Forskolin and PMA pretreatment of HT₂₉ cells alters their chloride conductance induced by cAMP, Ca²⁺ and hypotonic cell swelling

HT₂₉ cells were preincubated with forskolin (10^-5 mol/l, FORHT) or phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) (10^-7 mol/l, PMAHT) for 20 h, which has been shown previously and is also shown here, to upregulate and downregulate, respectively, the expression of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR). CFPAC-1 cells underwent the same protocols. HT₂₉ cells were examined by slow (SWC) and fast (FWC) whole-cell patch-clamp techniques. The results of SWC and FWC were indistinguishable and were pooled. CFPAC-1 cells were examined with FWC. The membrane voltage (V) of FORHT was -41.8±1.4 mV (n=77) and that of PMAHT was -43.6±2.4 mV (n=76). The conductance (G) of FORHT (9.4 ±0.9 nS, n=77) was significantly larger than that of PMAHT (3.7±0.4 nS, n=76). Acute application of forskolin (10^-5 mol/l, FOR) plus 0.5 mmol/l 8-(4-chlorophenylthio)-cAMP (cAMP) depolarized V by 12 (FORHT) and 8 (PMAHT) mV, respectively. The acute increase of G by FOR plus cAMP was by 7.6±1.9 nS for FORHT (n=22) and only 2.2±1 nS for PMAHT (n=13). ATP (10^-4 mol/l) depolarized V in both types of cells. It enhanced G by 16.7±4.1 nS in FORHT (n=14) and significantly less (by 5.5±1.2nS, n=14) in PMAHT. Also the G increase lasted longer in FORHT. Neurotensin (NT, 10^-8 mol/l) also had a stronger and longer lasting effect in FORHT. Exposure to hypotonic bath solution (160 mosmol/l) depolarized V in both types of cells. The increase in G was by 15±2.2 nS in FORHT (n=18) and by 11±1.3 nS in PMAHT (n=23). After being returned to the normotonic media, the decline of G to the control value was delayed in FORHT when compared to PMAHT. Ionomycin (10^-7 mol/l) increased G significantly more (to 47±8.5 nS, n=13) in FORHT when compared to PMAHT (to 28±4 nS, n=13). The present data indicate that a 20-h exposure of HT₂₉ cells to FOR versus PMA alters markedly the CFTR concentration. The cells with high CFTR (FORHT) when compared to those with low CFTR (PMAHT) differ not only in their acute G response to cAMP, but also in that to ATP, NT, hypotonic cell swelling, and ionomycin. In contrast, the same pretreatment of CFPAC-1 cells did not alter the G changes induced by ionomycin or hypotonic cell swelling. These results indicate that changes in CFTR expression correlate with the Cl^- conductances induced by cAMP, Ca²⁺ and hypotonic cell swelling.