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New findings What is the central question of this study? In a model of salt-sensitive hypertension in ovariectomized (oVx) adult Wistar rats, we evaluated the expression of proteins related to sodium transport in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), and we compared the response of proteins to high sodium intake and changes in blood pressure in intact female rats. What is the main finding and its importance? Sodium transport proteins in PBMC react to high sodium and blood pressure markedly differently in oVx versus intact female rats. Protein expressions indicate sodium and pressure sensitivity. Renal immune cells increase in oVx under high salt. Abstract Hypertension is a worldwide public health problem. High sodium consumption is associated with hypertension, and hypertensive mechanisms involve immunity cells. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) are endowed with proteins related to sodium transport. We studied their abundance in PBMC from intact (IF) or ovariectomized (oVx) adult Wistar rats under normal (NS) or high salt (HS) intake. Ovariectomy was performed at 60 days of life. At 145 days, one group of IF and oVx rats received NS or HS intake for 5 days. Another group of IF HS and oVx HS rats received hydralazine (HDZ) to reduce blood pressure (BP). Sodium balance and BP were recorded. Expression of Na+ , K+ -ATPase (NKA), Na/K/2Cl 1 (NKCC1), serum/glucocorticoid-regulated kinase 1 (SGK1), Dopamine D1 like receptor (D1DR), CD4+ and CD8+ were determined in PBMC, and CD45+ leukocytes in renal tissue. IF HS rats showed increased natriuresis and normal BP. NKA and CD4+ expression diminished in IF HS. Instead, oVx HS rats had sodium retention and high BP and increased the expression of NKA, NKCC1, D1DR, CD4+ and CD8+ in PBMC. Renal CD45+ leukocytes increased in oVx HS. HDZ decreased BP in all rats. Upon HDZ treatment, NKA did not change, NKCC1 decreased in oVx HS rats, while SGK1 increased in both IF HS and oVx HS rats. Hormonal background determines BP response and the expression of proteins related to sodium transport in PBMC and renal immune cells at HS intake. The analysis of NKA, NKCC1, and SGK1 expression in PBMC differentiated salt-sensitivity from BP variations. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Female sex hormones participate in the regulation of blood pressure and renal epithelial proliferation, effects not related to their reproductive function. About one-third of the world's population has abnormally high levels of blood pressure, hypertension, which is responsible for almost 50% of deaths from stroke and coronary heart disease. Salt sensitivity is a risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality and other diseases as well. We reported a model of salt sensitive hypertension in adult ovariectomized (oVx) Wistar rats. oVx rats are normotensive under normal salt intake (NS, 0.24% NaCl), but upon a high salt intake (HS, 1% NaCl) oVx rats developed a blood pressure profile of salt-sensitive hypertension. Our studies on kidney molecules related to sodium balance found that the circuit dopamine D1-like receptor, cytochrome P450 4A and Na+, K+-ATPase is altered by the absence of ovary hormones which is accompanied by a reduced ability to excrete sodium. In oVx rats HS intake also promotes changes in the expression of proteins related to sodium transport in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, mainly peripheral lymphocytes. Therefore, sodium transport is modified at several levels of normal physiology. Lately, we described that estradiol increases the rate of renal epithelial cell proliferation in primary cultures developed from human renal cortex. Thus, salt sensitivity, adaptive immunity, blood pressure and renal cell proliferation are complex biological responses regulated by female sex hormones.Un tercio de la población mundial tiene niveles anormalmente altos de presión arterial, hipertensión, responsable de casi el 50% de las muertes por accidente cerebrovascular y enfermedad coronaria. La sensibilidad a la sal es un factor de riesgo para la morbilidad y mortalidad cardiovascular y también para otras enfermedades. En estudios previos describimos un modelo de hipertensión sal sensible (HSS) en ratas Wistar ovariectomizadas (oVx) adultas. Las ratas oVx son normotensas con ingesta normal de sal (NS, 0.24% de NaCl), pero desarrollan un perfil de HSS con una ingesta elevada de sal (HS, 1% de NaCl). En los estudios en riñón encontramos que el circuito receptor D1 de dopamina, citocromo P450 4A y Na+, K+-ATPasa está alterado por la ausencia de hormonas ováricas, lo que se asocia a menor excreción de sodio e hipertensión arterial. La ingesta HS en ratas oVx también promueve cambios en la expresión de proteínas relacionadas con el transporte de sodio en células mononucleares de sangre periférica, principalmente linfocitos periféricos. Por lo tanto, el transporte de sodio se modifica en varios niveles de la fisiología normal. En estudios recientes observamos que el estradiol aumenta la proliferación y diferenciación de células epiteliales en cultivos de corteza renal humana. Sensibilidad a la sal, inmunidad adaptativa, presión arterial y proliferación de células epiteliales en riñón son fenómenos de gran importancia biológica regulados por estradiol.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli produces watery and hemorrhagic diarrhea, and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) characterized by thrombocytopenia, microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, and acute renal failure. Central nervous system (CNS) complications are observed in around 30% of infant population with HUS. Common signs of severe CNS involvement leading to death include seizures, alteration of consciousness, hemiparesis, visual disturbances, and brain stem symptoms. The purpose of the present work was to study the effects of Shiga toxin 2 (Stx2) in the brain of rats intraperitoneally (i.p.) injected with a supernatant from recombinant E. coli expressing Stx2 (sStx2). Neurological alterations such as postural and motor abnormalities including lethargy, abnormal walking, and paralysis of hind legs, were observed in this experimental model of HUS in rats. Neuronal damage, as well as significant decrease in aquaporin 1 (AQP1) and aquaporin 4 (AQP4) expression levels were observed in the brain of rats, 2 days after sStx2 injection, compared to controls. Downregulation of aquaporin protein levels, and neuronal alterations, observed in brain of rats injected with sStx2, may be involved in edema formation and in neurological manifestations characteristic of HUS.

Aquaporin-4 (AQP4) water channels exist as heterotetramers of M1 and M23 splice variants and appear to be present in orthogonal arrays of intramembraneous particles (OAPs) visualized by freeze-fracture microscopy. We report that AQP4 forms OAPs in rat gastric parietal cells but not in parietal cells from the mouse or kangaroo rat. Furthermore, the organization of principal cell OAPs in Brattleboro rat kidney is perturbed by vasopressin (arginine vasopressin). Membranes of LLC-PK1cells expressing M23-AQP4 showed large, abundant OAPs, but none were detectable in cells expressing M1-AQP4. Measurements of osmotic swelling of transfected LLC-PK1cells using videomicroscopy, gave osmotic water permeability coefficient ( Pf) values (in cm/s) of 0.018 (M1-AQP4), 0.019 (M23-AQP4), and 0.003 (control). Quantitative immunoblot and immunofluorescence showed an eightfold greater expression of M1- over M23-AQP4 in the cell lines, suggesting that single-channel pf(cm3/s) is much greater for the M23 variant. Somatic fusion of M1- and M23-AQP4 cells ( Pf= 0.028 cm/s) yielded OAPs that were fewer and smaller than in M23 cells alone, and M1-to-M23 expression ratios (∼1:4) normalized to AQP4 in M1 or M23 cells indicated a reduced single-channel pffor the M23 variant. Expression of an M23-AQP4-Ser111Emutant produced ∼1.5-fold greater single-channel pfand OAPs that were up to 2.5-fold larger than wild-type M23-AQP4 OAPs, suggesting that a putative PKA phosphorylation site Ser111is involved in OAP formation. We conclude that the higher-order organization of AQP4 in OAPs increases single-channel osmotic water permeability by one order of magnitude and that differential cellular expression levels of the two isoforms could regulate this organization.

Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) colonizes the large intestine causing a spectrum of disorders, including watery diarrhea, bloody diarrhea (hemorrhagic colitis), and hemolytic-uremic syndrome. It is estimated that hemolytic-uremic syndrome is the most common cause of acute renal failure in infants in Argentina. Stx is a multimeric toxin composed of one A subunit and five B subunits. In this study we demonstrate that the Stx2 B subunit inhibits the water absorption (Jw) across the human and rat colonic mucosa without altering the electrical parameters measured as transepithelial potential difference and short circuit current. The time-course Jw inhibition by 400 ng/ml purified Stx2 B subunit was similar to that obtained using 12 ng/ml Stx2 holotoxin suggesting that both, A and B subunits of Stx2 contributed to inhibit the Jw. Moreover, non-hemorrhagic fluid accumulation was observed in rat colon loops after 16 h of treatment with 3 and 30 ng/ml Stx2 B subunit. These changes indicate that Stx2 B subunit induces fluid accumulation independently of A subunit activity by altering the usual balance of intestinal absorption and secretion toward net secretion. In conclusion, our results suggest that the Stx2 B subunit, which is non-toxic for Vero cells, may contribute to the watery diarrhea observed in STEC infection. Further studies will be necessary to determine whether the toxicity of Stx2 B subunit may have pathogenic consequences when it is used as a component in an acellular STEC vaccine or as a vector in cancer vaccines. Fil: Pistone Creydt, Virginia. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Departamento de Ciencias Fisiológicas. Laboratorio de Fisiopatogenia; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; Argentina Fil: Fernandez, Miyakawa. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Departamento de Ciencias Fisiológicas. Laboratorio de Fisiopatogenia; Argentina Fil: Martin, Fernando Ariel. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Departamento de Ciencias Fisiológicas. Laboratorio de Fisiopatogenia; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina Fil: Zotta, Elsa. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Departamento de Ciencias Fisiológicas. Laboratorio de Fisiopatogenia; Argentina Fil: Silberstein, Claudia Marcela. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Departamento de Ciencias Fisiológicas. Laboratorio de Fisiopatogenia; Argentina Fil: Ibarra, Cristina Adriana. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Departamento de Ciencias Fisiológicas. Laboratorio de Fisiopatogenia; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina

Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) cause post-diarrhea Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS), which is the most common cause of acute renal failure in children in many parts of the world. Several non-O157 STEC strains also produce Subtilase cytotoxin (SubAB) that may contribute to HUS pathogenesis. The aim of the present work was to examine the cytotoxic effects of SubAB on primary cultures of human cortical renal tubular epithelial cells (HRTEC) and compare its effects with those produced by Shiga toxin type 2 (Stx2), in order to evaluate their contribution to renal injury in HUS. For this purpose, cell viability, proliferation rate, and apoptosis were assayed on HRTEC incubated with SubAB and/or Stx2 toxins. SubAB significantly reduced cell viability and cell proliferation rate, as well as stimulating cell apoptosis in HRTEC cultures in a time dependent manner. However, HRTEC cultures were significantly more sensitive to the cytotoxic effects of Stx2 than those produced by SubAB. No synergism was observed when HRTEC were co-incubated with both SubAB and Stx2. When HRTEC were incubated with the inactive SubAA272B toxin, results were similar to those in untreated control cells. Similar stimulation of apoptosis was observed in Vero cells incubated with SubAB or/and Stx2, compared to HRTEC. In conclusion, primary cultures of HRTEC are significantly sensitive to the cytotoxic effects of SubAB, although, in a lesser extent compared to Stx2. Fil: Márquez, Laura B.. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Departamento de Ciencias Fisiológicas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Fisiología y Biofísica Bernardo Houssay. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Fisiología y Biofísica Bernardo Houssay; Argentina Fil: Veláazquez, Natalia. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Departamento de Ciencias Fisiológicas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Fisiología y Biofísica Bernardo Houssay. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Fisiología y Biofísica Bernardo Houssay; Argentina Fil: Repetto, Horacio A.. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina; Argentina Fil: Paton, Adrienne W.. University of Adelaide; Australia Fil: Paton, James C.. University of Adelaide; Australia Fil: Ibarra, Cristina Adriana. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Departamento de Ciencias Fisiológicas. Laboratorio de Fisiopatogenia; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Fisiología y Biofísica Bernardo Houssay. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Fisiología y Biofísica Bernardo Houssay; Argentina Fil: Silberstein, Claudia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Fisiología y Biofísica Bernardo Houssay. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Fisiología y Biofísica Bernardo Houssay; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Departamento de Ciencias Fisiológicas; Argentina

Water channels or aquaporins (AQPs) have been identified in a large variety of tissues. Nevertheless, their role in the human gastrointestinal tract, where their action is essential for the reabsorption and secretion of water and electrolytes, is still unclear. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the structure and function of water channels expressed in the human colon. A cDNA fragment of about 420 bp with a 98% identity to human AQP3 was amplified from human stomach, small intestine and colon by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and a transcript of 2.2 kb was expressed more abundantly in colon than in jejunum, ileum and stomach as indicated by Northern blots. Expression of mRNA from the colon of adults and children but not from other gastrointestinal regions in Xenopus oocytes enhanced the osmotic water permeability, and the urea and glycerol transport in a manner sensitive to an antisense AQP3 oligonucleotide, indicating the presence of functional AQP3. Immunocytochemistry and immunofluorescence studies in human colon revealed that the AQP3 protein is restricted to the villus epithelial cells. The immunostaining within these cells was more intense in the apical than in the basolateral membranes. The presence of AQP3 in villus epithelial cells suggests that AQP3 is implicated in water absorption across human colonic surface cells.

Postdiarrhea hemolytic uremic syndrome is the most common cause of acute renal failure in children in Argentina. Renal damage has been strongly associated with Shiga toxin (Stx), which binds to the globotriaosylceramide (Gb3) receptor on the plasma membrane of target cells. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the in vivo effects of C-9, a potent inhibitor of glucosylceramide synthase and Gb3 synthesis, on kidney and colon in an experimental model of hemolytic uremic syndrome in rats. Rats were i.p. injected with supernatant from recombinant Escherichia coli expressing Stx2 (sStx2). A group of these rats were orally treated with C-9 during 6 d, from 2 d prior until 4 d after sStx2 injection. The injection of sStx2 caused renal damage as well as a loss of goblet cells in colonic mucosa. Oral treatment with C-9 significantly decreased rat mortality to 50% and reduced the extension of renal and intestinal injuries in the surviving rats. The C-9 also decreased Gb3 and glucosylceramide expression levels in rat kidneys. It is particularly interesting that an improvement was seen when C-9 was administered 2 d before challenge, which makes it potentially useful for prophylaxis.

Aquaporin-4 (AQP4) is a basolateral water channel in collecting duct principal cells and assembles into orthogonal array particles (OAPs), the size of which appears to depend on relative expression levels of AQP4 splice variants. Because the higher-order organization of AQP4 was perturbed by vasopressin in Brattleboro rats and phosphorylation sites have been identified on AQP4, we investigated whether vasopressin and forskolin (Fk) affect AQP4 assembly and/or expression in LLC-PK1cells stably transfected with the AQP4 splice variant M23, which is responsible for formation of OAPs, and/or the splice variant M1, which does not form OAPs. Our data show that [lys8]-vasopressin (LVP) and Fk treatment led to differential increases in expression levels of M23-AQP4 and M1-AQP4 that varied as a function of incubation time. At early time points ( day 1) expression of M1 was significantly stimulated (4.5-fold), over that of M23 (1.6-fold), but after 3 days the expression of M23 became predominant (4.1-fold) over that of M1 (1.9-fold). This pattern of stimulation was dependent on an intact AQP4 residue serine 111 and required protein synthesis. In cells expressing both M1 and M23 (M1/M23 ∼ 1), with small sized OAPs at the membrane, the LVP/Fk-induced stimulation of M23 was modified and mimicked that of M1 when expressed alone, suggesting a dominant role for M1. In Brattleboro kidney inner medulla, an 8-day chronic exposure to the vasopressin agonist (dDAVP) led to reduction in M1 and a significant increase in M23 immunoblot staining (M1/M23 = 2/3 → 1/4). These results indicate that AQP4 organization and expression are regulated by vasopressin in vivo and in vitro and demonstrate that the dominant role for M1 is restricted to a one-to-one interaction between AQP4 splice variants that regulates the membrane expression of OAPs.

Urea transport depends on the diffusion through cell membrane and the facilitated urea transport. Two groups of urea transporters (UT-A and UT-B) have been identified in mammals, and both are involved in intrarenal recycling of urea. The aim of our study was to examine the renal urea handling in rats with chronic renal failure (CRF).CRF rats were induced by 5/6 nephrectomy followed by a high-protein (HP) diet to increase the progressive loss of renal function for 5 months. Functional studies on water and urea handling were performed. RT-PCR, immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry were used to identify UT-A proteins in remnant kidney.A significant decrease in creatinine clearance consistent with development of CRF was observed. The remnant kidneys were hypertrophied, and total renal mass was increased. Urine production increased markedly, whereas urine osmolality and solute-free water reabsorption decreased significantly. Fractional urea excretion was increased reaching values of 105% -/+ 8%. UT-A protein was localized in pars recta by immunohistochemical studies, and it was identified as UT-A2 in outer medulla from remnant kidneys by RT-PCR and immunoblotting.In uremic rats, an urea transporter type UT-A2 was expressed in the pars recta, suggesting a possible relation with the fractional urea excretion increase. This expression may be a consequence of an adaptive mechanism in the handling of urea during development of CRF. Further studies will be necessary to elucidate the contribution of this mechanism to renal damage observed in the progression of CRF.

The mammalian aquaporins (AQPs) are a family of 13 transmembrane channel proteins that are involved in the transport of water in numerous organs. In the male excurrent duct, the movement of fluid and solutes across the epithelium is essential for establishing the proper luminal environment in which sperm mature and are stored. AQP9 is abundantly expressed in the efferent ducts, the epididymis, and the vas deferens, where it could represent an important apical pathway for transmembrane water and solute movement. However, other organs in which water transport is critical, including the kidney, the lung, or the eye, express several different AQPs with a cell-specific pattern. To undertake a systematic analysis of the expression of known AQPs in the postnatal and adult rat epididymis, we examined the expression of their respective mRNAs in epithelial cells isolated by laser capture microdissection (LCM), and we determined their corresponding protein expression pattern by immunofluorescence and Western blotting. Our data show that, whereas AQP9 is the main AQP of the epididymis, the mRNA specific for Aqp2, 5, 7, and 11 are also expressed in epididymal epithelial cells. AQP5 protein colocalizes with AQP9 in the apical membrane of a subpopulation of principal cells in the corpus and cauda regions. Aqp2 mRNA was detected in epithelial cells after the second postnatal week and the amount significantly increased up to adulthood. However, AQP2 protein was detected only in the distal cauda of young rats (between the second and fourth postnatal week). No AQP2 protein was detected in the adult epididymis, indicating that posttranscriptional mechanisms are involved in the regulation of AQP2 expression. In addition, epididymal epithelial cells express significant amounts of the mRNAs coding for AQP7 and 11. No mRNA or protein for AQPs 0, 4, 6, and 8 were detectable in epithelial cells, and Aqp1 was detected in whole epididymal samples, but not in epithelial cells. Thanks to the recent development of microdissection technologies, our observations suggest that epididymal epithelial cells express several members of the AQP family with a region-specific pattern. AQPs may be involved not only in the transepithelial transport of water in the epididymis but also in the postnatal development of this organ, as suggested by the differential expression of AQP2.

Xenopus laevis oocytes have been extensively used for expression cloning, structure/function relationships, and regulation analysis of transporter proteins. Urea transporters have been expressed in Xenopus oocytes and their properties have been described. In order to establish an alternative system in which urea transporters could be efficiently expressed and studied, we determined the urea transport properties of ovarian oocytes from Bufo arenarum, a toad species common in Argentina. Bufo oocytes presented a high urea permeability of 22.3 × 10−6 cm/s, which was significantly inhibited by the incubation with phloretin. The urea uptake in these oocytes was also inhibited by mercurial reagents, and high-affinity urea analogues. The urea uptake was not sodium dependent. The activation energy was 3.2 Kcal/mol, suggesting that urea movement across membrane oocytes may be through a facilitated urea transporter. In contrast, Bufo oocytes showed a low permeability for mannitol and glycerol. From these results, we propose that one or several specific urea transporters are present in ovarian oocytes from Bufo arenarum. Therefore, these oocytes cannot be used in expression studies of foreign urea transporters. The importance of Bufo urea transporter is not known but could be implicated in osmotic regulation during the laying of eggs in water. J. Exp. Zool. 298A:10–15, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Adenylyl cyclase (AC) isoforms catalyze the synthesis of 3′,5′-cyclic AMP from ATP. These isoforms are critically involved in the regulation of gene transcription, metabolism, and ion channel activity among others. Nitric oxide (NO) is a gaseous product whose synthesis from L-arginine is catalyzed by the enzyme NO synthase. It has been well established that NO activates the enzyme guanylyl cyclase, but little has been reported on the effects of NO on other important second messengers, such as AC. In the present study, the effects of sodium nitroprusside (SNP), a nitric oxide-releasing compound, on COS-7 cells transfected with plasmids containing AC types I, II, V and VI were evaluated. Total inhibition (∼98.5%) of cAMP production was observed in COS-7 cells transfected with the AC I isoform and previously treated with SNP (10 mM) for 30 min, when stimulated with ionomycin. A high inhibition (∼76%) of cAMP production was also observed in COS-7 cells transfected with the AC VI isoform and previously treated with SNP (10 mM) for 30 min, when stimulated with forskolin. No effect on cAMP production was observed in cells transfected with AC isoforms II and V. Fil: Goldstein Raij, Jorge. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Departamento de Ciencias Fisiológicas. Laboratorio de Fisiopatogenia; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay; Argentina Fil: Ibarra, Cristina Adriana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Departamento de Ciencias Fisiológicas. Laboratorio de Fisiopatogenia; Argentina Fil: Silberstein, Claudia Marcela. Universidad de Buenos Aires; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Departamento de Ciencias Fisiológicas. Laboratorio de Fisiopatogenia; Argentina

We report the characterization of a frog (Rana esculenta) urea transporter (fUT). The cloned cDNA is 1.4 kb long and contains a putative open reading frame of 1203 bp. In frog urinary bladder, the gene is expressed as two mRNAs of 4.3 and 1.6 kb. The fUT protein is 63.1 and 56.3% identical to rat UT-A2 and UT-B1, respectively. The internal duplication of UT-A2 and UT-B, as well as the double LP box urea transporter signature sequence were found in this amphibian urea transporter. When expressed in Xenopus oocytes, fUT induced a 10-fold increase in urea permeability, which was blocked by both phloretin and mercurial reagents. The fUT protein did not transport thiourea, but the fUT-mediated urea transport was strongly inhibited by this compound. Thus, this amphibian urea transporter displays transport characteristics in between those of UT-A2 and UT-B.

The recent spread of El Tor cholera in Latin America highlights the need for a safe and economical vaccine. The main approach for developing live recombinant vaccines has been to disarm known pathogenic strains of cholera toxin leaving intact antigens involved in protection. These recombinant vaccine candidates do not cause severe diarrhea, but they are too reactogenic for wide scale usage. We describe here a test capable of determining the diarrheagenic potential of attenuated V. cholerae strains. The functional test consists in the simultaneous recording of net water movement, electrical potential difference and short-circuit current across the human intestine ex vivo. We found that human tissues incubated with supernatants from the attenuated 638, 413 and 251a V. cholerae strains caused no changes in the ion conductances and water absorption in ileal and colon tissues allowing them to be assayed in volunteers.