Michael Lombardi

Vasopressin alters the mechanism of apical Cl- entry from Na+:Cl- to Na+:K+:2Cl- cotransport in mouse medullary thick ascending limb

SummaryExperiments were performed usingin vitro perfused medullary thick ascending limbs of Henle (MTAL) and in suspensions of MTAL tubules isolated from mouse kidney to evaluate the effects of arginine vasopressin (AVP) on the K+ dependence of the apical, furosemide-sensitive Na+:Cl− cotransporter and on transport-related oxygen consumption (QO2). In isolated perfused MTAL segments, the rate of cell swelling induced by removing K+ from, and adding onemm ouabain to, the basolateral solution [ouabain(zero-K+)] provided an index to apical cotransporter activity and was used to evaluated the ionic requirements of the apical cotransporter in the presence and absence of AVP. In the absence of AVP cotransporter activity required Na+ and Cl−, but not K+, while in the presence of AVP the apical cotransporter required all three ions.86Rb+ uptake into MTAL tubules in suspension was significant only after exposure of tubules to AVP. Moreover,22Na+ uptake was unaffected by extracellular K+ in the absence of AVP while after AVP exposure22Na+ uptake was strictly K+-dependent. The AVP-induced coupling of K+ to the Na+:Cl− cotransporter resulted in a doubling in the rate of NaCl absorption without a parallel increase in the rate of cellular22Na+ uptake or transport-related oxygen consumption. These results indicate that arginine vasopressin alters the mode of a loop diuretic-sensitive transporter from Na+:Cl− cotransport to Na+:K+:2Cl− cotransport in the mouse MTAL with the latter providing a distinct metabolic advantage for sodium transport. A model for AVP action on NaCl absorption by the MTAL is presented and the physiological significance of the coupling of K+ to the apical Na+:Cl− cotransporter in the MTAL and of the enhanced metabolic efficiency are discussed.

Drop-on-Demand Single Cell Isolation and Total RNA Analysis

Technologies that rapidly isolate viable single cells from heterogeneous solutions have significantly contributed to the field of medical genomics. Challenges remain both to enable efficient extraction, isolation and patterning of single cells from heterogeneous solutions as well as to keep them alive during the process due to a limited degree of control over single cell manipulation. Here, we present a microdroplet based method to isolate and pattern single cells from heterogeneous cell suspensions (10% target cell mixture), preserve viability of the extracted cells (97.0±0.8%), and obtain genomic information from isolated cells compared to the non-patterned controls. The cell encapsulation process is both experimentally and theoretically analyzed. Using the isolated cells, we identified 11 stem cell markers among 1000 genes and compare to the controls. This automated platform enabling high-throughput cell manipulation for subsequent genomic analysis employs fewer handling steps compared to existing methods.

Androgen regulation of gene expression in the mouse lacrimal gland.

The objective of this study was to determine the nature and extent of androgen influence on gene expression in the lacrimal gland. Lacrimal glands were obtained from orchiectomized mice that had been treated with testosterone or vehicle for 2 weeks, as well as from testicular feminized mice and their Tabby controls. Samples were pooled according to experiment, processed for the isolation of RNA, and analyzed for differentially expressed mRNAs by using primarily CodeLink Bioarrays, GEM 1 and 2 gene chips and quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) procedures. Gene chip data were analyzed with GeneSifter.Net software. Our results demonstrate that testosterone regulates the expression of over 2000 genes in the lacrimal gland. Gene ontologies most affected by androgen treatment included those related to cell growth, proliferation and metabolism, cell communication and transport, nucleic acid binding, signal transduction and receptor activities. Our findings also indicate that androgen action may be mediated, at least in part, through classical androgen receptors, and may contribute to the sex-related differences in gene expression of lacrimal tissue. Overall, these results support our working hypothesis that androgen action on the lacrimal gland is mediated primarily through a receptor-associated regulation of gene transcription.

Sex-related Differences in Gene Expression in Salivary Glands of BALB/c Mice:

Sex-related differences exist in the structure and function of the major glands in a variety of species. Moreover, many of these variations appear to be unique to each tissue. We hypothesized that this sexual dimorphism is due, at least in part, to gland-specific differences in gene expression between males and females. Glands were collected from male and female BALB/c mice (n = 5/sex/experiment), and total RNA was isolated. Samples were analyzed for differentially expressed mRNAs with CodeLink microarrays, and data were evaluated by GeneSifter. Our results demonstrate that significant (P < 0.05) sex-related differences exist in the expression of numerous genes in the major salivary glands, and many of these differences were tissue-specific. These findings support our hypothesis that sex-related differences in the salivary glands are due, at least in part, to tissue-specific variations in gene expression.