Beta-adrenergic stimulation of ion transport in primary cultures of avian salt glands.

Adrenergic stimulation of transmural ion transport was identified and characterized in primary cultures of avian salt gland. Adrenergic activation was mediated by beta-receptors since stimulation of the short-circuit current (Isc) was blocked by propranolol but not phentolamine. The Isc's elicited by isoproterenol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine were dose dependent, with respective EC50 values of 1.5 X 10(-8) M, 5.0 X 10(-6) M, and 1.1 X 10(-5) M. The apparent Ki for propranolol inhibition after isoproterenol stimulation was 7.5 X 10(-10) M. 8-Br cyclic AMP (8-Br cAMP) and forskolin-elicited Isc's that were insensitive to propranolol, were potentiated by theophylline, and inhibited by furosemide or ouabain. Isoproterenol also induced an increase in ouabain-sensitive respiration in acutely dispersed cells from salt-stressed juvenile or unstressed adult animals, but not in fully salt-stressed adults. The data indicate that, in addition to the well-established cholinergic receptors, beta-adrenergic receptors can control ion transport in these glands. Furthermore, the results suggest for the first time that an intracellular effector pathway involving cAMP is present.