title: Mechanical stimulation initiates cell-to-cell calcium signaling in ovine lens epithelial cells.
abstract: Although abnormalities in calcium regulation have been implicated in the development of most forms of cataract, the mechanisms by which Ca2+ is regulated in the cells of the ocular lens remain poorly defined. Cell-to-cell Ca2+ signaling was investigated in primary cultures of ovine epithelial cells using the Ca(2+)-reporter dye fura-2 and fluorescence microscopy. Mechanical stimulation of a single cell with a micropipette initiated a propagated increase in cytosolic free Ca2+ that spread from the stimulated cell through 2-8 tiers of surrounding cells. During this intercellular Ca2+ wave, cytosolic Ca2+ increased 2- to 12-fold from resting levels of approximately 100 nM. Nanomolar extracellular Ca2+ did not affect the cell-to-cell propagation of the Ca2+ wave, but reduced the magnitude of the cytosolic Ca2+ increases, which was most evident in the mechanically-stimulated cell. Depletion of intracellular Ca2+ stores with thapsigargin eliminated the propagated intercellular Ca2+ wave, but did not prevent the cytosolic Ca2+ increase in the mechanically-stimulated cell, which required extracellular Ca2+ and was attenuated by the addition of the Ca2+ channel blockers Ni2+, Gd3+ and La3+ to the medium. These results are most easily explained by a mechanically-activated channel in the plasma membrane of the stimulated cell. The propagated increase in cytosolic Ca2+ appeared to be communicated to adjacent cells by the passage of an intracellular messenger other than Ca2+ through gap junction channels. However, if the plasma membrane of the mechanically-stimulated cell was ruptured such that there was loss of cytosolic contents, the increase in cytosolic Ca2+ in the surrounding cells was elicited by both a messenger passing through gap junction channels and by a cytosolic factor(s) diffusing through the extracellular medium. These results demonstrate the existence of intercellular Ca2+ signaling in lens cells, which may play a role in regulating cytosolic Ca2+ in the intact lens.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Minnesota, St Paul 55108, USA.
authors.forename: G C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Churchill
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Atkinson
authors.forename: C F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Louis
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology; D002450:Cell Communication; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004847:Epithelial Cells; D005123:Eye / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D017629:Gap Junctions / Q000378:metabolism; D010812:Physical Stimulation; D012756:Sheep; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D002118:Calcium