Chloride channels and the reactions of cells to topography

The reactions of rat epitenon cells to substratum topography on the micrometric and nanometric scale such as groove-ridge structures include cell extension, elongation and orientation reactions. In this paper we report that stretch-sensitive chloride channels may be involved in the earliest stages of these reactions in epitenon fibroblast-like cells. We report that rat epitenon-cells can develop appreciable lateral mechanical tension that could stretch both the force generating cells themselves and those nearby. We show that cells in medium in which more than 80% of the chloride has been replaced by nitrate show little reaction to topography. Spreading of the cells takes place but is much reduced along the direction of the groove-ridge topography but enhanced across the topography. The chloride channel inhibitors NPPB (5-Nitro-2- (3phenylpropylamino) benzoicacid) 4,4'-disothiocyanostilbene-2, 2' sulphonic acid (DIDS) and Chlorotoxin produce similar results which are further accentuated when these inhibitors are presented in low chloride medium. An antibody against ClC3, which has close homology to ClC5/6 also, blocked reaction to topography. These treatments have no significant effect on cell spreading on planar surfaces nor do they lead to changes in internal pH in the cells. There is a slight inhibition of rates of cell movement. Experiments using antisense oligoribonucleotides to ClC-5 or ClC-6 channel m-RNA also inhibit topographic reactions, which provides further confirmation of the hypothesis. Since the ClC-3,4 and 5 share considerable sequence similarities in the genes and in their proteins it has not been possible to make an unambigous determination of which precise chloride channel(s) is (are) involved.