Measurements of diffusion permeability and of net transfer of water have been made across the isolated urinary bladder of the toad, Bufo marinus, and the effects thereon of mammalian neurohypophyseal hormone have been examined. In the absence of a transmembrane osmotic gradient, vasopressin increases the unidirectional flux of water from a mean of 340 to a mean of 570 gl per cm 2 per hour but the net water movement remains essentially zero. In the presence of an osmotic gradient but without hormone net transfer of water remains very small. On addition of hormone large net fluxes of water occur; the magnitude of which is linearly proportional to the osmotic gradient. The action of the hormone on movement of water is not dependent on the presence of sodium or on active transport of sodium. Comparison of the net transport of water and of unidirectional diffusion permeability of the membrane to water indicates that non-diffusional transport must predominate as the means by which net movement occurs in the presence of an osmotic gradient. An action of the hormone on the mucosal surface of the bladder wall is demonstrated. The effects of the hormone on water movement are most simply explained as an action to increase the permeability and porosity of the mucosal surface of the membrane.

In amphibian bladder, arginine vasopressin (AVP) depolymerizes F-actin in the apical region of the granular cell, promoting fusion of water channel-carrying vesicles with the apical membrane. We now report the effect of AVP on F-actin in the mid- and terminal segments of rat inner medullary collecting duct (IMCD2 and IMCD3). In IMCD3, 5 min of stimulation by 2.5-250 nM AVP significantly depolymerized F-actin by 13-24% in whole cell assays employing the rhodamine-phalloidin binding technique. The IMCD2 was more sensitive, responding to subnanomolar (0.25 nM) AVP with 6 +/- 2% depolymerization. Depolymerization occurred as early as 2 min after 2.5 and 25 nM but not 250 nM AVP. 8-Bromoadenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate depolymerized F-actin in IMCD3 at both 2 and 5 min. Immunogold labeling of the apical actin pool in IMCD3 principal cells was reduced by 26 +/- 5% (P < 0.05) by 2.5 nM AVP; the lateral and basal pools showed no significant changes. Capillary endothelial, thin limb of Henle, and intercalated cells showed no changes in immunogold labeling after AVP. Thus reorganization of the apical actin network by AVP is a consistent finding in both mammalian and amphibian target cells.

A B S T R A C T Measurements have been made of the permeability of the isolated urinary bladder of the toad to a number of small solute molecules, in the presence and absence of vasopressin. Vasopressin has a strikingly specific effect on increasing permeability of the bladder to a group of small, uncharged amides and alcohols while penetration by other small molecules and ions is unaffected. The movement of urea is passive, as indicated by equal flux rates in the two directions. The reflection coefficients for chloride and thiourea indicate a high degree of impermeability of the bladder to these solutes even in the presence of large net movements of water. The low concentration of thiourea in the tissue water when this compound is added to the mucosal bathing medium indicates that the major permeability barrier to thiourea is at the mucosal surface of the bladder. The findings can be accounted for by a double permeability barrier consisting of a fine selective diffusion barrier and a porous barrier in series. The former would constitute the permeability barrier to most small, solutes while the latter would be the rate-limiting barrier for water and the amides. It would be the porous barrier which is affected by vasopressin. Reasons are presented which require both barriers to be contained in or near the plasma membrane at the mucosal surface of the bladder. I N T R O D U C T I O NI n the p r e c e d i n g p a p e r (1) are presented studies on the m o v e m e n t of w a t e r t h r o u g h the isolated u r i n a r y b l a d d e r of the toad a n d the influence of m a m m alian antidiuretic h o r m o n e u p o n this process. T h e picture derived f r o m such studies is t h a t of a p o r o u s m e m b r a n e in w h i c h n e u r o h y p o p h y s e a l h o r m o n e accelerates net w a t e r t r a n s p o r t by increasing the size of pores at the m u c o s a l surface. This i n t e r p r e t a t i o n is in a c c o r d with the results a n d views of K o e f o e d -J o h n s e n a n d Ussing (2).