Chloride secretion and conductance of teleost opercular membrane: effects of prolactin

Effects of prolactin on transport properties of opercular membranes from seawater-adapted tilapia, Sarotherodon mossambicus, have been examined. These membranes are high conductance (average Gt approximately 4 mS.cm-2) tissues with short-circuit currents (I) equal to net chloride secretion. Despite high Gt, nonlinear current-voltage relationships suggest that opercular membranes cannot be classified as "leaky" tissues. Variability among membranes is reflected in a linear relationship between I and Gt with a slope equal to 26 mV and the zero-current Gt intercept equal to 0.45 mS.cm-2. Prolactin injections decrease I and Gt in a dose-dependent manner. Phosphodiesterase inhibition, without effect on I in untreated fish, often partially reverses these prolactin effects. Gt-I data from prolactin-treated fish yield a slope of 18 mV and a Gt intercept of 0.10 mS.cm-2. The effects of prolactin are discussed in terms of conventional equivalent circuit analysis. Discrepancies between predictions based on this model and the actual data indicate that an alternative interpretation, based on a heterogeneous cell population, is more accurate. Analysis of this circuit suggests that the ratio of paracellular to active transport pathway conductances associated with chloride cells is constant and that differences in Gt and I are due to parallel changes in these conductances. Prolactin may effectively "remove" chloride cells from these membranes as well as inhibit (reversible by elevated cellular cAMP levels) active transport pathway conductance of remaining cells.