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Mauri E Krouse

Publications and source records attributed to Mauri E Krouse.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

Acinar origin of CFTR-dependent airway submucosal gland fluid secretion.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) airway disease arises from defective innate defenses, especially defective mucus clearance of microorganisms. Airway submucosal glands secrete most airway mucus, and CF airway glands do not secrete in response to VIP or forskolin. CFTR, the protein that is defective in CF, is expressed in glands, but immunocytochemistry finds the highest expression of CFTR in either the ciliated ducts or in the acini, depending on the antibodies used. CFTR is absolutely required for forskolin-mediated gland secretion; we used this finding to localize the origin of forskolin-stimulated, CFTR-dependent gland fluid secretion. We tested the hypothesis that secretion to forskolin might originate from the gland duct rather than or in addition to the acini. We ligated gland ducts at various points, stimulated the glands with forskolin, and monitored the regions of the glands that swelled. The results supported an acinar rather than ductal origin of secretion. We tracked particles in the mucus using Nomarski time-lapse imaging; particles originated in the acini and traveled toward the duct orifice. Estimated bulk flow accelerated in the acini and mucus tubules, consistent with fluid secretion in those regions, but was constant in the unbranched duct, consistent with a lack of fluid secretion or absorption by the ductal epithelium. We conclude that CFTR-dependent gland fluid secretion originates in the serous acini. The failure to observe either secretion or absorption from the CFTR and epithelial Na(+) channel (ENaC)-rich ciliated ducts is unexplained, but may indicate that this epithelium alters the composition rather than the volume of gland mucus.

Animals↗

An inwardly rectifying potassium channel in apical membrane of Calu-3 cells.

Patch clamp methods and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were used to characterize an apical K+ channel in Calu-3 cells, a widely used model of human airway gland serous cells. In cell-attached and excised apical membrane patches, we found an inwardly rectifying K+ channel (Kir). The permeability ratio was PNa/PK = 0.058. In 30 patches with both cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator and Kir present, we observed 79 cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator and 58 Kir channels. The average chord conductance was 24.4 +/- 0.5 pS (n = 11), between 0 and -200 mV, and was 9.6 +/- 0.7 pS (n = 8), between 0 and 50 mV; these magnitudes and their ratio of approximately 2.5 are most similar to values for rectifying K+ channels of the Kir4.x subfamilies. We attempted to amplify transcripts for Kir4.1, Kir4.2, and Kir5.1; of these only Kir4.2 was present in Calu-3 lysates. The channel was only weakly activated by ATP and was relatively insensitive to internal pH. External Cs+ and Ba2+ blocked the channel with Kd values in the millimolar range. Quantitative modeling of Cl- secreting epithelia suggests that secretion rates will be highest and luminal K+ will rise to 16-28 mm if 11-25% of the total cellular K+ conductance is placed in the apical membrane (Cook, D. I., and Young, J. A. (1989) J. Membr. Biol. 110, 139-146). Thus, we hypothesize that the K+ channel described here optimizes the rate of secretion and is involved in K+ recycling for the recently proposed apical H+ -K+ -ATPase in Calu-3 cells.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Acid and base secretion in the Calu-3 model of human serous cells.

Submucosal glands are the primary source of airway mucus, a critical component of lung innate defenses. Airway glands are defective in cystic fibrosis (CF), showing a complete absence of secretion to vasoactive intestinal peptide or forskolin, which increase intracellular cAMP concentration. This defect is attributed to gland serous cells, which express the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator. Calu-3 cells, which mimic many features of serous cells, secrete Cl(-) and HCO(3)(-), with HCO(3)(-) secretion predominating for forskolin stimulation and Cl(-) secretion predominating for stimuli that open basolateral K(+) channels to hyperpolarize the cells. We used pH stat and ion substitution experiments to clarify the mechanisms and consequences of these two modes of secretion. We confirm that Calu-3 cells secrete primarily HCO(3)(-) in response to forskolin. Unexpectedly, HCO(3)(-) secretion continued in response to K(+) channel openers, with Cl(-) secretion being added to it. Secretion of HCO(3)(-) from hyperpolarized cells occurs via the conversion of CO(2) to HCO(3)(-) and is reduced by approximately 50% with acetazolamide. A gap between the base equivalent current and short-circuit current was observed in all experiments and was traced to secretion of H(+) via a ouabain-sensitive, K(+)-dependent process (possibly H(+)-K(+)-ATPase), which partially neutralized the secreted HCO(3)(-). The conjoint secretion of HCO(3)(-) and H(+) may help explain the puzzling finding that mucus secreted from normal and CF glands has the same acidic pH as does mucus from glands stimulated with forskolin or ACh. It may also help explain how human airway glands produce mucus that is hypotonic.

Acetazolamide↗

A "virtual gland" method for quantifying epithelial fluid secretion.

We developed a new apparatus, the virtual gland (VG), for measuring the rate of fluid secretion (Jv), its composition, and the transepithelial potential (TEP) in cultured epithelial cells under open circuit. The VG creates a 10-microl chamber above the apical surface of epithelial cells on a Costar filter with a small hole leading to an oil-filled reservoir. After the chamber is primed with a fluid of choice, secreted fluid is forced through the hole into the oil, where it forms a bubble that is monitored optically to determine Jv and collected for analysis. Calu-3 cells were mounted in the VG with a basolateral bath consisting of Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate buffer at 37 degrees C. Basal Jv was 2.7 +/- 0.1 microl x cm(-2) x h(-1) (n = 42), and TEP was -9.2 +/- 0.6 mV (n = 33); both measures were reduced to zero by ouabain (n = 6) x Jv and TEP were stimulated 64 and 59%, respectively, by 5 microM forskolin (n = 10), 173 and 101% by 1 mM 1-ethyl-2-benzimidazolinone (n = 5), 213 and 122% by 333 nM thapsigargin (n = 5), and 520 and 240% by forskolin + thapsigargin (n = 6). Basal Jv and TEP were inhibited to 82 and 63%, respectively, with 10 microM bumetanide (n = 5), 71 and 82% with 100 microM acetazolamide (n = 5), and 47 and 56% with 600 microM glibenclamide (n = 4). Basal Jv and TEP were 52 and 89% of control values, respectively, after HCO3- replacement with HEPES (n = 16). The net HCO3- concentration of the secreted fluid was close to that of the bath (25 mM), except when stimulated with forskolin or VIP, when it increased (approximately 80 mM). These results validate the use of the VG apparatus and provide the first direct measures of Jv in Calu-3 cells.

Cell Line↗

Mucus secretion from single submucosal glands of pig. Stimulation by carbachol and vasoactive intestinal peptide.

Secretion rates of >700 individual glands in isolated tracheal mucosa from 56 adult pigs were monitored optically. "Basal" secretion of 0.7 +/- 0.1 nl x min(-1) gland(-1) was observed 1-9 h post-harvest but was near zero on day 2. Secretion to carbachol (10 microm) peaked at 2-3 min and then declined to a sustained phase. Peak secretion was 12.4 +/- 1.1 nl x min(-1) gland(-1); sustained secretion was approximately one-third of peak secretion. Thapsigargin (1 microm) increased secretion from 0.1 +/- 0.05 to 0.7 +/- 0.2 nl x min(-1) gland(-1); thapsigargin did not cause contraction of the trachealis muscles. Isoproterenol and phenylephrine (10 microm each) were ineffective, but vasoactive intestinal peptide (1 microm) and forskolin (10 microm) each produced sustained secretion of 1.0 +/- 0.5 and 1.7 +/- 0.2 nl x min(-1) gland(-1), respectively. The density of actively secreting glands was 1.3/mm(2). Secretion to either carbachol or forskolin was inhibited (approximately 50%) by either bumetanide or HCO(3)(-) removal and inhibited approximately 90% by the combined treatments. Mucus secreted in response to carbachol or forskolin was acidic by approximately 0.2 pH units relative to the bath and remained acidic by approximately 0.1 pH units after bumetanide. The strong secretory response to vasoactive intestinal peptide, the acidity of [cAMP](i)-stimulated mucus, and its inhibition by bumetanide were unexpected.

Animals↗