Sensitive osmometer function of juxtaglomerular cells in vitro.

The rate of renin release from viable juxtaglomerular cells was studied during prolonged superfusion of isolated rat renal glomeruli with Ringer solutions of differing osmolarities. 2. Reduction in osmolarity from 305 to 285 m-osmole/l. by lowering sucrose concentration caused renin release rate to double. A rise in osmolarity of 30 m-osmole/l. by raising sucrose concentration halved release rate. 3. The response to osmolarity was graded. During the first 30 min following a 20 m-osmole/l. decrease in osmolarity, 1-57 +/- 0-22% (S.E. of mean) of cellular renin content was released; three times this amount was released with a decrease of 50 m-osmole/l. The effect persisted at lower release rates for 60-90 min. 4. The juxtaglomerular cells were four to five times more sensitive to changes in osmolarity through sucrose than sodium chloride concentration. Changes in potassium chloride concentration (7-57 mM) had little effect. 5. Sodium chloride had no direct ionic effect on renin release outside its osmotic properties. 6. The findings support a previous proposal that the rate of renin release in vitro relates directly to the volume of the juxtaglomerular cell. The hypothesis is developed that a similar mechanism may underlie renin secretion in vivo.