Osmolarity controls oscillatory calcium signaling to reduce autonomous aldosterone production in zona glomerulosa cells.

Endocrinology
Authors
Keywords
Abstract

Primary hyperaldosteronism (PA) is characterized by autonomous aldosterone (Aldo) production, resulting in blood volume/electrolyte imbalance and hypertension. Intracellular calcium (Ca2+) is the principal signal driving Aldo synthesis in adrenal zona glomerulosa (zG) cells, and mutations in ion transport genes that regulate Ca2+ are frequently mediators of PA. When organized in intact rosette structures, zG cells are voltage oscillators; stimulation by Angiotensin II (AngII) or loss of TWIK-Related Acid-Sensitive potassium (TASK) channel function evokes stereotypic Ca²⁺ oscillations with bursting activity proportional to increased steroidogenesis. Here, we delineate the role of the osmolar-volume regulatory axis in the control of Ca2+ and Aldo production in adrenal slices. Strikingly, in both pharmacological and genetic models of PA, extracellular osmolarity (OSMEC) potently and reversibly regulated Aldo secretion and Ca²⁺ signaling. Elevated OSMEC progressively suppressed Aldo production from Angll-stimulated adrenal slices and strongly inhibited autonomous production in both zG-specific TASK knockout slices and wild-type slices incubated with TASK inhibitors. To determine if the effects of OSMEC on Ca²⁺ dynamics were causative, we imaged adrenal slices expressing zG-specific GCaMP6f incubated in variable osmotic media with TASK Inhibitors or AngII. Consistent with Aldo suppression, increasing osmolarity proportionally reduced the number of active cells and the Ca²⁺ activity of bursting cells evoked by TASK loss-of-function or AngII stimulation. Collectively, our findings identify OSMEC as a broad regulator of zG excitability and adrenal steroidogenesis, and suggest that targeting volume-regulatory mechanisms such as the Na+-K+-2Cl- cotransporter may offer a novel strategy to suppress Aldo autonomy in PA.

Year of Publication
2025
Journal
Endocrinology
Date Published
10/2025
ISSN
1945-7170
DOI
10.1210/endocr/bqaf147
PubMed ID
41091658
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