Rapid stimulation of calcium uptake by isolated rat enterocytes by 1,25(OH)2D3

Evidence is accumulating that 1,25(OH)2D3 may stimulate calcium transport from the intestinal lumen extremely rapidly by a mechanism which appears independent of de novo protein synthesis. To investigate this rapid action of 1,25(OH)2D3, the rate of calcium uptake by isolated enterocytes from duodena of young rats was determined in vitro as the uptake of⁴⁵Ca from 1–15 min. Prior in vitro exposure of cells to 1,25(OH)2D3 (100 pM) for 20 min significantly increased the rate of calcium uptake (p<0.001), an effect unaltered by 50 M cycloheximide. Incubation with 100 pM 1-alpha-hydroxyvitamin D3 produced the same effect (p<0.01). In contrast, exposure to 10 pM 1,25(OH)2D3, as well as to 100 pM or to 1,000 pM 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 induced no significant change. Because both 1,25(OH)2D3 and starvation may stimulate key enzymes in polyamine metabolism, we investigated the effects of (i) difluoromethyl-ornithine (CHF2-Orn), a specific irreversible inhibitor of ornithine decarboxylase and (ii) varying the timing of feeding prior to sacrifice. Both in vitro CHF2-Orn and feeding prior to sacrifice significantly decreased the baseline rate of calcium uptake (p<0.05) and reduced the effect of 1,25(OH)2D3. Increased duration of starvation significantly increased the baseline rate of calcium uptake (p<0.02) without changing the increment in rate of calcium uptake induced by 1,25(OH)2D3. The study suggests (i) that the early action of 1,25(OH)2D3 on the influx process of intestinal calcium transport may involve a different molecular specificity from that involved in the genomic action of 1,25(OH)2D3 and (ii) that changes in polyamine metabolism may play a part in this process.