J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 261, Issue 26, 12120-12127, Sep, 1986
The regulation of intracellular pH in monkey kidney epithelial cells (BSC-1). Roles of Na+/H+ antiport, Na+-HCO3(-)-(NaCO3-) symport, and Cl- /HCO3- exchange
TJ Jentsch, I Janicke, D Sorgenfrei, SK Keller and M Wiederholt
Using the pH-sensitive absorbance of 5 (and 6)-carboxy-4',5'-
dimethylfluorescein, we investigated the regulation of cytoplasmic pH (pHi)
in monkey kidney epithelial cells (BSC-1). In the absence of HCO3- , pHi is
7.15 +/- 0.1, which is not significantly different from pHi in 28 mM HCO3-,
5% CO2 (7.21 +/- 0.07). After an acid load, the cells regulate pHi in the
absence of HCO3- by a Na+ (or Li+)-dependent, amiloride-inhibitable
mechanism (indicative of Na+/H+ antiport). In 28 mM HCO3-, while still
dependent on Na+, this regulation is only blocked in part by 1 mM
amiloride. A partial block is also observed with 4,4'-
diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid (DIDS) (1 mM). With cells
pretreated with DIDS, 1 mM amiloride nearly totally inhibits this
regulation. Cl- had no effect on pHi regulation in the acidic range. In
HCO3(-)-free saline, Na+ removal leads to an amiloride-insensitive
acidification, which is dependent on Ca2+. In 28 mM HCO3-, Na+ (and Ca2+)
removal led to a pronounced reversible and DIDS-sensitive acidification.
When HCO3- was lowered from 46 to 10 mM at constant pCO2 (5%), pHi dropped
by a DIDS-sensitive mechanism. Identical changes in pHo (7.6 to 6.9) in the
nominal absence of HCO3- led to smaller changes of pHi. In the presence but
not in the absence of HCO3-, removal of Cl- led to a DIDS-sensitive
alkalinization. This was also observed in the nominal absence of Na+, which
leads to a sustained acidification. It is concluded that in nominally
bicarbonate-free saline, the amiloride- sensitive Na+/H+ antiport is the
predominant mechanism of pHi regulation at acidic pHi, while being
relatively inactive at physiological values of pHi. In bicarbonate saline,
two other mechanisms effect pHi regulation: a DIDS-sensitive Na+-HCO3-
symport, which contributes to cytoplasmic alkalinization, and a
DIDS-sensitive Cl-/HCO3- exchange, which is apparently independent of Na+.