Skip to main content
NCBI home page
The Journal of Cell Biology logoLink to The Journal of Cell Biology
. 1979 Nov 1;83(2):383–393. doi: 10.1083/jcb.83.2.383

Lack of correlation between transepithelial transport capacity and paracellular pathway ultrastructure in Alcian blue-treated rabbit gallbladders

PMCID: PMC2111543  PMID: 500786

Abstract

The effects of mucosal application of 1 mg% Alcian blue (a trivalent cationic phthalocyanine dye) on functional and ultrastructural parameters of the isolated rabbit gallbladder have been studied. Apart from minor changes in the shape of the group of central microvilli observed in thin-section electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, the major ultrastructural change induced by Alcian blue was an almost complete collapse of intercellular spaces in the region above the tight junctions up to the bases of the marginal microvilli as revealed by thin-section electron microscopy. Freeze-fracture electron microscopy demonstrated a complete disappearance of intramembrane particles of neighboring cell membranes corresponding to the region of interspace collapse. Transepithelial electrical resistance (RT) increased from 44.5 to 58.7 ohm . cm2 upon treatment with Alcian blue. This increase could be well accounted for by the observed structural changes in the paracellular pathway if this pathway determines the low resistance of the rabbit gallbladder epithelium. Despite the increase in RT, net mucosa-to-serosa fluid transport and the spontaneous mucosa- positive potential difference of 3 mV were unaltered by Alcian blue treatment, supporting the hypothesis that the transepithelial transport mechanism per se is electroneutral. A calculation of the maximal paracellular mucosa-to-serosa waterflow in response to a lateral intercellular space hypertonicity of 20 mosM demonstrates that in the Alcian blue-treated gallbladder the resulting figure is about three orders of magnitude too low to keep up with the unaltered spontaneous transepithelial net fluid transport. It is therefore concluded that the tight junction pathway in rabbit gallbladders does not serve as a route for net fluid transport.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (1.2 MB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Boulpaep E. L., Sackin H. Role of the paracellular pathway in isotonic fluid movement across the renal tubule. Yale J Biol Med. 1977 Mar-Apr;50(2):115–131. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Civan M. M. Path of bulk water movement through the urinary bladder of the toad. J Theor Biol. 1970 Jun;27(3):387–391. doi: 10.1016/s0022-5193(70)80004-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Claude P., Goodenough D. A. Fracture faces of zonulae occludentes from "tight" and "leaky" epithelia. J Cell Biol. 1973 Aug;58(2):390–400. doi: 10.1083/jcb.58.2.390. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. DIAMOND J. M. TRANSPORT OF SALT AND WATER IN RABBIT AND GUINEA PIG GALL BLADDER. J Gen Physiol. 1964 Sep;48:1–14. doi: 10.1085/jgp.48.1.1. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Diamond J. M., Bossert W. H. Standing-gradient osmotic flow. A mechanism for coupling of water and solute transport in epithelia. J Gen Physiol. 1967 Sep;50(8):2061–2083. doi: 10.1085/jgp.50.8.2061. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Frederiksen O. Functional distinction between two transport mechanisms in rabbit gall-bladder epithelium by use of ouabain, ethacrynic acid and metabolic inhibitors. J Physiol. 1978 Jul;280:373–387. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1978.sp012389. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Frederiksen O., Leyssac P. P. Effects of cytochalasin B and dimethylsulphoxide on isosmotic fluid transport by rabbit gall-bladder in vitro. J Physiol. 1977 Feb;265(1):103–118. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1977.sp011707. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Frederiksen O., Leyssac P. P. Transcellular transport of isosmotic volumes by the rabbit gall-bladder in vitro. J Physiol. 1969 Mar;201(1):201–224. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1969.sp008751. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Frömter E., Rumrich G., Ullrich K. J. Phenomenologic description of Na+, Cl- and HCO-3 absorption from proximal tubules of rat kidney. Pflugers Arch. 1973 Oct 22;343(3):189–220. doi: 10.1007/BF00586045. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Frömter E. The route of passive ion movement through the epithelium of Necturus gallbladder. J Membr Biol. 1972;8(3):259–301. doi: 10.1007/BF01868106. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Gingell D., Palmer J. F. Changes in membrane impedance associated with a cortical contraction in the egg of Xenopus laevis. Nature. 1968 Jan 6;217(5123):98–102. doi: 10.1038/217098a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Hill B. S., Hill A. E. Fluid transfer by Necturus gall bladder epithelium as a function of osmolarity. Proc R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 1978 Feb 23;200(1139):151–162. doi: 10.1098/rspb.1978.0012. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Hénin S., Cremaschi D. Transcellular ion route in rabbit gallbladder. Electric properties of the epithelial cells. Pflugers Arch. 1975;355(2):125–139. doi: 10.1007/BF00581828. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. KORNGUTH S. E., STAHMANN M. A., ANDERSON J. W. Effect of polylysine on the cytology of Ehrlich ascites tumor cells. Exp Cell Res. 1961 Sep;24:484–494. doi: 10.1016/0014-4827(61)90448-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Leyssac P. P., Bukhave K., Frederiksen O. Inhibitory effect of prostaglandins on isosmotic fluid transport by rabbit gall-bladder in vitro, and its modification by blocade of endogenous PGE-Biosynthesis with indomethacin. Acta Physiol Scand. 1974 Dec;92(4):496–507. doi: 10.1111/j.1748-1716.1974.tb05771.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Machen T. E., Erlij D., Wooding F. B. Permeable junctional complexes. The movement of lanthanum across rabbit gallbladder and intestine. J Cell Biol. 1972 Aug;54(2):302–312. doi: 10.1083/jcb.54.2.302. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Mayhew E., Harlos J. P., Juliano R. L. The effect of polycations on cell membrane stability and transport processes. J Membr Biol. 1973;14(3):213–228. doi: 10.1007/BF01868079. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. NEVO A., DE VRIES A., KATCHALSKY A. Interaction of basic polyamino acids with the red blood cell. I. Combination of polylysine with single cells. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1955 Aug;17(4):536–547. doi: 10.1016/0006-3002(55)90416-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Pinto da Silva P. Translational mobility of the membrane intercalated particles of human erythrocyte ghosts. pH-dependent, reversible aggregation. J Cell Biol. 1972 Jun;53(3):777–787. doi: 10.1083/jcb.53.3.777. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Quinton P. M., Philpott C. W. A role for anionic sites in epithelial architecture. Effects of cationic polymers on cell membrane structure. J Cell Biol. 1973 Mar;56(3):787–796. doi: 10.1083/jcb.56.3.787. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Whittembury G., Rawlins F. A. Evidence of a paracellular pathway for ion flow in the kidney proximal tubule. Electromicroscopic demonstration of lanthanum precipitate in the tight junction. Pflugers Arch. 1971;330(4):302–309. doi: 10.1007/BF00588582. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Wright E. M., Diamond J. M. Effects of pH and polyvalent cations on the selective permeability of gall-bladder epithelium to monovalent ions. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1968 Aug;163(1):57–74. doi: 10.1016/0005-2736(68)90033-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The Journal of Cell Biology are provided here courtesy of The Rockefeller University Press

RESOURCES