Cadmium (Cd2+) disrupts Ca(2+)-dependent cell-cell junctions and alters the pattern of E-cadherin immunofluorescence in LLC-PK1 cells.

Recent findings from our laboratories have shown that Cd2+ has relatively specific damaging effects on the adhering and occluding junctions in the established porcine renal epithelial cell line, LLC-PK1. Results of the present studies show that the junction-perturbing effects of Cd2+ in LLC-PK1 cells are more pronounced when Cd2+ is applied to the basolateral cell surface than when it is applied to the apical surface, and that the severity of the effects is inversely related to the concentration of Ca2+ in the medium. Additional results show that exposure to sublethal concentrations of Cd2+ decreases the amount of E-cadherin that is associated with cell-cell contacts. These results suggest that Cd2+ damages Ca(2+)-dependent cell-cell junctions in LLC-PK1 cells by interacting with E-cadherin or a similar Ca(2+)-sensitive site that is oriented toward the basolateral cell surface.