Vol. 279, Issue 5, G866-G874, November 2000
A primary culture of guinea pig gallbladder epithelial cells
that is responsive to secretagogues
Pamela J.
Gunter-Smith1,
Oluwakemi
Abdulkadir1,
Latanya
Hammonds-Odie1,
Mary
Scanlon2, and
Raquel
Terrell1
1 Department of Biology, Spelman College, and
2 Department of Physiology, Morehouse School of Medicine,
Atlanta, Georgia 30314
We have developed a cell culture
of guinea pig gallbladder epithelial cells with which to study ion
transport. When grown on permeable supports, the cultured epithelia
developed a transepithelial resistance (Rt) of
~500 
· cm2. The epithelial cell origin of the
cell culture was further confirmed by immunocytochemical localization
of cytokeratin. Ionomycin and forskolin increased transepithelial
voltage and short-circuit current (Isc) and
decreased Rt. The response to ionomycin was transient, whereas that to forskolin was sustained. Both were attenuated by replacement of Cl
and/or
HCO3. Mucosal addition of the anion transport
inhibitors DIDS or diphenylamine-2-carboxylic acid (DPC) blocked the
response to ionomycin. The response to forskolin was blocked by DPC but
not by DIDS. Ionomycin, but not forskolin, increased intracellular
Ca2+ concentration in fura 2-loaded cells.
PGE2, histamine, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, and
secretin elicited a sustained increase in Isc.
Responses to ATP and CCK were transient. Thus cultured guinea pig
gallbladder epithelia display the range of responses observed in the
native tissue and are an appropriate model for studies of ion transport
in gallbladder and intestinal epithelia.
cultured cells; histamine; ATP; vasoactive intestinal polypeptide; prostaglandin E2; secretin; cholecystokinin; anion
secretion; diphenylamine-2-carboxylic acid; 4,4'-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid; ionomycin; intracellular Ca2+; forskolin; cAMP
