CHOLINERGIC EFFECTS ON INTRACELLULAR FREE CALCIUM-CONCENTRATION IN RENAL CORPUSCLE - ROLE OF PARIETAL SHEET

To investigate a possible effect of cholinergic agonists on the renal glomerular function, fura-2 microfluorometric measurements of intracellular free calcium ([Ca2+]i) were performed on single intact glomeruli, single isolated parietal sheets of the Bowman's capsule and single parietal sheet-deprived glomeruli (PS-D glomerulus). Carbachol (10(-4) M), in the presence of 2 mM external calcium, induced a biphasic increase in [Ca2+]i characterized by a sharp initial peak followed by a sustained plateau in the whole glomerulus (DELTA[Ca2+]i = 177 +/- 13 and 70 +/- 7 nM, respectively; n = 21) and in the parietal sheet (418 +/- 30 and 111 +/- 13 nM, respectively; n = 21). In the PS-D glomerulus (n = 9), the response was less marked and included a barely visible peak (77 +/- 13 nM) and a relatively low plateau (49 +/- 11 nM). In the absence of external calcium, the peak phase was preserved in the three structures, indicating a calcium release from intracellular pools, whereas the plateau, due to the entry of external calcium, was suppressed. These effects were fully inhibited by 10(-4) M of either atropine or pirenzepine, demonstrating the muscarinic nature of the receptors. Dose-response curves showed that the parietal sheet was more sensitive to the physiological agonist (acetylcholine) than to carbachol. A still unexplained difference in sensitivity was noted between peak and plateau, respectively (half-maximal responses were 5 x 10(-6) vs. 5 x 10(-7) M for carbachol and 2 x 10(-7) vs. 3 x 10(-8) M for acetylcholine). In conclusion, muscarinic stimulation may increase [Ca2+]i in several glomerular cell types, particularly the epithelial cells of the parietal sheet. These cells contain myofilaments, which might contract in response to muscarinic agonists.