Acid Extrusion Rate Research Articles

PH regulation in the vertebrate central nervous system: microelectrode studies in the brain stem of the lamprey.

Studies of intracellular pH (pHi) in nervous tissue are summarized and recent investigation of intracellular and extracellular pH (pHo) in the isolated brain stem of the lamprey is reviewed. In the lamprey, pHi regulation was studied in single reticulospinal neurons using double-barrel ion-selective microelectrodes (ISMs). In nominally HCO3(-)-free HEPES-buffered media, acute acid loading was followed by a spontaneous recovery of pHi requiring 10-20 min and was associated with a prolonged rise in intracellular Na+. The recovery of pHi was blocked by 1-2 mM amiloride. Amiloride also caused a small rise in pHo. Substitution of external Na+ caused a slow intracellular acidification and extracellular alkalinization. Return of external Na+ reversed these effects. Transition from HEPES to HCO3(-)-buffered media increased the rate of acid extrusion during recovery of pHi. Recovery in HCO3(-)-buffered media was inhibited by 4,4'-diisothio-cyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid and was slowed after exposure to Cl(-)-free media. Following inhibition of acid extrusion by amiloride, transition to HCO3- media restored pHi recovery. These data indicate that lamprey neurons recover from acute acid loads by both Na+-H+ exchange and an independent HCO3(-)-dependent mechanism. Evidence for HCO3(-)-dependent acid extrusion in other vertebrate cells and the protocols of pHi studies using ISMs are discussed.

31P nuclear magnetic resonance measurements of intracellular pH in giant barnacle muscle.

The accuracy of intracellular pH (pHi) measurements by 31P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy was examined in single muscle fibers from the giant barnacle, Balanus nubilis. The pHi was derived from the chemical shifts of 2-deoxy-D-glucose-6-phosphate and inorganic phosphate. In fibers superfused with sea water at pH 7.7, pHi = 7.30 +/- 0.02 at 20 degrees C. Experimentally induced pHi changes were followed with a time resolution of 3 min. Intracellular alkalinization was induced by exposure to NH4Cl and intracellular acidification followed when NH3 was removed. Then acid extrusion was stimulated by exposure to bicarbonate containing sea water. In single muscle fibers 31P NMR results were in excellent agreement with microelectrode studies over the pH range of 6.5 to 8.0. The initial acid extrusion rate was 1.7 +/- 0.3 mmol X l-1 X min-1 at pHi 6.75. Our results showed that 31P NMR is a reliable in vivo pH probe.

Regulation of intracellular pH in reticulospinal neurones of the lamprey, Petromyzon marinus.

1. The regulation of intracellular pH (pHi) in lamprey reticulospinal neurones was investigated with pH-sensitive micro-electrodes based on a neutral carrier liquid membrane. Experiments were performed using an in vitro brain-stem preparation. 2. In HEPES-buffered solutions, extracellular pH (pHo) was consistently more acidic than the pH of the bathing solution (pHb). In HCO3(-)-buffered solutions, the brain was also relatively acidic, but the brain pH gradient was smaller. 3. In HEPES- and HCO3(-)-buffered solutions, mean pHi was 7.40-7.50. This range was too high to be explained by a passive distribution of H+, OH- or HCO3-. 4. In nominally HCO3(-)-free, HEPES-buffered solution, cells were acid loaded by addition and subsequent withdrawal of NH4+ from the superfusate. pHi recovered from acid loading by an energy-dependent process in 10-20 min. Recovery from acid loading in HEPES-buffered solutions was blocked by exposure to amiloride. 5. Removal of extracellular Na+ caused a slow, accelerating fall of pHi. Return of Na+ to the bath caused an immediate reversal of this acidification, followed by a slow recovery of pHi. Measurement with Na+-sensitive micro-electrodes during acid loading showed a rapid rise in the intracellular Na+ activity [( Na+]i). 6. Following acid loading, transition from HEPES- to HCO3(-)-buffered solutions caused an increase in the acid extrusion rate of at least 48%. The effect of these solution changes was dependent on pHo. After blocking pHi recovery with amiloride, transition from HEPES- to HCO3(-)-buffered Ringer plus amiloride produced a slow recovery of pHi. 7. Recovery from acid loading in HCO3(-)-buffered solutions was inhibited 65% by the anion transport blocker DIDS (4,4'-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulphonic acid). Recovery from acid loading after incubation in Cl(-)-free solution was slower than recovery after replenishment of Cl-. 8. It is concluded that in HCO3(-)-free solutions, pHi regulation is accomplished by a Na-H exchange mechanism. In the presence of extracellular HCO3- an additional mechanism can operate to extrude intracellular acid.

Intracellular pH-regulating mechanism of the squid axon. Relation between the external Na+ and HCO-3 dependences.

The intracellular pH-regulating mechanism of the squid axon was examined for its dependence on the concentrations of external Na+ and HCO3-, always at an external pH (pHo) of 8.0. Axons having an initial intracellular pH (pHi) of approximately 7.4 were internally dialyzed with a solution of pH 6.5 that contained 400 mM Cl- and no Na+. After pHi had fallen to approximately 6.6, dialysis was halted, thereby returning control of pHi to the axon. With external Na+ and HCO-3 present, intracellular pH (pHi) increased because of the activity of the pHi-regulating system. The acid extrusion rate (i.e., equivalent efflux of H+, JH) is the product of the pHi recovery rate, intracellular buffering power, and the volume-to-surface ratio. The [HCO3-]o dependence of JH was examined at three fixed levels of [Na+]o: 425, 212, and 106 mM. In all three cases, the apparent Jmax was approximately 19 pmol X cm-2 X s-1. However, the apparent Km (HCO3-) was approximately inversely proportional to [Na+]o, rising from 2.6 to 5.4 to 9.7 mM as [Na+]o was lowered from 425 to 212 to 106 mM, respectively. The [Na+]o dependence of JH was similarly examined at three fixed levels of [HCO3-]o: 12, 6, and 3 mM. The Jmax values did not vary significantly from those in the first series of experiments. The apparent Km (Na+), however, was approximately inversely related to [HCO3-]o, rising from 71 to 174 to 261 mM as [HCO3-]o was lowered from 12 to 6 to 3 mM, respectively. These results agree with the predictions of the ion-pair model of acid extrusion, which has external Na+ and CO3= combining to form the ion pair NaCO3-, which then exchanges for internal Cl-. When the JH data are replotted as a function of [NaCO3-]o, data from all six groups of experiments fall along the same Michaelis-Menten curve, with an apparent Km (NaCO3-) of 80 microM. The ordered and random binding of Na+ and CO3= cannot be ruled out as possible models, but are restricted in allowable combinations of rate constants.

Cyclic AMP inhibits Na+/H+ exchange at the apical membrane of Necturus gallbladder epithelium.

The effects of elevating intracellular cAMP levels on Na+ transport across the apical membrane of Necturus gallbladder epithelium were studied by intracellular and extracellular microelectrode techniques. Intracellular cAMP was raised by serosal addition of the phosphodiesterase inhibitor theophylline (3 mM) or mucosal addition of either 8-Br-cAMP (1 mM) or the adenylate cyclase activator forskolin (10 microM). During elevation of intracellular cAMP, intracellular Na+ activity (alpha Nai) and intracellular pH (pHi) decreased significantly. In addition, acidification of the mucosal solution, which contained either 100 or 10 mM Na+, was inhibited by approximately 50%. The inhibition was independent of the presence of Cl- in the bathing media. The rates of change of alpha Nai upon rapid alterations of mucosal [Na+] from 100 to 10 mM and from 10 to 100 mM were both decreased, and the rate of pHi recovery upon acid loading was also reduced by elevated cAMP levels. Inhibition was approximately 50% for all of these processes. These results indicate that cAMP inhibits apical membrane Na+/H+ exchange. The results of measurements of pHi recovery at 10 and 100 mM mucosal [Na+] and a kinetic analysis of recovery as a function of pHi suggest that the main or sole mechanism of the inhibitory effect of cAMP is a reduction in the maximal rate of acid extrusion. In conjunction with the increase in apical membrane electrodiffusional Cl- permeability, produced by cAMP, which causes a decrease in net Cl- entry (Petersen, K.-U., and L. Reuss, 1983, J. Gen. Physiol., 81:705), inhibition of Na+/H+ exchange contributes to the reduction of fluid absorption elicited by this agent. Similar mechanisms may account for the effects of cAMP in other epithelia with similar transport properties. It is also possible that inhibition of Na+/H+ exchange by cAMP plays a role in the regulation of pHi in other cell types.

Analysis of Cl- -HCO3(-) exchange during recovery from intracellular acidosis in cardiac Purkinje strands.

The possible role of a Cl- -HCO3(-) exchange mechanism in the recovery from intracellular acidosis of isolated cardiac Purkinje strands was investigated. Intracellular pH (pHi) was measured using double-barreled pH-sensitive microelectrodes. Acidifications were produced by withdrawing 20 meq NH+4 from the superfusate. Experiments were performed in normal CO2-HCO3(-)-buffered, in HCO3(-)free, and in Cl-free solutions and also in the presence of 4-acetamido-4'-isothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid (SITS), a blocker of Cl--HCO3(-) exchange. In the absence of external HCO3(-), the apparent rate of acid extrusion following induced acidification was only slightly decreased, but the observed effect does not necessarily imply the intervention of a Cl--HCO3(-) exchange mechanism. SITS had little effect on the response to acidification. In zero-Cl- solutions, recovery of pHi from acidosis was not impaired. These observations suggest that in Purkinje fibers, [Cl-]i-[HCO3(-)]o exchange plays no significant role in recovery from intracellular acidification. Moreover, additional evidence is presented in favor of a passive HCO3(-) efflux at steady-state pHi in the normal superfusate. The apparent membrane permeability to HCO-3 was estimated to be 3.2 X 10(-8) cm X s-1.

Stoichiometry and ion dependencies of the intracellular-pH-regulating mechanism in squid giant axons.

The ion transport system responsible for intracellular pH (pHi) regulation in squid giant axons was examined in experiments with pH-sensitive microelectrodes and isotopic fluxes of Na+ and Cl-. In one study, axons were acid-loaded and the rate of the subsequent pHi recovery was used to calculate the acid extrusion rate. There was an absolute dependence of acid extrusion on external Na+, external HCO-3 (at constant pH), and internal Cl-. Furthermore, the dependence of the acid extrusion rate on each of these three parameters was described by Michaelis-Menten kinetics. Acid extrusion was stimulated by an acid pHi, required internal ATP, and was blocked by external 4-acetamido-4'-isothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonate (SITS). Under a standard set of conditions (i.e., [HCO-3]o = 12 mM, pHo = 8.00, [Na+]o = 425 mM, [Cl-]i = 150 mM, [ATP]i = 4 mM, pHi = 6.5, and 16 degrees C), the mean acid extrusion rate was 7.5 pmol X cm-2 X s-1. In a second study under the above standard conditions, the unidirectional Na+ efflux (measured with 22Na) mediated by the pHi-regulating system was found to be approximately 0, whereas the mean influx was about 3.4 pmol X cm-2 X s-1. This net influx required external HCO-3, internal Cl-, and acid pHi, internal ATP, and was blocked by SITS. In the final series of experiments under the above standard conditions, the unidirectional Cl- influx (measured with 36Cl) mediated by the pHi-regulating system was found to be approximately 0, whereas the mean efflux was approximately 3.9 pmol X cm-2 X s-1. This net efflux required external HCO-3, external Na+, an acid pHi, internal ATP, and was blocked by SITS. We conclude that the pHi-regulating system mediates the obligate net influx of HCO-3 (or equivalent species) and Na+ and the net efflux of Cl- in the stoichiometry of 2:1:1. The transport system is stimulated by intracellular acid loads, requires ATP, and is blocked by SITS.

PH regulation in barnacle muscle fibers: dependence on extracellular sodium and bicarbonate.

Intracellular pH (pHi) regulation was studied in barnacle muscle fibers with pH-sensitive microelectrodes. The cells were acid loaded, and the subsequent recovery of pHi was monitored. The rate of recovery was reduced by one-third when external Na+ ([Na+]o) was replaced by Li+, but recovery was completely abolished when Na+ was replaced by choline or N-methyl-D-glucamine. In other experiments, varying amounts of Na+ were replaced by choline, and the acid extrusion rate, derived from the recovery rate of pHi, was calculated at a single value of pHi, 6.80. The dependence of the acid extrusion rate on [Na+]o could be described by Michaelis-Menten kinetics; at pHo (extracellular) = 8.0 and [HCO3-]o (extracellular) = 10 mM, the apparent Km and Vmax were 59 mM and 1.3 mmol x l(-1) x min-1. When [HCO3-]o was reduced to 2.5 mM at the same pHo, Km did not change significantly, but Vmax was substantially reduced. On the other hand, when pHo was reduced to 7.4 at constant [HCO3-]o, Vmax changed only slightly, but Km increased substantially. In similar experiments, we examined the dependence of the acid extrusion rate on [HCO3-]o. At pHo = 8.0 and [Na+]o = 440 mM, the apparent Km and Vmax were 4.1 mM and 2.1 mmol x 1-1 x min-1. When pHo was reduced to 7.4, Vmax was not altered, but Km substantially increased. The kinetic data are discussed in terms of the role of pHo, [Na+]o, and [HCO3-]o in the pHi-regulating system.

PH regulation in barnacle muscle fibers: dependence on intracellular and extracellular pH.

Intracellular pH (pHi) regulation was studied in acid-loaded barnacle muscle fibers by monitoring recovery of pHi with a pH-sensitive microelectrode. By multiplying the rate of pHi recovery by total intracellular buffering power, the acid extrusion rate was obtained. The acid extrusion rate was greatest at low values of pHi, and declined toward zero as pHi approached normal levels. It increased as the extracellular pH (pHo) was raised either by increasing external [HCO3] ([HCO3]o) at constant PCO2 or by decreasing PCO2 at constant [HCO3]o, but more so in the former case than in the latter. These observations suggest that pHo per se is an important determinant of the acid extrusion rate, but that raising [HCO3]o by itself also stimulates acid extrusion. This would be expected if acid extrusion involves the inward movement of HCO3. When fibers were exposed to HCO3-containing solutions at very low or very high pHo, pHi drifted downward or upward, respectively; thbe drifts were inhibited by 4-acetamido-4' isothiocyanostilbene-2,2' disulfonic acid (SITS). Our results are discussed in terms of possible mechanisms of acid extrusion.