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1 From the Departments of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and 2 Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Kentucky.
| Abstract |
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METHODS. The rate of Na,K-adenosine triphosphatase (Na,K-ATPase) dependent potassium transport was determined by measurements of ouabain-sensitive potassium (86Rb) uptake by intact lenses. Lens sodium content was measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) was measured by radioimmunoassay. Cytoplasmic calcium concentration in cultured porcine lens epithelium was measured by a fluorescence technique using fura-2.
RESULTS. In the presence of ET-1 (0.1 nM or higher concentration), the rate of ouabain-sensitive potassium (86Rb) uptake was diminished. The ET receptor antagonist PD145065 (2 µM) suppressed the inhibitory effect of ET-1 (100 nM) on 86Rb uptake. Sodium content was detectably increased in lenses exposed to ET-1 for 24 hours. Forskolin (1 µM) caused an eightfold increase of cAMP in the lens epithelium, but no increase of cAMP was detected in the epithelium of lenses treated with ET-1. Genistein (150 µM), an inhibitor of tyrosine kinases, abolished the inhibitory effects of ET-1 on lens 86Rb uptake. ET-1 caused an increase of cytoplasmic calcium concentration in cultured porcine lens epithelium. The cytoplasmic calcium response to ET-1 was inhibited by PD145065 and genistein.
CONCLUSIONS. The results of the present study suggest that ET-1 causes inhibition of lens active Na-K transport by a mechanism that involves activation of ET receptors. Activation of ET receptors also causes an increase of cytoplasmic calcium concentration in cultured lens epithelial cells. Both responses to ET-1 appear to have a tyrosine kinase step, because they could be prevented by genistein. The physiological purpose of an ET-1induced reduction in the rate of active Na-K transport by the lens is unknown at this time.
| Introduction |
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Recently, there has been increasing interest in the effects of ET-1 on nonvascular tissues. For example, ET-1 alters the behavior of osteoclasts, and it has been suggested that ET-1 may play a significant role in bone remodeling.6 In a number of different tissues, it has been suggested that ET-1 acts as a mitogen.7 In lung airway epithelium, ET-1 stimulates chloride secretion.8 9 10 ET-1 is also known to inhibit active Na-K transport in some tissues. For example, the ability of ET-1 to suppress fluid transport in kidney proximal tubule has been attributed to ET-1induced Na,K-ATPase inhibition.11 In cells from the inner medullary collecting duct, ET-1 causes 30% to 50% inhibition of active Na-K transport activity.12
In the eye, it has been shown that ET-1 is abundant in the ciliary processes where it appears to be densely localized in the nonpigmented ciliary epithelium (NPE).13 It is noteworthy that there is evidence to suggest that adrenergic14 and cholinergic15 receptor activation can cause cells to release ET-1. This fits with the detection of ET-1 in aqueous humor.16 17 The anterior epithelial surface of the lens is therefore likely to be exposed to ET-1 in vivo. Because Na,K-ATPase in lens epithelium is believed to play a key role in conducting active sodium extrusion and potassium import for the entire lens cell mass, we examined the influence of ET-1 on the lens sodium pump mechanism. Findings from 86Rb uptake experiments and measurements of lens sodium content suggest that ET-1 partially inhibits lens active Na-K transport.
| Materials and Methods |
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Lenses
Porcine eyes were provided by Swift Meat Packing (Louisville,
KY). The use of porcine eyes was approved by the University of
Louisville Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee and conformed to
the ARVO Resolution for the Use of Animals in Ophthalmic and Vision
Research. The posterior of the eye was dissected, and the zonules were
cut. The lens was removed from the globe and placed in Krebs solution.
The composition of the Krebs solution was (in mM) 119 NaCl, 4.7
KCl, 1.2 KH2PO4, 25
NaHCO3, 2.5 CaCl2, 1
MgCl2, and 5.5 glucose at pH 7.4.
Measurement of 86Rb Uptake
86Rb uptake was measured in intact lenses.
The rate of ouabain-sensitive potassium (86Rb)
uptake was used as an index of Na,K-ATPasemediated active potassium
transport, based on the assumption that Na,K-ATPase transports
86Rb similarly to potassium. Lenses were
preincubated for a specified period in Krebs solution containing test
agents, and then 86Rb Cl (
0.1 µCi/ml) was
added. 86Rb uptake was linear over a period of 30
minutes (Fig. 1A
). To determine ouabain-sensitive 86Rb uptake,
half of the lenses in each group also received 1 mM ouabain, added 10
minutes before 86Rb Cl. In most experiments the
86Rb uptake period was 30 minutes. After the
86Rb uptake period, each lens was removed from
the 86Rb-containing Krebs solution and rinsed in
ice-cold nonradioactive Krebs solution for 2 minutes. The lenses were
weighed, lyophilized, and reweighed to determine water content. Dried
lenses were digested in 30% nitric acid, and
86Rb in the acid digest was measured by
scintillation counting. Based on the specific activity of
86Rb in the Krebs solution, uptake results were
expressed as nanomoles of potassium accumulated per gram lens water per
30 minutes.
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Measurement of Cytoplasmic Calcium Concentration Using Fura-2
Fura-2 was used to measure the cytoplasmic calcium concentration
in cultured lens epithelial cells superfused with artificial aqueous
humor (AAH) which contained (in mM) 117 NaCl, 20
NaHCO3, 4.5 KCl, 10 HEPES, 1.5
CaCl2, 1.0 MgCl2, and 6
glucose at pH 7.4. The AAH was equilibrated with 95% air and 5%
CO2. To load the cells, Fura-2-AM was dissolved
in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) and added to the AAH for 60 minutes at
37°C at a final concentration of 5 µM Fura-2-AM and less than 1%
DMSO. After the Fura-2 loading period, the cells were washed with AAH.
Fura-2 fluorescence was measured using a microscope (Carl Zeiss,
Thornwood, NY) equipped with an digital fluorescence imaging system
(Attofluor; Atto Instruments, Rockville, MD). The lens epithelial cells
were continuously superfused with AAH on a heated microscope stage that
maintained temperature close to 37°C. The emission wavelength was 520
nm. Alternating excitation wavelengths of 334 nm and 380 nm were used,
and fluorescence was continuously recorded. For calibration at the end
of each experiment, the cells were permeabilized by exposure to 10 µM
ionomycin to establish the maximum signal in AAH. Then 5 µM EGTA was
added to the superfusion solution to obtain the minimum signal.
Measurement of cAMP
Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) was measured with a
competitive binding assay kit using 3H-labeled
cAMP (Amersham). Intact lenses were incubated for 60 minutes in Krebs
solution containing either ET-1 or forskolin. The Krebs solution also
contained 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX; 2.5 mM), an inhibitor of
phosphodiesterase, added to prevent cAMP breakdown. After the 60-minute
period, the capsule-epithelium was removed from each lens and
homogenized in ice-cold Tris-EDTA buffer containing 50 mM Tris and 4 mM
EDTA. The homogenate was boiled for 5 minutes and centrifuged at 3000
rpm for 5 minutes and the supernatant assayed for cAMP.
Measurement of Lens Sodium
Lenses were washed for 5 minutes in ice-cold isotonic (100 mM)
MgCl2 solution (pH adjusted to 7.4 with Tris
base) and blotted dry. The lenses were weighed, lyophilized, and
reweighed to measure water content. Each lens was digested in 30%
nitric acid. Deionized water was added to dilute the sample, and the
sodium concentration was measured using an atomic absorption
spectrophotometer (Perkin Elmer, Norwalk, CT) at a wavelength of 566.5
nm.
| Results |
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To examine whether ET receptor activation is involved in the 86Rb uptake response, some lenses were exposed to 100 nM ET-1 in the presence of 2 µM PD145065, an antagonist for both ETA and ETB receptors.18 PD145065 suppressed the inhibitory effect of 100 nM ET-1 on the rate of ouabain-sensitive potassium (86Rb) uptake (Table 1) . Added alone, PD145065 had no detectable effect on baseline ouabain-sensitive potassium (86Rb) uptake.
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In some tissues, ET-1 is known to mediate responses through an increase of cytoplasmic cAMP.19 20 This did not appear to be the case in porcine lens. cAMP was measured in the capsule and epithelium removed from lenses that had previously been incubated in the presence or absence of 100 nM ET-1. As a positive control, cAMP was measured in the capsule and epithelium removed from a separate group of lenses that had been preincubated in the presence of 1 µM forskolin. cAMP was not detectably altered in the capsule and epithelium of lenses exposed to ET-1 (Table 2) , whereas, in contrast, forskolin treatment increased cAMP more than eightfold.
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In cultured human mesangial cells22 and in bovine adrenal chromaffin cells,23 ET-1 causes an increase of cytoplasmic calcium. Experiments were conducted to test whether this could also be the case in porcine lens cells. Using fura-2, cytoplasmic calcium was measured in porcine lens epithelial cells in primary culture. ET-1 (100 nM) caused an immediate, transient, threefold increase of cytoplasmic calcium concentration (Fig. 2) . After this, cytoplasmic calcium established a sustained plateau that was significantly higher than the initial baseline calcium concentration. Of particular note, PD145065 (2 µM) suppressed the cytoplasmic calcium response to ET-1 (Table 3) . The findings suggest that the increase of cytoplasmic calcium occurs subsequent to ET receptor activation.
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| Discussion |
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The 100-nM concentration of ET-1 used in the present study has been shown to cause prostaglandin E2 release from ciliary smooth muscle,27 to elevate cytoplasmic sodium concentration in cultured rat glomerular mesangial cells,28 and to cause alkalinization of cultured rat vascular smooth muscle cells.29 However, a higher concentration of ET-1 was required to inhibit Na,K-ATPase in cultured rat vascular smooth muscle cells.28 It should also be noted that the influence of ET-1 on active Na-K transport varies in different tissues. ET-1 inhibits active Na-K transport in rat renal proximal tubule11 and inner medullary collecting duct12 as well as in endothelium-denuded pig mesenteric arteries.29 However, in rabbit aorta30 and rat brain capillary endothelium,31 ET-1 causes significant stimulation of active Na-K transport. In the rabbit descending colon epithelium,32 ET-1 does not detectably change the rate of active Na-K transport.
PD145065 abolished the inhibition of lens ouabain-sensitive potassium (86Rb) uptake that occurred in the presence of ET-1. PD145065 is a nonselective antagonist for ETA and ETB receptors. Its ability to suppress the 86Rb uptake response in lens suggests that ET-1 slows active Na-K transport by a mechanism involving activation by ET receptors. This leads us to propose that ET receptors are expressed in porcine lens. The expression of ET receptors in the lens has not been widely reported, but there is evidence for ET receptor expression in ciliary epithelium, corneal endothelium, and iris.33 The presence of ET receptors in iris, corneal endothelium, and ciliary epithelium is noteworthy, because each of these tissues is bathed by aqueous humor, as is the lens, and aqueous humor is known to contain ET-1 with concentrations reported in the range of 15 to 226 pg/ml.16 34 ET-1 levels in the aqueous humor could increase in the presence of open-angle glaucoma35 and with some forms of ocular surgery.36
In studies of cultured nonpigmented ciliary epithelium, release of stored ET-1 has been reported in response to carbachol, which activates cholinergic receptors.16 This suggests hormones and neurotransmitters could elicit release of ET-1 from the ciliary processes in vivo. The close anatomic proximity of the lens equator and ciliary epithelium causes us to speculate that ET-1 released from ciliary processes could activate ET-1 receptors in the lens.
In tissues such as rat vascular smooth muscle, ET receptor activation stimulates adenylate cyclase to cause an increase of cytoplasmic cAMP.19 20 This does not appear to be the case in porcine lens. Although there was an eightfold increase of cAMP detected in the epithelium removed from lenses exposed to the adenylate cyclase activator, forskolin, there was no detectable change of cAMP in the epithelium removed from lenses exposed to ET-1.
In some tissues, ET-1 responses are thought to involve activation of tyrosine kinases.21 This appears to be the case in porcine lens, because the inhibitory effect of ET-1 on ouabain-sensitive potassium (86Rb) uptake was abolished in the presence of genistein, a broad-spectrum tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Genistein alone did not alter 86Rb uptake. It is noteworthy that in a previous study, genistein was found to suppress the inhibitory influence of thrombin on lens active Na-K transport.37 On the basis of the present study, we are not able to determine whether lens Na,K-ATPase is directly susceptible to tyrosine phosphorylation. However, this has been suggested in the kidney, where activation of nonreceptor tyrosine kinases leads to a change of Na,K-ATPase activity.38 Tyrosine phosphorylation of plasma membrane calcium ATPase is known to alter active calcium transport in human platelets.39
Activation of ET receptors has been reported to cause an increase of cytoplasmic calcium in many tissues.22 23 In the present study, fura-2 was used to measure cytoplasmic calcium in cultured porcine lens epithelium, because technical problems hinder cytoplasmic calcium measurement in the intact lens. ET-1 caused a transient threefold increase of cytoplasmic calcium followed by a sustained plateau. As expected, PD145065 inhibited the cytoplasmic calcium response to ET-1, suggesting the cytoplasmic calcium increase lies downstream of ET receptor activation. The pattern of the calcium response to ET-1 in lens epithelium is similar to that reported in other ocular tissues.40 Previous investigators have suggested that the initial transient calcium increase is the result of mobilization of endoplasmic reticulum stores.41 It is noteworthy that the transient calcium increase caused by ET-1 could be abolished by genistein. This could perhaps be attributed to the inability of IP3 receptors to be activated in genistein-treated cells that received ET-1. Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) receptor activation is well known to require tyrosine phosphorylation.42
In previous studies we have shown that an increase of lens calcium can lead to a decrease in the rate of 86Rb uptake and an increase in lens sodium.43 44 This suggests the lens responds similarly to other cells in which elevation of cytoplasmic calcium initiates mechanisms that slow the rate of active Na-K transport.45 This fits with the observed ability of genistein to inhibit the effects of ET-1 on active Na-K transport, because genistein also inhibits the calcium response elicited by ET-1 in cultured lens epithelium.
The results of the present study show clearly that ET-1 can cause a decrease in the rate of lens active Na-K transport. The detection of low levels of ET-1 in aqueous humor combined with the potential for release of ET-1 from ciliary processes suggests that the lens could be exposed to ET-1 in vivo. The physiological purpose of an ET-1induced reduction in the rate of active Na-K transport is unknown at this time.
| Footnotes |
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Submitted for publication May 18, 2000; revised September 28, 2000; accepted November 2, 2000.
Commercial relationships policy: N.
Corresponding author: Nicholas A. Delamere, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Louisville School of Medicine, 301 E. Muhammad Ali Boulevard, Louisville, KY 40202. delamere{at}louisville.edu
| References |
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