductance in the apical membrane of rat enterocytes and human colonocytes. In excised patches of human colonocyt membranes, this G-proteine-sensitive chloride conductance was identified further as a novel type of chloride channel (20pS; inwardly rectifying) that was different from the 33pS outwardly rectifying chloride channel activatable by cAMP-dependent proteinkinase (PK-A) and voltage depolarization.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Calcium ionophore plus excision induce a large conductance chloride channel in membrane patches of human colon carcinoma cells HT-29cl.19A

In excised inside-out membrane patches of the human colon carcinoma HT-29cl.19A cells a large conductance (373±10 pS) chloride channel was found. Channel activity could only be observed after excision of patches from cells incubated with calcium ionophore. The channel was never observed in cell-attached patches. The channel was strongly voltage dependent, being open only between +30 and −30 mV clamp potentials. The selectivity sequence among anions, deduced from reversal potentials, was I>Br>Cl>F>gluconate. The PNa/PCl was 0.09. Although a similar type of channel, has been described earlier, this is the first report stating its appearance in patches of intestinal epithelial cells requiring the combined action of Ca2+ ionophore and excision, suggesting its control by an intracellular compound.

Regulation of chloride transport in cultured normal and cystic fibrosis keratinocytes

Cultured normal (N) cystic fibrosis (CF) keratinocytes were evaluated for their Cl(-)-transport properties by patch-clamp-, Ussing chamber- and isotopic efflux-measurements. Special attention was paid to a 32 pS outwardly rectifying Cl- channel which has been reported to be activated upon activation of cAMP-dependent pathways in N, but not in CF cells. This depolarization-induced Cl- channel was found with a similar incidence in N and CF apical keratinocyte membranes. However, activation of this channel in excised patches by protein kinase (PK)-A or PK-C was not successful in either N or CF keratinocytes. Forskolin was not able to activate Cl- channels in N and CF cell-attached patches. The Ca(2+)-ionophore A23187 activated in cell-attached patches a linear 17 pS Cl- channel in both N and CF cells. This channel inactivated upon excision. No relationship between the cell-attached 17 pS and the excised 32 pS channel could be demonstrated. Returning to the measurement of Cl- transport at the macroscopic level, we found that a drastic rise in intracellular cAMP induced by forskolin did in N as well as CF cells not result in a change in the short-circuit current (Isc) or the fractional efflux rates of 36Cl- and 125I-. In contrast, addition of A23187 resulted in an increase of the Isc and in the isotopic anion efflux rates in N and CF cells. We conclude that Cl(-)-transport in cultured human keratinocytes can be activated by Ca2+, but not by cAMP-dependent pathways.

Cultured epithelial cells from patients with Cystic Fibrosis have an increased expression of the 14 kDa Ca2+-binding protein CFA

The Cystic Fibrosis antigen (CFA) is a 14 kDa. Ca2(+)-binding protein known to be expressed in cells of myeloid origin during normal cell differentiation. CFA serum levels are elevated in Cystic Fibrosis (CF) patients and heterozygotes. We examined the expression of CFA in different cultured epithelial cells from controls and patients with CF. The steady state level of CFA was in general higher in epithelial cells from CF patients compared to control cells and was found to increase during cell aging. The latter difference could be attributed to an increased rate of CFA synthesis rather than to an impairment of CFA degradation or secretion, as shown by pulse chase experiments.

Regulation of chloride channels in the human colon carcinoma cell line HT29.cl19A.

Chloride (Cl−) channels are important in the regulation of salt and water transport in secretory epithelial cells. A disturbed Cl− secretion is the most consistent characteristic in the genetic disease cystic fibrosis. An outwardly rectifying Cl− channel (OR) with a conductance of 25–50 pS had been proposed to play a major role in Cl− secretion. Activation by Ca2+ and the protein kinases (PK) A and C (at less than 10 nM Ca2+) as well as inhibition by PKC (at 1 μM Ca2+) has been reported. In the present study, we have identified and characterized the OR in HT29.cl19A human colon carcinoma cells. The OR displayed a conductance of 31±4 pS (n=25). Its open probability in 10 nM Ca2+ was voltage-dependent in 50% of the patches, starting from 0.2 at -70 mV to 0.8 at 70 mV. The spontaneous activation in excised inside-out patches at −60 mV was Ca2+-dependent and decreased from 29% in 1 mM Ca2+ to 2% in 10 nM Ca2+. Active OR were found in (a) 25% of patches exposed to 10 nM Ca2+, ATP and cAMP only, (b) 42% of the patches exposed to 10 nM Ca2+, ATP and the catalytic subunit of PKA (CAK) and (c) 67% of the patches exposed to 1 mM Ca2+, ATP plus CAK. Inhibition of voltage-activated channels by addition of PKC in 1 μM or 1 mM Ca2+ was not observed. Attempts to activate the OR in cell-attached patches by increasing cAMP levels under different experimental conditions were unsuccessful. Our data suggest that the OR may not be as important in Cl− secretion as has been thought.

Ion Transport Regulation in Cystic Fibrosis Epithelia

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an autosomal recessive inherited disease that is manifest predominantly among Caucasians. In the Netherlands the average age of survival is 21 years. The clinical symptoms of CF are meconium ileus, pancreatic insufficiency, and/or obstruction of the deeper regions of the airways. In 99% of patients, salt wasting in the sweat is apparent. A single locus appears to be involved in CF, and the defective gene has been located on chromosome 7 (Wainwright et al. 1985).