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1 CNRS-UMR 6548, Laboratoire de Physiologie Cellulaire et Moléculaire, Université de Nice-Sophia Antipolis, Nice, France2 NRS-UMR 5101, Université de Montpellier II, France
Previous work on the whole neurohypophysis has shown that hypotonic conditions increase release of taurine from neurohypophysial astrocytes (pituicytes). The present work confirms that taurine is present in cultured pituicytes, and that its specific release increases in response to a hypotonic shock. We next show that vasopressin (VP) and oxytocin (OT) also specifically release taurine from pituicytes. With an EC50 of 
2 nM, VP is much more potent than OT, and the effects of both hormones are blocked by SR 49059, a V1a receptor antagonist. This pharmacological profile matches the one for VP- and OT-evoked calcium signals in pituicytes, consistent with the fact that VP-induced taurine efflux is blocked by BAPTA-AM. However, BAPTA-AM also blocks the taurine efflux induced by a 270 mosmol l-1 challenge, which per se does not evoke any calcium signal, suggesting a permissive role for calcium in this case. Nevertheless, the fact that structurally unrelated calcium-mobilizing agents and ionomycin are able to induce taurine efflux suggests that calcium may also play a signalling role in this event. It is widely accepted that in hypotonic conditions taurine exits cells through anionic channels. Antagonism by the chloride channel inhibitors 4,4'-diisothiocyanatostilbene-2,2'-disulphonic acid (DIDS) and 5-nitro-2-(3-phenylpropylamino)-benzoic acid (NPPB) suggests the same pathway for VP-induced taurine efflux, which is also blocked in hypertonic conditions (330 mosmol l-1). Moreover, it is likely that the osmosensitivity of the taurine channel is up-regulated by calcium. These results, together with our in situ experiments showing stimulation of taurine release by endogenous VP, strengthen the concept of a glial control of neurohormone output.
(Received 1 October 2003;
accepted after revision 14 November 2003;
first published online 14 November 2003)
Corresponding author J.-M. Mienville: Laboratoire de Physiologie Cellulaire et Moléculaire, UMR 6548, Parc Valrose, Université de Nice-Sophia Antipolis, 06108 Nice cedex 2. Email: mienvill{at}unice.fr
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