ENDOGENOUS ANGIOTENSIN-II RECEPTORS IN XENOPUS OOCYTES AND EGGS

Angiotensin II (AII) induced strongly desensitizing oscillatory Cl- inward currents in both follicle-enclosed and collagenase-treated Xenopus oocytes. The AII response was abolished by EGTA and attenuated by pertussis toxin. Treatment of oocytes with collagenase transiently reduced both the ratio of oocytes responsive to AII and the amplitude of AII responses, followed by restoration to original levels in 3-4 days. The response to adrenaline, which is mediated by endogenous beta-adrenoceptors in follicle cells, however, was irreversibly abolished by collagenase treatment. These results suggest that endogenous current-mediating AII receptors in oocytes are coupled with phosphatidylinositol hydrolysis and localized in the oocyte or in a cellular structure distinct from that for endogenous beta-adrenoceptors. Progesterone-matured Xenopus eggs also responded to AII, and this AII-induced depolarization resembled the fertilization potential in the eggs, suggesting a possible role of AII receptors in processes of fertilization or growth of the eggs.