title: Molecular basis for pacemaker cells in epithelia.
abstract: Intercellular signaling is highly coordinated in excitable tissues such as heart, but the organization of intercellular signaling in epithelia is less clear. We examined Ca(2+) signaling in hepatoma cells expressing the hepatocyte gap junction protein connexin32 (cx32) or the cardiac gap junction protein cx43, plus a fluorescently tagged V(1a) vasopressin receptor (V(1a)R). Release of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (InsP(3)) in wild type cells increased Ca(2+) in the injected cell but not in neighboring cells, while the Ca(2+) signal spread to neighbors when gap junctions were expressed. Photorelease of caged Ca(2+) rather than InsP(3) resulted in a small increase in Ca(2+) that did not spread to neighbors with or without gap junctions. However, photorelease of Ca(2+) in cells stimulated with low concentrations of vasopressin resulted in a much larger increase in Ca(2+), which spread to neighbors via gap junctions. Cells expressing tagged V(1a)R similarly had increased sensitivity to vasopressin, and could signal to neighbors via gap junctions. Higher concentrations of vasopressin elicited Ca(2+) signals in all cells. In cx32 or cx43 but not in wild type cells, this signaling was synchronized and began in cells expressing the tagged V(1a)R. Thus, intercellular Ca(2+) signals in epithelia are organized by three factors: 1) InsP(3) must be generated in each cell to support a Ca(2+) signal in that cell; 2) gap junctions are necessary to synchronize Ca(2+) signals among cells; and 3) cells with relatively increased expression of hormone receptor will initiate Ca(2+) signals and thus serve as pacemakers for their neighbors. Together, these factors may allow epithelia to act in an integrated, organ-level fashion rather than as a collection of isolated cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
authors.forename: M Fatima
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Leite
authors.forename: Keiji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hirata
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pusl
authors.forename: Angela D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Burgstahler
authors.forename: Keisuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okazaki
authors.forename: J Miguel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Ortega
authors.forename: Alfredo M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Goes
authors.forename: Marco A M
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Prado
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Spray
authors.forename: Michael H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Nathanson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016466:CHO Cells; D020013:Calcium Signaling / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular; D018031:Connexin 43 / Q000378:metabolism*; D017630:Connexins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006224:Cricetinae; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D017629:Gap Junctions / Q000502:physiology; D007365:Intercellular Junctions / Q000502:physiology; D007700:Kinetics; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D014667:Vasopressins / Q000494:pharmacology; D000097002:Gap Junction beta-1 Protein
chemical_list: D018031:Connexin 43; D017630:Connexins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D014667:Vasopressins; D000097002:Gap Junction beta-1 Protein