Properties of Taurine Release in Glucose-Free Media in Hippocampal Slices from Developing and Adult Mice

The release of preloaded [3H]taurine from hippocampal slices from developing 7-day-old and young adult 3-month-old mice was studied in a superfusion system in the absence of glucose. These hypoglycemic conditions enhanced the release at both ages, the effect being markedly greater in developing mice. A depolarizing K+ concentration accentuated the release, which indicates that it was partially mediated by exocytosis. The anion channel blockers were inhibitory, witnessing the contribution of ion channels. NO-generating agents fomented the release as a sign of the participation of excitatory amino acid receptors. The other second messenger systems were apparently less efficient. The much greater taurine release could be a reason for the well-known greater tolerance of developing nervous tissue to lack of glucose.

Swimbladder gas gland cells cultured on permeable supports regain their characteristic polarity

SUMMARY A cell culture system has been developed in which swimbladder gas gland cells from the European eel (Anguilla anguilla) were cultured on a permeable support. Cells seeded on Anodisc 13 (Whatman) or Costar Transwell 13 mm membranes form a confluent cell layer within the first 2 or 3 days of culture but, on the basis of measurements of transepithelial resistance, it is a ‘leaky’ cell layer. In a superfusion system, the apical and basal sides of the cells were superfused asymmetrically, with saline on the apical side and a glucose-containing cell culture medium on the basal side. Under these conditions, the cells continuously produced lactic acid, and approximately 60–70 % of this lactate was released at the basal side. To mimic the in vivo situation, the saline solution supplied to the apical side was replaced by humidified air in an additional series of experiments. Cells cultured in an air/liquid system produced even more lactate, and this lactate was only released to the basal side; there was no leakage of fluid to the apical side. After 4 or 5 days in the superfusion system, the cells were fixed for histological examination. The cells were columnar, similar to gas gland cells in vivo, and showed a clear polarity, with some small microvilli at the apical membrane and extensive membrane foldings at lateral and basal membranes. Immunohistochemical localization of Na+/K+-ATPase revealed that this ATPase was present mainly in the lateral membranes; it was never found in the apical membranes. Cells cultured in the air/liquid system showed a similar structure and polarity.

A superfusion system to study border zones in confluent cultures of neonatal rat heart cells

We present a new experimental method to study intracellular ion regulation in cultured cardiomyocytes at a border zone separating two different and distinct environments. Our system uses a dual-flow superfusion chamber to produce two different but adjacent environments over a monolayer of cardiomyocytes. Fluorescent microscopy of fluorescein showed that the transition between the two environments was nearly linear and was 220–320 μm wide depending on fluid viscosity and velocity. We superfused cultured monolayers on one side with a solution at pH 6.5 and on the other side with a solution at pH 7.4. We observed a sharply demarcated difference in intracellular pH (pHi) between the two halves of the cell monolayer as measured with the fluorescent pHi indicator carboxy-seminaphthorhodafluor-1. The demarcation of pHi corresponded well with the demarcation of the border measured with fluorescein. We conclude that our superfusion system will facilitate the study of intercellular communication and interactions across boundaries of cardiac tissue where different ionic or metabolic conditions are present, for example, between ischemic and nonischemic myocardium.

Effect of nitric oxide on renin secretion. I. Studies in isolated juxtaglomerular granular cells

Experiments were performed on juxtaglomerular granular cells (JGC) in short-term primary culture to determine the direct immediate effect of NO on renin secretion and to test whether JGC are able to generate NO. Renin secretion was measured repeatedly over short time intervals in a cell superfusion system. Renin release did not significantly decrease over a 40-min observation period in untreated JGC. Addition of sodium nitroprusside (SNP) caused a reduction in renin release (measured in nano-Goldblatt hog units vs. time, i.e., nGU/min) from 479 +/- 25, 423 +/- 70, and 388 +/- 54 nGU/min to 295 +/- 19 (n = 5), 102 +/- 21 (n = 7), and 71 +/- 9 nGU/min (n = 6) with 10(-5), 10(-4), and 10(-3) M SNP, respectively. In the presence of the guanylate cyclase inhibitor methylene blue at 10(-4) M, SNP at 10(-4) M had no significant effect on renin secretion. 8-Bromoguanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate at 10(-4) M in the presence of the phosphodiesterase inhibitor 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (10(-3) M) caused a reduction of renin secretion to 50.1 +/- 3.6% of control. To examine the possibility that renin secretion is affected by NO release from JGC, we assessed the effect of the NO synthase (NOS) substrate L-arginine (10(-3) M) and the NOS blocker N omega-nitro-L-arginine (10(-4) M) on renin secretion. Renin release was not significantly altered by either stimulation or inhibition of NOS activity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)