title: Osmotic water permeability and regulatory volume decrease of rat thymocytes.
abstract: Rat thymocytes displayed robust regulatory volume decrease (RVD) when suspended in NaCl-based hypotonic Ringer solutions. The RVD of thymocytes was completely abolished upon replacement of external Na+ ions with K+, indicating a role of coupled efflux of K+ and Cl- ions as a driving force of regulatory volume decrease. Osmotic water permeability (Pf) measured in KCl-based hypotonic solutions was (1.3 +/- 1.0 x 10(-4) cm/s at 25 degrees C and was temperature-dependent with low activation energy (Ea = 4.65 +/- 0.77 kcal/mol) characteristic to water transport through pores. HgCl2 and a sulfhydryl-blocking reagent, methyl methanethiosulphonate (MMTS), modulated the water permeability of thymocytes in a biphasic manner: inhibited at low dose (0.1-1 micromol/l) and restored or even enhanced at higher (10-100 micromol/l) concentrations. RVD paralleled the Pf: it was greatly suppressed at low dose of MMTS (sufficient to attenuate the water transport), but recovered at higher dose, when the water movement was restored. Therefore we suggest that thymocytes require the effective water transport for functional regulatory volume decrease.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physiology and Biophysics, Academy of Sciences, Niyazova 1, Tashkent 700095, Uzbekistan.
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Kurbannazarova
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Tashmukhamedov
authors.forename: R Z
authors.initials: RZ
authors.lastname: Sabirov
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002463:Cell Membrane Permeability / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D048429:Cell Size / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006706:Homeostasis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D008627:Mercuric Chloride / Q000494:pharmacology; D008741:Methyl Methanesulfonate / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D009997:Osmotic Pressure; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000378:metabolism; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D013696:Temperature; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D014867:Water / Q000378:metabolism*; D014882:Water-Electrolyte Balance / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D014867:Water; C014674:methyl methanethiosulfonate; D012965:Sodium Chloride; D008627:Mercuric Chloride; D008741:Methyl Methanesulfonate