FORSKOLIN AND PMA PRETREATMENT OF HT29 CELLS ALTERS THEIR CHLORIDE CONDUCTANCE INDUCED BY CAMP, CA2+ AND HYPOTONIC CELL SWELLING

HT29 cells were preincubated with forskolin (10(-5) mol/l, FORHT) or phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) (10(-7) mol/l, PMAHT) for 20 h, which has been shown previously and is also shown here, to upregulate and downregulate, respectively, the expression of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR). CFPAC-1 cells underwent the same protocols. HT29 cells were examined by slow (SWC) and fast (FWC) whole-cell patch-clamp techniques. The results of SWC and FWC were indistinguishable and were pooled. CFPAC-1 cells were examined with FWC. The membrane voltage (V) of FORHT was -41.8 +/- 1.4 mV (n = 77) and that of PMAHT was -43.6 +/- 2.4 mV (n = 76). The conductance (G) of FORHT (9.4 +/- 0.9 nS, n = 77) was significantly larger than that of PMAHT (3.7 +/- 0.4 nS, n = 76). Acute application of forskolin (10(-5) mol/l, FOR) plus 0.5 mmol/l 8-(4-chlorophenylthio)-cAMP (cAMP) depolarized V by 12 (FORHT) and 8 (PMAHT) mV,respectively. The acute increase of G by FOR plus cAMP was by 7.6 +/- 1.9 nS for FORHT (n = 22) and only 2.2 +/- 1 nS for PMAHT (n = 13). ATP (10(-4) mol/l) depolarized V in both types of cells. It enhanced G by 16.7 +/- 4.1 nS in FORHT (n 14) and significantly less (by 5.5 +/- 1.2 nS, n = 14) in PMAHT. Also the G increase lasted longer in FORHT. Neurotensin (NT, 10(-8) mol/l) also had a stronger and longer lasting effect in FORHT. Exposure to hypotonic bath solution (160 mosmol/l) depolarized V in both types of cells. The increase in G was by 15 +/- 2.2 nS in FORHT (n = 18) and by 11 +/- 1.3 nS in PMAHT (n 23). After being returned to the normotonic media, the decline of G to the control value was delayed in FORHT when compared-to PMAHT. Ionomycin (10(-7) mol/l) increased G significantly more (to 47 +/- 8.5 nS, n = 13) in FORHT when compared to PMAHT (to 28 +/- 4 nS, 13). The present data indicate that a 20-h exposure of HT29 cells to FOR versus PMA alters markedly the CFTR concentration. The cells with high CFTR (FORHT) when compared to those with low CFTR (PMAHT) differ not only in their acute G response to cAMP, but also in that to ATP, NT, hypotonic cell swelling, and ionomycin. In contrast, the same pretreatment of CFPAC-1 cells did not alter the G changes induced by ionomycin or hypotonic cell swelling. These results indicate that changes in CFTR expression correlate with the Cl- conductances induced by cAMP, Ca2+ and hypotonic cell swelling.