Sodium-dependent activity of aquaporin-1 in rat glioma cells: a new mechanism of cell volume regulation

Abstract

Cell volume controls many functions and is itself regulated. To study cell volume regulations, the mean volume of C6-BU-1 rat glioma cells was electronically measured under isotonic and anisotonic conditions. Two isotonic solutions were used containing either normal (solution 1) or low (solution 2) NaCl. Anisotonicity was induced by changing NaCl or sucrose concentrations in solutions 1 and 2, respectively. The cells behaved like perfect osmometers when the tonicity was increased. In contrast, just after hypotonic challenges, the cell volume was smaller than that predicted by a perfect osmometer. This deviation reveals a new mechanism, which we call the volume increase limitation (VIL). When hypotonicity was induced by decreasing NaCl, a classical slow regulatory volume decrease (RVD) was also observed in addition to VIL. The cells expressed aquaporin-1 sensitive to HgCl(2) and decreased by siRNA, which both reduced fast volume changes. In this study, we show that: (1) RVD is proportional to the change in external Cl(-) concentration and is inhibited by Cl(-) channel and K(+)-Cl(-) cotransporter blockers; (2) cell swelling due to the influx of H(2)O through aquaporins shows rectification with decreasing osmolarity and is sensitive to the internal Na(+) concentration; (3) VIL is linearly related with hypotonicity and is abolished in solutions 1 and 2 by the Na(+) ionophore monensin and in solution 1 by the Na(+)-K(+) ATPase inhibitor ouabain. These results suggest that VIL is triggered by the decrease in internal Na(+) caused by hyponatrema and cell swelling. In addition to RVD, VIL should protect cells during hyposmotic stress.