Endogenous regulation of 2-deoxyglucose uptake in C6 glioma cells correlates with cytoskeleton-mediated changes of surface morphology.

The cellular basis of the membrane-limited state of glucose utilization and the mechanism of the endogenous regulation of hexose uptake in dense monolayers of C6 glioma cells were investigated. In an earlier study, it was shown that at high rates of glucose transport and phosphorylation combined with the inhibition of glycolytic adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production by iodoacetate, an endogenous regulatory response occurred that resulted in rapid, periodic variations of the glucose uptake rates (Lange et al., 1982). Similar time-dependent periodic changes of uptake rates also occurred during incubation of C6 glioma cells with 2 mM 2-deoxyglucose (2-DG) without pretreatment of the cells with iodoacetate. These changes were accompanied by variations of the intracellular ATP content, by distinct alterations of the shape and arrangement of microvilli and lamellae (lamellipodia) on the cell surface, and by changes of the cytoskeletal F-actin content. Because the changes of 2-DG uptake rates occurred independent of the intracellular 2-DG concentration, the bulk of this 2-DG pool was assumed to be localized apart from the membranal transport sites. Downregulation of 2-DG uptake appeared to be triggered by a rapid decrease of a small pool of the cellular ATP involved in the phosphorylation of transported hexose. Scanning and transmission electron microscopic observations of cells fixed in different states of the endogenous uptake regulation supported the assumption that the interior of lamellae and microvilli may represent a small entrance compartment for transported hexoses in which occurred the observed close coupling between hexose transport and phosphorylation as well as the rapid variations of ATP content. Hexose uptake is supposed to be regulated by cytoskeleton-mediated changes of volume and diffusional accessibility of this compartment, modulating the degree of its metabolic coupling with the cytoplasmic main compartment.

Characterization of sodium and pyruvate interactions of the two carrier systems specific of mono- and di- or tricarboxylic acids by renal brush-border membrane vesicles.

The experiments reported in this paper aim at characterizing the carboxylic acid transport, the interactions of pyruvate and citrate with their transport sites and specificity. The study of these carriers was performed using isotopic solutes for the influx measurements in brush-border membrane vesicles under zero trans conditions where the membrane potential was abolished with KCl preloading with valinomycin or equilibrium exchange conditions and delta psi = 0. Under zero trans condition and delta psi = 0, the influence of pyruvate concentrations on its initial rates of transport revealed the existence of two families of pyruvate transport sites, one with a high affinity for pyruvate (Kt = 88 microM) and a low affinity for sodium (Kt = 57.7 mM) (site I), the second one with a low affinity for pyruvate (Kt = 6.1 mM) and a high affinity for sodium (Kt = 23.9 mM) (site II). The coupling factor [Na]/[pyruvate] stoichiometry were determined at 0.25 mM and 8 mM pyruvate and estimated at 1.8 for site I, and 3 when the first and the second sites transport simultaneously. Under chemical equilibrium (delta psi congruent to 0) single isotopic labeling, transport kinetics of pyruvate carrier systems have shown a double interaction of pyruvate with the transporter; the sodium/pyruvate stoichiometry also expressed according to a Hill plot representation was n = 1.7. The direct method of measuring Na+/pyruvate stoichiometry from double labeling kinetics and isotopic exchange, for a time course, gives a n = 1.67. Studies of transport specificity, indicate that the absence of inhibition of lactate transport by citrate and the existence of competitive inhibition of lactate and citrate transports by pyruvate leads to the conclusion that the low pyruvate affinity site can be attributed to the citrate carrier (tricarboxylate) and the high pyruvate affinity site to the lactate carrier (monocarboxylate).

Role of calcium and calmodulin in the regulation of the rabbit ileal brush-border membrane Na+/H+ antiporter.

In rabbit ileum, Ca2+/calmodulin (CaM) appears to be involved in physiologically inhibiting the linked NaCl absorptive process, since inhibitors of Ca2+/CaM stimulate linked Na+ and Cl- absorption. The role of Ca2+/CaM-dependent phosphorylation in regulation of the brush-border Na+/H+ antiporter, which is believed to be part of the neutral linked NaCl absorptive process, was studied using purified brush-border membrane vesicles, which contain both the Na+/H+ antiporter and Ca2+/CaM-dependent protein kinase(s) and its phosphorprotein substrates. Rabbit ileal villus cell brush-border membrane vesicles were prepared by Mg precipitation and depleted of ATP. Using a freezethaw technique, the ATP-depleted vesicles were loaded with Ca2+, CaM, ATP and an ATP-regenerating system consisting of creatine kinase and creatine phosphate. The combination of Ca2+/CaM and ATP inhibited Na+/H+ exchange by 45 +/- 13%. This effect was specific since Ca2+/CaM and ATP did not alter diffusive Na+ uptake, Na+-dependent glucose entry, or Na+ or glucose equilibrium volumes. The inhibition of the Na+/H+ exchanger by Ca2+/CaM/ATP was due to an effect on the Vmax and not on the Km for Na+. In the presence of CaM and ATP, Ca2+ caused a concentration-dependent inhibition of Na+ uptake, with an effect 50% of maximum occurring at 120 nM. This Ca2+ concentration dependence was similar to the Ca2+ concentration dependence of Ca2+/CaM-dependent phosphorylation of specific proteins in the vesicles. The Ca2+/CaM/ATP-inhibition of Na+/H+ exchange was reversed by W13, a Ca2+/CaM antagonist, but not by a hydrophobic control, W12, or by H-7, a protein kinase C antagonist. We conclude that Ca2+, acting through CaM, regulates ileal brush-border Na+/H+ exchange, and that this may be involved in the regulation of neutral linked NaCl absorption.

Light microscopical visualization of phosphatase activities demonstrated with the cerium method in resin sections of the kidney with the microwave oven.

The light microscopically invisible reaction product cerium phosphate in resin sections of rat kidney, that had been incubated for the demonstration of phosphatase activities before embedding, was converted into a visible reaction product by incubation for 10 min at 80 degrees C in alkaline lead citrate in a microwave oven. This method offers the possibility to study phosphatase activities with the cerium method in semithin Epon sections. Furthermore it is a suitable method to select areas with phosphatase activity to be studied with the electron microscope.

The growth and life of a monoclonal crypt.

A computer simulation of a highly dynamic model for the birth, growth and adult life of a monoclonal crypt in the intestine was developed starting with a single precursor stem cell. The intestinal epithelial system was studied and observed in analogy to 'in vivo' experiments. The model output, e.g. the geometric shape of a crypt, mitotic index, labelling index and the crypt length distribution in adult state, was compared with experimental data. There was evidence from the simulation that a certain steady state in the adult life could be reached regardless of some harmless influences in post-natal life, e.g. the influence of being weaned or non-weaned. The model is based on our hypothesis of the generation-controlled proliferation mechanism and at the same time is a confirmation of it.

Cytocortical organization during natural and prolonged mitosis of mouse 8-cell blastomeres.

Late 8-cell blastomeres were harvested within the first 45 min after entering mitosis. Some mitotic cells were analysed within the ensuing 2 h for the organization of their surface in relation to their progress through mitosis. Whereas in most late interphase cells microvilli were restricted to a discrete polar region, in mitotic cells at all stages from early metaphase to immediately postcytokinesis microvilli were found to be present over more of the cell surface. Other mitotic cells were placed in nocodazole to arrest them in M-phase for up to 10 h. They were found to show an even more extensive distribution of microvilli over the whole surface, the longer periods of incubation yielding more extended coverage such that many cells no longer appeared to have any residual surface polarity. Removal from nocodazole at all time points from 1 to 10 h resulted in most cells completing mitosis to yield pairs of cells which, in most cases, resembled pairs derived from nonarrested blastomeres and in which a defined polar area of microvilli was restored. However, the percentage of differentiative divisions decreased after 6 h arrest. If, instead of removing cells from nocodazole, they were placed in both nocodazole and cytochalasin D (CCD) for periods of up to 3 h, most microvilli retracted to reveal a tight polar zone of CCD-resistant microvilli. This result suggests that a heterogeneity of cytocortical organization may still exist within the arrested mitotic cell. We propose a model to explain the origin of this heterogeneity of organization and its relationship to the generation of cell diversity.

Cellular adaptation of the rat small intestine after proximal enterectomy: changes in microvillous enzymes and in the secretory component of immunoglobulins.

To investigate the adaptation of functions expressed by the villous and crypt cell of the intestinal mucosa after intestinal resection, a 50% proximal enterectomy or a single transection was performed in 16 growing rats weighing 175-200 g. Ten days following the enterectomy, we determined the mucosal mass parameters (weight, protein, and DNA content), the activity of microvillous enzymes (lactase, sucrase, and aminopeptidase) in villus cells, and the concentration of the secretory component of immunoglobulins in crypt cells isolated from the proximal intestinal remnant. Mucosal hyperplasia was attested by the finding that mucosal weight, protein, and DNA content per cm of intestinal length were significantly (p less than 0.01) higher (+29 to +48%) in the resected group than in transected controls. The specific activity of lactase, sucrase, and aminopeptidase were significantly (p less than 0.05) lower (-23 to -56%) in villous cells isolated from the intestinal remnant of resected rats compared to controls. Sucrase activity was depressed in each cell fraction of the entire villous-crypt unit resulting in a lower villous to crypt gradient of enzyme activity. Km for the enzyme determined in villous cells was similar in both groups but the Vmax was reduced proportionally to the enzyme activity in the resected group indicating less enzyme per cell. By contrast, the concentration of secretory component measured by an immunoradiometric assay in both villous and crypt cells was significantly (p less than 0.05) increased (+37 to 45%) following proximal enterectomy. Our data indicate that the response of the epithelial cell to intestinal resection varies according to the metabolic function and that the mechanism of adaptation at the cellular level is complex.

Differential distribution of digestive enzymes in isolated epithelial cells from developing human fetal small intestine and colon.

The human fetal colon has morphological and biochemical characteristics similar to that of the small intestine during development. A comparative study of these two organs was undertaken by selectively isolating their respective epithelium at different ages of gestation. Histological and biochemical analysis revealed a complete and selective removal of the epithelium from the underlying tissue regardless of their stage of development. Intestinal and colonic epithelial cells showed substantial differences with respect to protein content and distribution. All brush border membrane enzymes studied were present in the colon, although in much lower quantities than in the corresponding intestine. Between 90 and 99% of total disaccharidases, glucoamylase and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase activities were recovered in the isolated cells. Epithelial content and distribution of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity differed markedly, however, between these two tissues. More than 45% of intestinal ALP activity was of nonepithelial origin at 15 weeks, and this percentage increased in a craniocaudal fashion to reach greater than 93% in the 18-week-old colon. Inhibition studies using phenylalanine and levamisole showed that these intestinal and colonic isoenzymes are similar in nature although they differ in their respective distribution. The use of pure fractions of epithelial cells provides an ideal system in which to compare specifically the functional development of intestinal and colonic epithelium.

The lipid fluidity of rat colonic brush-border membrane vesicles modulates Na+-H+ exchange and osmotic water permeability.

Brush-border membrane vesicles were prepared from rat colonic epithelial cells. Steady-state fluorescence polarization techniques, using the fluorophores 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene and DL-12-(9-anthroyl)stearic acid (12-AS), revealed that benzyl alcohol (25-75 mM) but not methyl alcohol (50-125 mM) significantly increased the fluidity of these vesicles. Benzyl alcohol (50 and 75 mM) but not methyl alcohol also increased amiloride-sensitive sodium-stimulated proton efflux from these vesicles at all concentrations of sodium tested (2.5-50.0 mM), as assessed by changes in the fluorescence of acridine orange. Benzyl alcohol, at 50 and 75 mM concentrations, increased the maximal velocity (Vmax) of this exchange process by approximately 58 and 75%, respectively. Neither concentration, however, altered the Km for sodium. Osmotic water flow, measured as rate constants of osmotic shrinkage of these vesicles using a stopped-flow nephelometric technique, was also increased by 75 mM benzyl alcohol but not by a similar concentration of methyl alcohol. The present data, therefore, demonstrate that the fluidity of rat colonic brush-border membranes can influence Na+-H+ exchange and osmotic water flow across these vesicles.

Comparison of receptors for cholera and Escherichia coli enterotoxins in human intestine.

Extraction of lipids from human small intestinal epithelial cells or brush borders removed specific binding sites for cholera toxin completely, but only about 50% of the receptor sites for Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin. Both cholera toxin and E. coli heat-labile enterotoxin bound strongly to ganglioside GM1 in the lipid extract and, to a lesser extent, to another monosialoganglioside and to GD1b. The results suggest that E. coli heat-labile enterotoxin binds to both ganglioside and glycoprotein receptor sites of the human small intestinal epithelium, whereas cholera toxin binding was restricted to the ganglioside receptors.

Differential response of duodenal epithelial cells to 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 according to position on the villus: a comparison of calcium uptake, calcium-binding protein, and alkaline phosphatase activity.

To determine which region of the intestinal villus was primarily responsible for calcium uptake and whether cells from the different regions of the villus differed in their response to 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25-(OH)2D3], we studied cells eluted from the duodenal villus in a sequential fashion at various times after vitamin D-deficient chicks had received 1,25-(OH)2D3. The elution scheme employed removes cells from the villus tip first and cells from the villus base last, as was documented by the distribution of alkaline phosphatase activity, sucrase activity, and cytosolic calcium-binding protein (CaBP) in the eluted fractions. Brush border membrane vesicles (BBMV) were prepared from different fractions of the villus. Calcium uptake was greatest in BBMV from cells eluted from the villus tip and least in those from the villus base. The distribution of calcium uptake and alkaline phosphatase activity in the same BBMV were parallel. After 1,25-(OH)2D3 treatment, cytosolic CaBP was observed in the cells from the villus base by 4 h and in all fractions by 8 h; at all times (from 4-24 h), cells from the villus base contained more cytosolic CaBP than did cells from the villus tip. Alkaline phosphatase activity in BBMV was stimulated in all fractions by 4 h; at all times, alkaline phosphatase activity was greatest in BBMV from cells of the villus tip. In contrast, calcium uptake by BBMV was stimulated 2 h after 1,25-(OH)2D3 administration only in cells from the villus tip and was not stimulated even by 24 h in cells from the villus base. These results indicate that the cellular response to 1,25-(OH)2D3 depends on the location of the cell on the villus and that 1,25-(OH)2D3-stimulated calcium flux across the brush border can be dissociated from 1,25-(OH)2D3-stimulated alkaline phosphatase activity and CaBP production.

Changes in growth kinetics of jejunal epithelium in mice maintained on an elemental diet.

Changes in the kinetics of the intestinal epithelium were observed in mice maintained on an elemental diet containing hydrolysed protein and medium chain triglycerides. An increase in the length of the villi seen shortly after commencement of the diet was followed by a reduction in the rate of proliferation in the crypt. After 7 days on the diet, an equilibrium state was reached with the cellularity of the villi being 120% that of control while the number of proliferative cells/crypt was reduced by 35%. The proliferative response of the crypt following irradiation occurred 16 hr later in diet-fed mice than in controls. It was postulated that, because of the increased cellularity of the villus compartment in diet-fed mice, additional time was required to reduce the number of villus cells to a critical level at which a proliferative response is induced in the crypt.