title: Calcium transport and homeostasis in gill cells of a freshwater crab Dilocarcinus pagei.
abstract: Crustaceans present a very interesting model system to study the process of calcification and calcium (Ca(2+)) transport because of molting-related events and the deposition of CaCO(3) in the new exoskeleton. Dilocarcinus pagei, a freshwater crab endemic to Brazil, was studied to understand Ca(2+) transport in whole gill cells using a fluorescent probe. Cells were dissociated, all of the gill cell types were loaded with fluo-3 and intracellular Ca(2+) change was monitored by adding Ca as CaCl(2) (0, 0.1, 0.25, 0.50, 1.0 and 5 mM), with a series of different inhibitors. For control gill cells, Ca(2+) transport followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics with K(m) = 0.42 +/- 0.04 mM and V(max) = 0.50 +/- 0.02 microM (Ca(2+) change x initial intracellular Ca(-1) x 180 s(-1); N = 14, r (2) = 0.99). Verapamil (a Ca(2+) channel inhibitor) and amiloride (a Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchanger [NCX] inhibitor) completely reduced intracellular Ca(2+) transport, while nifedipine, another Ca(2+) channel inhibitor, did not. Vanadate, a plasma membrane Ca(2+)-ATPase inhibitor (PMCA), increased intracellular Ca(2+) in gill cells through a decrease in the efflux of Ca(2+). Ouabain increased intracellular Ca(2+), similar to the effect of KB-R, a specific NCX inhibitor for Ca(2+) in the influx mode. Alterations in extracellular [Na] in the saline did not affect intracellular Ca(2+) transport. Caffeine, responsible for inducing Ca release from sarcoplasmic reticulum in vertebrate muscle, increased intracellular Ca(2+) compared to control, suggesting an effect of this inhibitor in gill epithelial cells of Dilocarcinus pagei, probably through release of intracellular stores. We also demonstrate here that intracellular Ca(2+) in gill cells of Dilocarcinus pagei was kept relatively constant in face of an extracellular Ca concentration of 50-fold, suggesting that crustaceans are able to display Ca(2+) homeostasis through various Ca(2+) intracellular sequestration mechanisms and/or plasma membrane Ca(2+) influx and outflux that are highly regulatory. In summary, studies using whole gill cells are an interesting approach for working with real regulatory Ca(2+) mechanisms in intact cells under physiological Ca levels (mM range), compared to earlier work using isolated vesicles of various epithelial cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, Cidade Universitária, Rua do Matão, Travessa 14, #101, Sao Paulo, SP, 05508-900, Brazil. marinagranado@gmail.com
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Granado e Sá
authors.forename: B B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Baptista
authors.forename: L S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Farah
authors.forename: V P
authors.initials: VP
authors.lastname: Leite
authors.forename: F P
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: Zanotto
mesh_terms: D000584:Amiloride / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D001692:Biological Transport / Q000187:drug effects; D003386:Brachyura / Q000502:physiology*; D002110:Caffeine / Q000494:pharmacology; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D005880:Gills / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D006706:Homeostasis / Q000502:physiology*; D007700:Kinetics; D009543:Nifedipine / Q000494:pharmacology; D010042:Ouabain / Q000494:pharmacology; D012964:Sodium / Q000378:metabolism; D019831:Sodium-Calcium Exchanger / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D013890:Thiourea / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D014638:Vanadates / Q000494:pharmacology; D014700:Verapamil / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: C101670:2-(2-(4-(4-nitrobenzyloxy)phenyl)ethyl)isothiourea methanesulfonate; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D019831:Sodium-Calcium Exchanger; D002110:Caffeine; D014638:Vanadates; D010042:Ouabain; D000584:Amiloride; D012964:Sodium; D014700:Verapamil; D013890:Thiourea; D009543:Nifedipine; D002118:Calcium