In vitro studies of the regulation of mucous gland secretion

Our laboratory is concerned with elucidation of mechanisms regulating the exocrine secretion of mucin glycoproteins by mucous cells of salivary mucous glands. As a model system for our studies we use short-term cultures of acinar structures isolated from rat sublingual glands. Recent results are discussed from an on-going study of cross-talk between the two primary signaling pathways regulating exocrine secretion from isolated sublingual acini: the muscarinic cholinergic and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) pathways. The combination of muscarinic agonist (carbachol) and VIP elicits a secretion equivalent to about 150% of the additive sum of the secretory responses to each agonist alone. This synergistic secretory response is only observed at submaximal concentrations of carbachol. VIP thus serves to decrease the EC50 for carbachol nearly three-fold. Results are thus far consistent with the hypothesis that a sustained rise in the intracellular concentration of calcium ions induced by VIP accounts for synergistic secretion and the heightened sensitivity to carbachol.