Organic anion secretion in polycystic kidney disease.

This study examined whether organic anion secretion contributes to fluid accumulation in cysts in polycystic kidney disease. Clearance and micropuncture studies were done on young (7 to 16 wk old), mostly male, heterozygous Han:SPRD cystic rats and healthy control littermate rats. Heterozygous Han:SPRD rats manifest a slowly progressive autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease that closely resembles the human disorder. Left kidney GFR (polyfructosan clearance), in microl/min per 100 g body wt, averaged 331 +/- 36 (SD) in seven healthy rats and 278 +/- 75 in seven cystic rats. The maximal rate of p-aminohippurate (PAH) secretion, in micromol/min per 100 g body wt, averaged 0.94 +/- 0.24 in healthy rats and 0.83 +/- 0.11 in cystic rats. In these young rats, there were no significant differences in GFR or the maximal rate of PAH secretion despite the presence of cystic disease. Using fluorescence microscopy, it was found that 27 of 29 proximal cysts secreted sulfonefluorescein, an organic anion transported by the PAH system. Transmission electron micrographs of superficial cysts that had secreted sulfonefluorescein demonstrated the presence of both normal-appearing and poorly differentiated proximal tubule cells. Segments of superficial proximal convoluted tubules or cysts, isolated by upstream and downstream wax blocks, failed to accumulate fluid when PAH was infused intravenously. With the stationary microperfusion technique, PAH secretion by both normal and cystic nephrons was demonstrated. It is concluded that most proximal cystic epithelia retain the ability to secrete organic anions. Secretion of organic anions, however, does not appear to contribute in any substantial way to fluid accumulation in cysts in the rat kidney.

Renal organic anion secretion: evidence for dopaminergic and adrenergic regulation

To examine possible regulatory control of renal proximal tubule organic anion secretion, winter flounder (Pleuronectes americanus) proximal tubule primary cultures were mounted in Ussing chambers. Unidirectional fluxes of [2,4-(14)C]dichlorophenoxyacetic acid were determined under short-circuited conditions. Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (1 microM) caused a significant (P < 0.01) inhibition of net 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid secretion. Preincubation with staurosporine (1 microM) blocked the phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate-induced decrease in secretion. Neither forskolin (10 microM) nor W-7 (20 microM) had any effect on net transport. Elevation of intracellular calcium activity with either A-23187 or thapsigargin produced a slight, transient decrease in transport. Addition of dopamine (1 microM) to the peritubular side, but not the luminal side, caused a significant (P < 0.01) decrease in net secretion. Both the alpha-adrenergic agonist oxymetazoline (10 microM) and depletion of intracellular Na+ transiently, but significantly (P < 0.05), increased net transport. The data indicate that renal organic anion excretion may be regulated through dopaminergic inhibition and alpha-adrenergic stimulation of net transepithelial secretion.

Nocodazole inhibition of organic anion secretion in teleost renal proximal tubules

The impact of the microtubule-disrupting drug nocodazole on renal tubular secretion of organic anions was examined in vitro using proximal tubular masses from teleost fish. Nocodazole reversibly inhibited 20-30% of the tubular accumulation of two model organic anions, p-aminohippurate and fluorescein (FL), by winter flounder tubular masses. However, the drug had no effect on the initial rate of organic anion uptake. Thus it did not reduce transport into the cells at the basolateral membrane, either directly by affecting basolateral organic anion transport proteins or indirectly by altering metabolism or ion gradients. Instead, epifluorescence video microscopy and digital image analysis of killifish tubules showed that nocodazole greatly reduced luminal accumulation of FL and had a smaller effect on cellular dye accumulation. Luminal FL accumulation returned to control levels when tubules were incubated in drug-free medium. Confocal fluorescence microscopy confirmed the marked reduction in luminal FL concentration and demonstrated that intracellular punctate FL accumulation was also markedly reduced. Finally, immunohistochemistry with an anti-tubulin antibody showed that the concentrations of nocodazole used in the above experiments reversibly disrupted microtubules within renal epithelial cells. These data indicate that a component of organic anion secretion in teleost proximal tubule is dependent on an intact microtubular network.