Loop diuretic-sensitive potassium flux pathways of rat glomerular mesangial cells

Glomerular mesangial cells are smooth muscle-like contractile cells that mediate hormonal regulation of glomerular filtration. To gain better understanding of ionic events that accompany contraction/relaxation of these cells, flux pathways of K+ and their regulation by vasoactive agents were investigated in cultured rat mesangial cells using 86Rb+ as a tracer. Of total 86Rb+ influx (16.6 +/- 0.6 nmol x mg protein -1 x min-1), 46% was inhibited by 2 mM ouabain. Loop diuretics inhibited 43% of ouabain-insensitive 86Rb+ influx (3.9 +/- 0.2 nmol x mg protein-1 x min-1). Half-maximum inhibition was observed at 2 and 0.4 microM for furosemide and bumetanide, respectively. Loop diuretic-sensitive 86Rb+ influx was dependent on extracellular Na+ and Cl-; a hyperbolic dependency on extracellular Na+ was noted with apparent Michaels constant of 39 mM while a sigmoidal dependency on extracellular Cl- was present, which, assuming 1:1:2 stoichiometry for Na(+)-K(+)-Cl-, produced an apparent mean affinity constant of 64 mM. Moreover, a fraction of amiloride-insensitive 22Na+ influx was found to be sensitive to furosemide and dependent on extracellular K+ and Cl-, further indicating the presence of Na(+)-K(+)-Cl- cotransport. Efflux of 86Rb+ followed first-order kinetics, of which 60% was inhibitable by furosemide. Manipulations of extracellular osmolarity revealed that these furosemide-sensitive 86Rb+ flux pathways were coordinately regulated in response to osmotic stress. Concentration-dependent stimulation of Na(+)-K(+)-Cl- cotransport-mediated 86Rb+ influx was induced by two vasoconstrictors, angiotensin II (ANG II) and arginine vasopressin (AVP), and by a vasodilator, atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)