Sudden volume changes of the lumen of inverted thyroid follicles in suspension cultures. Use in estimation of rates of water flux through thyroid epithelium

Ion transport in epithelial spheroids derived from human airway cells

In the present study, we describe a novel three-dimensional airway epithelial explant preparation and demonstrate its use for ion transport studies by electrophysiological technique. Suspension cultures of sheets of epithelial cells released by protease treatment from cystic fibrosis (CF) and non-CF nasal polyps developed free-floating, monolayered epithelial spheres, with the apical, ciliated cell membrane facing the bath and the basolateral cell membrane pointing toward a fluid-filled lumen. Microelectrode impalement of both non-CF and CF spheroids revealed lumen-positive transepithelial electrical potential differences (PDs) that were inhibited by amiloride, indicating that the spheroids were inflated due to amiloride-sensitive Na+ absorption followed by water. Transformation to a Cl- secretory state was achieved by addition of ATP to the bath, leading to the development of a diphenylamine-2-carboxylate-sensitive PD. A cAMP-induced increase in PD was seen in non-CF spheroids only. In response to hydrocortisone treatment, Na+ transport reflected by amiloride-sensitive PD increased and more so in CF than in non-CF spheres. We concluded that this preparation is a useful model for the airway surface epithelium and is suitable for studies of transport mechanisms and regulation.

Transcytosis in thyroid follicle cells: regulation and implications for thyroglobulin transport

In order to analyze quantitatively the translocation of plasma membrane during endocytosis and transcytosis and the regulation of these processes in thyroid follicle cells, the apical cell surfaces of resting and TSH-stimulated inside-out follicles were labeled with cationized ferritin. Morphometric analyses showed that the rates of endocytosis and transcytosis are TSH-dependent. More interestingly, whereas the effect of TSH on endocytosis was transient (with a maximum at 16 min), the effect on transcytosis continued to increase until the end of the experiment (i.e, 70 min). During 1 h of endocytosis, the fraction of membrane involved in transcytosis increased by a factor 4 upon TSH stimulation, corresponding to about 12% of the internalized apical plasma membrane area. Cooling to 15 degrees C slowed down, but did not block endocytosis entirely, whereas transcytosis and transfer to lysosomes were totally inhibited In order to quantitate transcytosis of thyroglobulin (TG) and to ascertain whether this molecule undergoes cleavage during transcytosis, inside-out follicles were incubated in a medium containing 3H-labeled TG in the presence of TSH; upon washing and reopening of follicles, the luminal fluid containing TG after transcytosis was found to contain about 10% of the total radioactivity taken up by follicle cells. Transcytosed TG proved to be unmodified with respect to its electrophoretic mobility. We conclude that (i) the fraction of transcytosed TG corresponds approximately to the fraction of membrane involved in this process, (ii) TG does not undergo cleavage during transcytosis, (iii) endocytosis and transcytosis are regulated by TSH but differ in their kinetics after stimulation, and (iv) transcytosis is affected by temperature in a similar way as transfer to lysosomes, suggesting the existence of a common gating step for both pathways.

Change of inverted thyroid follicle into a spheroid after embedding in a collagen gel

When inverted thyroid follicles in suspension culture are embedded in a collagen gel, there is extensive reorganization of the follicle. To identify intermediate stages in the reorganization, a suspension of inverted follicles was mixed with a cold solution of collagen (0.1 mg/ml) in culture medium and the resultant was warmed and allowed to gel. Prior to embedding, the epithelial cells bounding the lumens formed a monolayer of attenuated cells with their microvilli-bearing surface in contact with the medium. The first change noted was a shrinkage of the lumen in many follicles by 18 h. The cells became cuboidal to columnar. Some of the cells had long sheet-like processes extending into the lumen in contact with those of other cells. In late stages of the reorganization, 48 h, the cells were arranged in a compact spheroid. The spheroids contained two different kinds of colloid-filled lumens, possibly of different origins, one a spherical microlumen, the other very long and narrow in section. The peripheral cells of the spheroid had a smooth plasma membrane (without microvilli) in contact with collagen. Although most of the cells in a section had a microvilli-bearing surface forming part of the boundary of a lumen, it is not certain that all cells were in contact with a lumen.