Enhancement of kallikrein production and kinin sensitivity in T84 cells by growth in the nude mouse.

The production of tissue kallikrein and the short-circuit current (SCC) response in the human colonic epithelial cell line T84 to bradykinin have been studied. These cells produce true tissue kallikrein and secrete it into the growth medium, and addition of bradykinin results in a small increase in SCC. After growth of T84 cells as a xenograft in athymic (nude) mice (NuT84), however, the cellular concentration of the enzyme increases 38-fold, and the maximal change in SCC (delta SCC) induced by bradykinin increases 35-fold. The SCC response to prostaglandin E1 is not changed, and the response to forskolin increases eightfold. The bradykinin-induced delta SCC was inhibited by piretanide, suggesting that a secretory movement of chloride was responsible for the change, and the effect was attenuated by an antagonist to kinin receptors. We conclude that both the production of true tissue kallikrein and the chloride secretory response to bradykinin can be regulated in T84 cells by changes in the cell environment.