Modulation of calcium signalling by intracellular pH in exocrine acinar cells

Cell-permeant weak acids and bases alter the rate of fluid and electrolyte secretion by a range of epithelia, including the exocrine glands. It is widely assumed that weak acids and bases exert these effects by participating in the ion transport mechanism, or by changing intracellular pH (pHi) and hence modulating electrolyte (ion) transporters. An alternative possibility is that these substances act by modifying the intracellular calcium signals which control fluid secretion. In the present study we have examined whether weak acids and bases modify intracellular free calcium ([Ca2+]i) in exocrine acinar cells. Alkalinization with weak bases and acidification with weak acids had quite different effects on [Ca2+]i in resting and agonist-stimulated cells. In unstimulated lacrimal, salivary or pancreatic acinar cells, acidifying the cytosol had no effect on [Ca2+]i, while cytosolic alkalinization caused a modest rise in [Ca2+]i. This alkalinization-induced increase in [Ca2+]i appears to result from Ca2+ release from agonist-sensitive stores, and was probably caused by a small increase in intracellular InsP3 levels. In contrast, [Ca2+]i decreased when intracellular alkalinization was induced during agonist stimulation. Conversely, acidifying the cytosol during agonist stimulation raised [Ca2+]i. This latter effect was particularly dramatic in pancreatic acinar cells, where cytosolic acidification also enhanced agonist-evoked [Ca2+]i oscillations. The effects of pHi on [Ca2+]i in stimulated cells could also be observed in Ca2+-free medium, indicating that pHi altered [Ca2+]i handling by the intracellular stores rather than plasmalemmal Ca2+ transport. The results suggest that modulation of agonist-evoked [Ca2+]i signalling by changes in pHi may constitute a novel mechanism by which weak acids and bases may modulate exocrine fluid and ion transport.