Autocrine purinergic signaling stimulated by cell membrane disruption is involved in both cell membrane repair and adaptive response in MDCK cells.

Disruption and repair of plasma membranes is normally observed in many animal tissues. Recent studies demonstrated that wounding of Madin-Darby canine kidney cells potentiates membrane repair in cells adjacent to wounded cells via paracrine purinergic signaling. The present study demonstrated that cyclic adenosine monophosphate signaling in a wounded cell was induced by autocrine purinergic signaling, and protein kinase A potentiates membrane resealing for repeated wounds in those cells. Furthermore, the present study revealed that an increase in the intracellular free Ca concentration upon cell membrane disruption was not only due to Ca influx through the wound site, but also because of autocrine purinergic signaling. Although the influx of extracellular Ca is essential for membrane resealing, the present study suggested that an increase in the intracellular free Ca concentration induced by autocrine signaling accelerates membrane resealing of the initial cell membrane disruption.