Ca2+/calmodulin regulation of putrescine uptake in cultured gastrointestinal epithelial cells

Regulation of putrescine uptake in a small intestinal crypt cell line, IEC-6 cells, was examined. Uptake of [14C]putrescine was measured throughout a normal growth curve and was found to be inversely related to growth. Kinetic analysis at low and high cell density revealed the inhibition of uptake in confluent cells was due to a five-fold reduction in Vmax of uptake, 199.5 vs. 43.1 pmol.10(5) cells-1.h-1, respectively. Three gastrointestinal hormones, gastrin, secretin, and cholecystokinin, produced partial inhibition of [14C]putrescine uptake. Conversely, treatment of quiescent cells with 5% fetal bovine serum to stimulate growth did not affect uptake. Influence of putrescine uptake on free ionized intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) was measured by microspectrofluorometry using the Ca(2+)-sensitive fluoroprobe fura-2. Basal [Ca2+]i was calculated to be 112 nM and increased rapidly to 313 nM upon addition of 10 microM putrescine. Preventing the rise in [Ca2+]i using an intracellular Ca2+ buffer, 1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid acetoxymethyl ester, decreased [14C]putrescine uptake to 29.5 +/- 5.3% of control values. 45Ca2+ flux experiments and measurement of transport in 0 Ca2+ and 0.5 mM EDTA suggested an intracellular source of calcium was mobilized during putrescine uptake. Finally, use of the putative calmodulin antagonist N-(6-aminohexyl)-5-chloro-l-naphthalenesulfonamide caused a dose-dependent inhibition of [14C]putrescine uptake with 50% inhibitory concentration of approximately 7 microM. These data suggest that putrescine uptake in IEC-6 cells may be regulated by a Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent mechanism.