Flounder intestinal absorptive cells have abundant gap junctions and may be coupled

We noted that, unlike mammalian intestinal absorptive cells, cells of the winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus) displayed abundant gap junctions on the lateral plasma membrane. We compared the distribution of gap junctions in winter flounder to that in rabbit intestinal epithelium. We also examined for evidence of gap junction-mediated intercellular coupling by comparing the cell-to-cell variation of electrical potential difference across winter flounder intestinal cell apical membranes with that in rabbit small intestinal epithelium in which gap junctions are rare. Gap junctions were seen in 95% of flounder absorptive cells and were localized largely to the apical third of the lateral membrane. Individual gap junctions often contained several hundred uniform 9-nm intramembrane particles. Gap junction size and structure was independent of the position of individual absorptive cells on mucosal folds. These findings sharply contrasted flounder intestinal absorptive cells with rabbit small intestinal absorptive cells, in which gap junctions were rarely detected and when present consisted of few intramembrane particles. Correlating with this distribution of morphologically detectable gap junctions, rabbit small intestinal epithelial cells demonstrated marked variability in potential difference across their apical membranes, whereas those in flounder small intestine showed little variation in apical membrane potential difference. Thus, in contrast to intestinal epithelium of rabbits, flounder intestinal epithelium demonstrates morphological and functional characteristics, suggesting a substantial degree of electrical coupling.