title: Human orbital fibroblasts in culture bind and respond to endothelin.
abstract: Human fibroblasts in primary cell culture were studied for their ability to bind to endothelin (ET), a 21-amino acid peptide with profound vasoconstricting properties. When 125I-labeled ET-1 was incubated with confluent orbital fibroblasts in the presence of increasing concentrations of unlabeled ligand, a single class of binding site was defined with a dissociation constant of 1.42 x 10(-8) M and a maximal binding capacity of 9.1 x 10(-10) mol/micrograms protein. ET-3 was a substantially less potent competitor for 125I-ET-1 binding sites than was unlabeled ET-1. Dermal fibroblasts demonstrated approximately 75% less ET-1 saturation binding activity, on a cellular protein basis, than did those from the orbit. Orbital fibroblasts responded to ET-1 (10(-9) M) with a rapid and transient increase in the free concentration of intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) as assessed by monitoring acetoxymethyl ester of fura 2 fluorescence intensity. Rechallenge with the peptide elicited a substantially attenuated response than that seen after the initial treatment. There was no consistent effect of ET-1 on [Ca2+]i in dermal cultures. ET-3 failed to influence [Ca2+]i in either type of fibroblast. It would appear that orbital fibroblasts bind and respond to ET in a manner distinct from that observed in dermal fibroblasts, raising the possibility that the peptide may have site-specific actions in orbital connective tissue.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Albany Medical College, New York 12208.
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Kottke
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lum
authors.forename: T T
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Andersen
mesh_terms: D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D016232:Endothelins / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D016257:Fura-2; D006801:Humans; D009915:Orbit / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D012867:Skin / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016232:Endothelins; D002118:Calcium; D016257:Fura-2