Kidney Brush-border Membrane Vesicles Research Articles

Inhibition of phosphate transport by NAD+/NADH brush border membrane vesicles.

Nicotinamide is an important regulator of Pi homeostasis after conversion into NAD+/NADH. In this work, we have studied the classical inhibition of Pi transport by these compounds in the brush border membrane vesicles (BBMV) of rat kidney and rat intestine, and we examined the effects in opossum kidney (OK) cells and in phosphate transporter-expressing Xenopus laevis oocytes. In BBMV, NAD+ required preincubation at either room temperature or on ice to inhibit Pi uptake in BBMV. However, no effects were observed in the known Slc34 or Slc20 Pi transporters expressed in Xenopus oocytes, in OK cells, or in isolated rat cortical nephron segments. In BBMV from jejunum or kidney cortex, the inhibition of Pi transport was specific, dose-related, and followed a competitive inhibition pattern, as shown by linear transformation and nonlinear regression analyses. A Ki value of 538 µM NAD+ in kidney BBMV was obtained. Ribosylation inhibitors and ribosylation assays revealed no evidence that this reaction was responsible for inhibiting Pi transport. An analysis of the persistence of NAD+/NADH revealed a half-life of just 2 min during preincubation. Out of several metabolites of NAD degradation, only ADP-ribose was able to inhibit Pi uptake. Pi concentration also increased during 30 min of preincubation, up to 0.67 mM, most likely as a metabolic end product. In conclusion, the classical inhibition of Pi transport by NAD+/NADH in BBMV seems to be caused by the degradation metabolites of these compounds during the preincubation time.

Intestinal and Renal Pi Transport Adaptation and Hormonal Changes in Response to Acute Changes in Dietary Pi

A hallmark of the successful control of Pi homeostasis is the adaptation of Pi intestinal absorption and renal excretion to changes in the dietary content of Pi. Acute and chronic adaptation mechanisms have been described for both tissues, yet despite these efforts, many questions related to hormonal changes and transport systems are still unclear. Male Wistar rats were fed well-balanced fodder containing either 0.1, 0.6, or 1.2% Pi, prepared with NaH2PO4 and K2HPO4 to pH 7.4 and compensated with NaCl and KCl. Some rats were fed ad libitum for 6 days, while other animals were fed only 4 hours in the morning for 6 days. Some of the rats from this 4-hour feeding scheme that had been fed either 0.1 or 1.2% Pi fodder for 5 days received the opposite fodder on the 6th day. Food consumption, Pi ingestion, and growth were determined. Pi deficiency-related acidosis was minimally observed in the animals that, after 5 days eating 1.2% Pi food, were switched to 0.1% Pi on the 6thday: blood pH was reduced to 7.32, bicarbonate fell to 25.2 mM, and the base excess dropped to -1.74 mM. Pi transport in jejunum and kidney cortex brush border membrane vesicles (BBMV) was always higher in the animals chronically fed with 0.1% Pi, and it was similar at 0.6 and 1.2% Pi. In the case of animals whose diet was switched the last day, there were no differences in jejunum BBMV Pi transport, in contrast to previous studies that have shown a higher transport rate after switching to a high Pi content. In kidney BBMV, Pi transport was higher in the change from 1.2 to 0.1% Pi. Plasma Pi was always proportional to the fodder Pi content. Plasma FGF23 and PTH concentrations varied similarly and were always proportional to the ingested Pi in all groups, including the animals whose food was switched, meaning that both hormones changed after 4 hours of high Pi intake. Differences in the phosphatonins sFR4 and MEPE were not significant. Also, no differences were observed in dopamine, corticosterone, insulin, thyroxine, calcitriol, or Klotho. A similar experiment was performed in parathyroidectomized (PTX) rats, but only using the 4-hour feeding regime. Food consumption and growth was similar in sham and PTX animals. Blood plasma Pi was higher in PTX animals in all groups except for those chronically fed at 0.1% Pi. Transport in jejunum BBMV was similar in sham and PTX rats, and NaPi2b protein abundance correlated with the transport rate. In kidney BBMV, all groups showed higher transport rates in PTX rats (except for the chronic 0.1% Pi group, in which the rates were similar), and no differences were observed between the animals whose food was acutely switched the last day, therefore confirming the role of PTH over the relevance of FGF23 in the kidney's acute response. All hormones behaved similarly in sham and PTX animals, except for dopamine, which was very low in the 0.1%-Pi fed PTX rats, and FGF23 which was surprisingly lower in all groups compared to sham rats. In conclusion, a pH- and ion-balanced fodder prevented the paradoxical increase of Pi intestinal uptake when a Pi-enriched food was given. This food also prevented the strong metabolic acidosis associated with experimentally Pi-depleted fodder. Acute adaptation only occurs in the kidney, and PTH is the hormone that mediates it.

Characterization of Sodium‐Dependent Pi Transport Inhibition by NAD

Hyperphosphatemia during end-stage renal disease causes many adverse outcomes. To prevent them, several Pi intestinal absorption inhibitors are necessary for targeting either the paracellular (diffusion) or the transcellular (transport) absorption pathway. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH/NAD+) is a classical inhibitor of intestinal and renal Pi transport and is a circadian modulator of phosphatemia. The mechanism of NAD transporter inhibition remains unclear, although a competitive inhibition mechanism has been suggested. In this work, we sought to determine if this mechanism has a direct effect on Pi transporters. The five known rat Na/Pi cotransporters (NaPi2a, NaPi2b, NaPi2c, PiT1, and PiT2) were expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes. Uptake of 32P-Pi was performed for three days post-injection of 5 ng of the corresponding cRNAs per oocyte and after 30 minutes of preincubation with 0.5 mM NAD, NADH, or NAM. None of the compounds affected the Pi uptake of any of the expressed Pi transporters in oocytes. Pi transport in the brush border membrane vesicles (BBMV) of either rat kidney cortex or jejunum epithelium was also assayed. As expected, it was significantly inhibited by NADH and NAD when BBMV were preincubated for 30 min at room or ice-cold temperature. NAM had no effect, and the effect was specific for Na-dependent Pi uptake (D-glucose uptake was not affected). Dose-response analyses on jejunum or kidney BBMV revealed IC50 values in the micromolar range for 50 µM of Pi uptake. Several Michaelis-Menten kinetics were performed in the presence of different concentrations of NAD, and a Lineweaver-Burk plot suggested changes in affinity (i.e., competitive inhibition), which contrasts with the lack of an effect on the transporters expressed in oocytes. The competitive model was confirmed by non-linear regression of a global fit with shared parameters, providing a Ki value of 538 µM NAD. When the effect of NAD was assayed in Opossum Kidney cells, a proximal tubule cell line model expressing a regulated NaPi2a, no evidence of Pi transport inhibition was observed. To check whether NAD-mediated ribosylation was involved in Pi transport inhibition, a classical ribosylation assay was performed with 32P-NAD, using jejunum and renal BBMV. No evidence of ribosylation was found for NaPi2b or NaPi2a, even after one month of exposure to an X-ray film. This was confirmed using several ribosylation inhibitors (meta-iodobenzylguanidine, novobiocin, vitamin K1, vitamin K3, or 3-methoxybenzamide), which failed to prevent NAD inhibition of Pi transport in BBMV. In conclusion, despite the kinetic findings in BBMV, NAD inhibition of Na/Pi-cotransporters is, most likely, not mediated through a direct interaction with these transporters. Instead, inhibition seems to be mediated through an indirect mechanism acting on components that are absent in Xenopus oocytes and in OK cells, which ends in the modification of Pi transport affinity (Km) and occurs at ice-cold temperature. Nevertheless, the unlikely inhibition of a novel, unknown Pi transporter cannot be completely discarded.

N-Methylnicotinamide Is an Endogenous Probe for Evaluation of Drug–Drug Interactions Involving Multidrug and Toxin Extrusions (MATE1 and MATE2-K)

Multidrug and toxin extrusion 1 (MATE1) and MATE2-K are H(+)/organic cation exchangers mediating the efflux of cationic drugs into the urine. N-methylnicotinamide (NMN) was found to be an endogenous substrate of MATE1 (Michaelis constant (K(m)) 301 ± 18 µmol/l) and MATE2-K (K(m) 422 ± 63 µmol/l) as well as a basolateral influx transporter, organic cation transporter 2 (K(m) 318 ± 29 µmol/l). A potent MATE inhibitor, pyrimethamine, competitively inhibited the uptake by MATE1 and MATE2-K with inhibition constant (K(i)) values of 83 ± 15 and 56 ± 11 nmol/l, respectively. The uptake of NMN by human kidney brush border membrane vesicles with a H(+) gradient was saturable (K(m) 360 ± 55 µmol/l) and completely inhibited by pyrimethamine. The renal clearance of endogenous NMN was 403 ± 61 in healthy male subjects, and it was significantly decreased to 119 ± 16 ml/min/kg by an oral dose of pyrimethamine (50 mg). These results support the utility of NMN as an endogenous in vivo probe for investigating MATE1 and MATE2-K in humans.

Potent and Specific Inhibition of mMate1-Mediated Efflux of Type I Organic Cations in the Liver and Kidney by Pyrimethamine

This report describes a potent and selective inhibitor of multidrug and toxin extrusion (MATE) protein, pyrimethamine (PYR), and examines its effect on the urinary and biliary excretion of typical Mate1 substrates in mice. In vitro inhibition studies demonstrated that PYR is a potent inhibitor of mouse (m)Mate1 (K(i) = 145 nM) among renal organic cation transporters mOctn1 and mOctn2 (K(i) > 30 microM), mOct1 (K(i) = 3.6 microM), and mOct2 (K(i) = 6.0 microM). PYR inhibited the uptake of metformin by kidney brush-border membrane vesicles (BBMVs) (K(i) = 41 nM) and canalicular membrane vesicles in the presence of outward gradient of H+. PYR treatment significantly increased the kidney-to-plasma ratio of tetraethylammonium, and both the liver- and kidney-to-plasma ratios of metformin in mice, whereas it did not affect their plasma concentrations and urinary excretion rates. Furthermore, the plasma lactate concentration, a biomarker for inhibition of gluconeogenesis by metformin, was significantly higher in the PYR-treated group than in the control group. These results not only suggest the importance of mMate1 in the efflux of organic cations into the urine and bile in mice but also the importance of canalicular efflux mediated by MATE proteins for the therapeutic efficacy of metformin. PYR is a potent inhibitor of human (h)MATE1 and hMATE2-K (K(i) = 77 and 46 nM, respectively) and H+ and organic cation exchanger in human kidney BBMVs (K(i) = 31 nM) in the presence of outward gradient of H+. Taken together, PYR can be used as a potent probe inhibitor of human MATE transporters.

Nephrotoxicity of uranyl acetate: effect on rat kidney brush border membrane vesicles

Since the Gulf war exposure to depleted uranium, a known nephrotoxic agent, there is a renewed interest in the toxic effects of uranium in general and its mechanism of nephrotoxicity which is still largely unknown in particular. In order to investigate the mechanism responsible for uranium nephrotoxicity and the therapeutic effect of urine alkalization, we utilized rat renal brush border membrane vesicles (BBMV). Uranyl acetate (UA) caused a decrease in glucose transport in BBMV. The apparent K (i) of uranyl was 139+/-30 microg uranyl/mg protein of BBMV. Uranyl at 140 microg/mg protein of BBMV reduced the maximal capacity of the system to transport glucose [V (max) 2.2+/-0.2 and 0.96+/-0.16 nmol/mg protein for control and uranyl treated BBMV (P<0.001), respectively] with no effect on the apparent K (m) (1.54+/-0.33 and 1.54+/-0.51 mM for control, and uranyl treated BBMV, respectively). This reduction in V(max) is at least partially due to a decrease in the number of sodium-coupled glucose transporters as apparent from the reduction in phlorizin binding to the uranyl treated membranes, V (max) was reduced from 247+/-13 pmol/mg protein in control BBMV to 119+/-3 pmol/mg protein in treated vesicles (P<0.001). The pH of the medium has a profound effect on the toxicity of UA on sodium-coupled glucose transport in BBMV: higher toxicity at neutral pH (around pH 7.0), and practically no toxicity at alkaline pH (7.6). This is the first report showing a direct inhibitory dose and pH dependent effect of uranyl on the glucose transport system in isolated apical membrane from kidney cortex.

PDZK1 Directly Regulates the Function of Organic Cation/Carnitine Transporter OCTN2

Urinary excretion of cationic xenobiotics is believed to be mediated by organic cation transporter (OCT and OCTN) families expressed on both basolateral and brush-border membranes of renal tubules, although the molecular mechanisms for targeting of these transporters to each membrane are poorly understood. Here, to examine the regulatory mechanisms for cell-surface expression and function of these transporters, we evaluated the interaction of these transporters with several PDZ proteins. A pull-down study using recombinant C-terminal proteins of OCTs and OCTNs identified a specific interaction of apical transporters OCTN1 and OCTN2, but not basolateral transporters OCT1 and OCT2, with PDZK1, intestinal and kidney-enriched PDZ protein, and Na+/H+ exchanger regulatory factor 2 (also called E3KARP, SIP-1, or TKA-1). Both yeast two-hybrid and pull-down studies suggested a requirement of the last four amino acids in OCTN1 and OCTN2 for the interaction. The interaction of PDZK1 with the C terminus of OCTN2 was also confirmed in a pull-down study using kidney brush-border membrane vesicles. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that both PDZK1 and OCTN2 are colocalized in brush-border membranes of the kidney. Finally, double transfection of OCTN2 with PDZK1 stimulated the uptake by OCTN2 of its endogenous substrate carnitine, and this increase could be accounted for by the 6-fold increase in transport capacity. Such an increase was not observed for OCTN2 with deletion of the last four amino acids. Biotinylation study of surface proteins revealed minimal effect of PDZK1 on cell-surface expression of OCTN2. The present findings are the first to identify PDZK1 as a functional regulator of OCTN2 through direct interaction with the C terminus.

Regulation of Na+/H+ exchanger by urogastrone, a potent activator of cell proliferation

We tested the effects of epidermal growth factor (EGF) on Na+/H+ exchanger (NHE) activity using urogastrone for treatment of Wistar rats and rat kidney tissue slices. NHE activity was monitored in isolated kidney brush border membrane vesicles by following fluorescence quenching of acridine orange. A significant increase of NHE activity was detected as early as 5 min after addition of urogastrone to rat kidney slices in vitro. In Wistar rats treated with urogastrone we also found increased NHE activity (by about 12 %). Both changes of NHE activity were the result of a significant rise of Vmax value and an apparent decrease in Km value in in vitro experiments. The rise of NHE activity caused by urogastrone was sensitive to the inhibitors of transcription and translation. The presence of phosphatase inhibitor, NaF, elevated NHE activity of non-stimulated as well as of urogastrone-stimulated exchanger, suggesting that phosphorylation plays an important role in Na+/H+ exchange. Osmolarity of the medium seems to regulate NHE activity in such a manner that both hyper- and hypoosmolar conditions inhibited NHE activity. The absence of Ca2+ions produced a 60 % decrease of NHE activity. The chemical modification of histidine residues with diethyl pyrocarbonate or SH groups with N-ethylmaleimide inhibited NHE activity.

Characterization of D-fructose transport by rat kidney brush-border membrane vesicles: changes in hypertensive rats

D-fructose transport was characterized in renal brush-border membrane vesicles (BBMVs) from both spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and normotensive genetic control Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats. Kinetic studies indicated that the maximal rate (Vmax) of D-fructose transport was significantly lower in SHR compared with WKY rats. No differences were observed in the Michaelis constant (Km) or the diffusion constant (Kd) between the two groups of animals. D-fructose inhibited its own transport, whereas the presence of D-glucose, D-galactose, phlorizin, and cytochalasin B did not inhibit the transport of D-fructose in either animal group. To explain the reduction in D-fructose transport in SHR, the density of the D-fructose transporter, GLUT5, was analyzed by Western blot. GLUT5 levels were lower in SHR, a reduction similar to that of the Vmax. Thus, there appears to be a high-affinity, low-capacity, GLUT5-type fructose carrier in the apical membranes of rat kidney cortex, and the decrease in the Vmax of D-fructose transport in renal BBMVs from hypertensive rats correlates well with a reduction in the expression of GLUT5 protein.

Characterization of L-carnitine transport into rat skeletal muscle plasma membrane vesicles.

Transport of L-carnitine into skeletal muscle was investigated using rat sarcolemmal membrane vesicles. In the presence of an inwardly directed sodium chloride gradient, L-carnitine transport showed a clear overshoot. The uptake of L-carnitine was increased, when vesicles were preloaded with potassium. When sodium was replaced by lithium or cesium, and chloride by nitrate or thiocyanate, transport activities were not different from in the presence of sodium chloride. However, L-carnitine transport was clearly lower in the presence of sulfate or gluconate, suggesting potential-dependent transport. An osmolarity plot revealed a positive slope and a significant intercept, indicating transport of L-carnitine into the vesicle lumen and binding to the vesicle membrane. Displacement experiments revealed that approximately 30% of the L-carnitine associated with the vesicles was bound to the outer and 30% to the inner surface of the vesicle membrane, whereas 40% was unbound inside the vesicle. Saturable transport could be described by Michaelis-Menten kinetics with an apparent Km of 13.1 microM and a Vmax of 2.1 pmol.(mg protein-1).s-1. L-Carnitine transport could be trans-stimulated by preloading the vesicles with L-carnitine but not with the carnitine precursor butyrobetaine, and was cis-inhibited by L-palmitoylcarnitine, L-isovalerylcarnitine, and glycinebetaine. On comparing carnitine transport into rat kidney brush-border membrane vesicles and OCTN2, a sodium-dependent high-affinity human carnitine transporter, cloned recently from human kidney also expressed in muscle, the Km values are similar but driving forces, pattern of inhibition and stereospecificity are different. This suggests the existence of more than one carnitine carrier in skeletal muscle.

Carnitine transport and its inhibition by sulfonylureas in human kidney proximal tubular epithelial cells

The kidney plays an important role in the homeostasis of carnitine by its ability to reabsorb carnitine almost completely from the glomerular filtrate. The transport process responsible for this reabsorption has been investigated thus far only in laboratory animals. Here we report on the characteristics of carnitine uptake in a proximal tubular epithelial cell line derived from human kidney. The uptake process was found to be obligatorily dependent on Na + with no involvement of anions. The process was saturable, with a Michaelis–Menten constant of 14 ± 1 μM. The Na +:carnitine stoichiometry was 1:1. The same process also was found to be responsible for the uptake of acetylcarnitine and propionylcarnitine, two acyl esters of carnitine with potential for therapeutic use in humans. The uptake process was specific for carnitine and its acyl esters. Betaine, a structural analog of carnitine, interacted with the uptake process to a significant extent. The present studies also showed that sulfonylureas, oral hypoglycemic agents currently used in the management of type 2 diabetes, inhibited the carnitine uptake system. Among the sulfonylureas tested, glibenclamide was the most potent inhibitor. The inhibition was competitive. Glibenclamide inhibited the uptake not only of carnitine but also of acetylcarnitine and propionylcarnitine. The inhibition most likely was the result of direct interaction of the compound with the carnitine transporter because the inhibition could be demonstrated in purified rat kidney brush border membrane vesicles.

Inhibition of the hydrolytic and transpeptidase activities of rat kidney γ‐glutamyl transpeptidase by specific monoclonal antibodies

Monoclonal antibodies (mAb) against the native form of rat kidney gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) were isolated by screening hybridomas with rat kidney brush-border membrane vesicles. They were directed against protein rather than sugar epitopes in that each recognized all GGT isoforms. All of them inhibited partially the enzyme activity of GGT. They were specific in that they inhibited the rat enzyme, but not the mouse or human enzyme. Kinetic analyses were carried out with free GGT and GGT-mAb complexes with d-gamma-glutamyl-p-nitroanilide in the presence or absence of maleate, or in the presence or absence of alanine, cysteine, cystine or glycylglycine as gamma-glutamyl acceptors. mAbs 2A10 and 2E9 inhibited the hydrolytic and glutaminase activities of GGT and had little effect on the transpeptidation activity of the enzyme, whereas mAbs 4D7 and 5F10 inhibited transpeptidation, but not hydrolytic or glutaminase activities. mAb 5F10 mimicked the effect of maleate on GGT, in that it inhibited transpeptidation, enhanced the glutaminase activity and increased the affinity of the donor site of GGT for acivicin. Such mAbs may be useful for long-term studies in tissue cultures and in vivo, and for the identification of GGT epitopes that are important for the hydrolytic and transpeptidase activities.

Interactions of alkylglucosides with the renal sodium/ d-glucose cotransporter

To study the nature of the glucose binding pocket of the renal Na +/ d-glucose cotransporter, we have evaluated the inhibitory potency of various alkylglucosides (AG) on sodium-dependent D-glucose uptake into hog kidney brush border membrane vesicles (BBMV). Inhibition at 0.1 mM AG level was found to be strongly dependent on the anomeric configuration, on the length and on the flexibility of the side chain. β-n-AG inhibited transport significantly more effectively compared to the corresponding α-anomer ( n-octylglucoside: α-anomer 15%, (β-anomer 84%) and AG with an unsaturated n-alkenyl side chain were significantly less effective inhibitors than the corresponding saturated compound (cis/trans 3-n-β-hexenylglucoside 53% and 32%, β-n-hexylglucoside 76%). A series of β-n-AG increasing in side chain length from 1 to 13 carbon atoms revealed a global maximum in the inhibition pattern when β-AG with side chains ranging from 8 to 11 carbon atoms were used, thus β-methylglucoside inhibited glucose transport by 13%, β-n-nonylglucoside by 92%, and (β-n-tridecylglucoside showed no effect. Kinetic analysis of inhibition by β-n-octylglucoside revealed a fully competitive type of inhibition with an apparent K i of 10 ± 2 μM. n-Octylglucoside at 0.1 mM did not inhibit sodium-dependent l-alanine uptake; similarly, n-octylmannoside at 0.1 mM level did not affect D-glucose uptake. These results suggest that the inhibition of sodium-dependent d-glucose uptake was, at least in the concentration range tested (up to 0.1 mM), not due to a detergent effect of AG, but due to interaction with the carrier. Optimum interaction requires a β-anomer with a glycosidic bond that places the alkyl chain into an equatorial position with regard to the d-glucose molecule and the two main determinants of the sugar recognition site C2 and C3. In addition, the alkyl chain has to be highly flexible. The alkyl chains thus apparently interact with hydrophobic sites at the carrier in a slightly coiled conformation, thereby AG with a chain length up to 6 carbon atoms interact only with one hydrophobic site, AG with higher chain length probably with two sites.

Proton/solute cotransport in rat kidney brush-border membrane vesicles: relative importance to both d-glucose and peptide transport

We have determined the relative importance of the transmembrane proton electrochemical gradient to the transport of d-[ 14C]glucose and [ 14C]glycylsarcosine (gly-sar) in rat kidney brush-border membrane vesicles (BBMV) from superficial renal cortex. Electrogenic [ 14C]gly-sar transport was first optimised by imposing a pH gradient (pH o = 5.7, pH i = 8.4) and an interior negative p.d. (using outwardly directed K + gradient plus valinomycin). Under identical conditions (pH o = 5.7, pH i = 8.4), an acceleration f of initial d-[ 14C]glucose (at 100 μM) transport by 2.0 ± 0.7-fold was observed compared to no proton gradient (pH o = 8.4, pH i = 8.4). This increase was due primarily to an effect of external protons, since acidic conditions (pH o = pH i = 5.7) also resulted in ann acceleration of d-glucose influx (2-fold). The increase in d-glucose transport in the presence of external acidity was reduced by the uncoupler FCCP, even in the absence of a proton gradient. Furthermore, the increased d-glucose transport with external acidity in the presence of a proton gradient was insensitive to a K + gradient-driven diffusion potential in the presence of valinomycin. In no instance was an overshoot accumulation of d-[ 14C]glucose observed in H + gradient conditions. H +-stimulated d-[ 14C]glucose transport showed a linear dependence on d-glucose concentration up to 20 mM d-glucose, unlike electrogenic Na +-dependent d-glucose transport, whose K m was 1.77 ± 0.35 mM. In contrast, the initial rate of [ 14C]gly-sar (100 μM) transport by the renal H +/di-tripeptide transporter was accelerated 15.7 ± 3.3-fold and stimulated a marked overshoot of 5.1 ± 0.4-fold over equilibrium values. Conversely, the electrogenic, Na +/glucose transporter could be readily demonstrated, whilst [ 14C]gly-sar transport could not be energised by an inward Na + gradient. The absence of electrogenic d-glucose transport in H + gradient conditions is clear evidence against H +/glucose cotransport in Na +-free conditions mediated by SGLT2 (sodium-glucose transporter, renal cortex). Furthermore, since a proton gradient does not increase brush-border membrane d-glucose uptake in Na +-rich media, it is unlikely that in vivo renal d-glucose transport mediated via SGLT2 may be energised by the transmembrane proton gradient.

Binding of nitrate to renal brush border membranes studied with 14N nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)

Renal brush border membranes contain several anion exchangers that may play a role in electrolyte transport and pH regulation. To help characterize the types of exchangers present and the binding properties of these membranes, the binding of nitrate (NO 3 −) to highly purified rabbit kidney brush border membrane vesicles was studied. The method is based on the binding induced quadrupole relaxation of the 14N-NMR signal of nitrate [1,2]. Brush border membrane vesicles caused a relaxation of the 14N-NMR nitrate signal which could be characterized by relatively high affinity sites, K D = 6.7 ± 1.5 mM, as well as nonspecific interactions with the membranes, K D > 150 mM. The anion transport inhibitor 4,4′-dinitrostilbene-2,2′-disulfonate (DNDS) inhibited 51 ± 6% ( n = 4) of the relaxation due to the high affinity binding sites. The DNDS inhibition could be characterized by a K i of 10–80 μM. Both bicarbonate and formate (HCO 2 −) were found to partially inhibit the high affinity induced relaxation, with maximal inhibition of 37 ± 8% ( n = 3) and 30 ± 2% ( n = 3), respectively. The inhibitory effects of saturating concentrations of bicarbonate and formate were non-additive, suggesting the existence of a stilbene sensitive exchanger that can bind nitrate, as well as both bicarbonate and formate. This study indicates the usefulness of this new method for further investigation of anion exchangers on these and other membranes.

Functional separation of dipeptide transport and hydrolysis in kidney brush border membrane vesicles.

Dipeptides serve as substrates for both transport and hydrolytic processes. This has caused uncertainty as to whether different systems mediate both processes, and if so, whether they can be functionally separated. To investigate these problems, we determined the effects of a series of compounds previously characterized as aminopeptidase (AP) inhibitors on transport and hydrolytic activities of the kidney brush border membrane. The substrate used for assaying transport activity was Gly-Gln whereas Leu-, Arg-, and Glu-nitroanilides, as well as Gly-Tyr and Ala-Tyr, were used in assaying hydrolytic activity. The AP inhibitors, arphamenines A and B and bestatin, strongly inhibited transport by the oligopeptide/H+ symporter (EC50 values of 15 to 67 microM). The mechanism of inhibition appeared to be competition for the binding site of the symporter. In contrast, leucinethiol, leuhistin, and amastatin had little or no effect on dipeptide transport (EC50 values of 4 to more than 50 mM). Arphamenine and leucinethiol, in concentrations as high as 100 microM, were found to be either ineffective or weak inhibitors of membrane-associated hydrolysis. In contrast, amastatin and leuhistin, in concentrations as low as 20 microM, almost completely inhibited dipeptide hydrolysis. These results show that dipeptide hydrolysis can be selectively suppressed by either amastatin or leuhistin and dipeptide transport by arphamenine. Furthermore, the results provide new insight into the structural features of substrates that are recognized at the binding site of the oligopeptide/H+ symporter.

Salinity dependence of Na +/H + exchange activity in the eel ( Anguilla anguilla) renal brush border membrane vesicles

The Na +/H + antiporter activity present in eel kidney brush border membrane vesicles prepared from sea-water and freshwater-adapted eels was monitored using the absorbance quenching of the weak base acridine orange. It was found that the activity of this renal antiporter, higher in sea-water-adapted animals, was inhibited by dimethylamiloride. Complete adaptation in freshwater is reached after 5 days and seems specifically related to the transepithelial Na + transport, as demonstrated by the parallel specific decrease of the activities of the brush border Na +/H + exchanger and the basolateral located Na +6/K + ATPase. Kinetic parameter measurements ( J max and K m ) indicate that the salinity adaptation of this teleost occurs by a J max regulation of the antiporter.

Transport of beta-lactam antibiotics in kidney brush border membrane. Determinants of their affinity for the oligopeptide/H+ symporter.

This study was designed to determine whether beta-lactam antibiotics (cephalosporins and penicillins) are all substrates for the renal oligopeptide/H+ symporter and, if so, whether the transport system discriminates among the numerous beta-lactam antibiotics. We used [3H]glycylglutamine, [3H]cephalexin, and [3H]-ampicillin as probes for the transport of oligopeptides, cephalosporins, and penicillins in kidney brush border membrane vesicles, respectively. Among the beta-lactam antibiotics, only those with an alpha-amino group in the phenylacetamido moiety were found to interact with the oligopeptide/H+ symporter. Aminocephalosporins displayed high affinities (KiS generally < 250 microM), whereas aminopenicillins displayed low affinities (Ki 0.78-3.03 mM). These differences in affinities appeared to be a consequence of conformational features of the substrates, especially the sterical location of the carboxy group. The affinities of aminolactams for the oligopeptide/H+ symporter were, furthermore, related to the hydrophobicity of the phenylglycyl chains and the substituents attached to the thiazolidine and dihydrothiazine ring. In sharp contrast to the uptake of [3H]glycylglutamine and [3H]cephalexin, the uptake of [3H]ampicillin was not dependent on a pH gradient and was inhibited by various beta-lactam antibiotics, whether or not they contained an alpha-amino group. Our data suggest that: (a) the transport of aminocephalosporins is largely mediated by the oligopeptide/H+ symporter, which is highly influenced by the substrate structure; and (b) penicillins are transported by another system, which is less discriminative with respect to substrate structure.

Determinants of substrate affinity for the oligopeptide/H+ symporter in the renal brush border membrane.

We and others have shown previously the existence of high and low affinity systems for oligopeptide transport in kidney brush border membrane vesicles (BBMV). In the present study we investigated the relationship between the structure of substrates and their affinity for interaction with the high-affinity oligopeptide/H+ transporter in kidney BBMV. Based on competition experiments using [3H]Gly-Gln as a probe we determined the Ki values for more than 60 selected peptides. For a high-affinity interaction with the carrier site the following structural features of substrates are required: (a) both a free amino and carboxyl terminus; (b) the amino group and peptide bond nitrogen located in the alpha-position; (c) a trans peptide bond rather than the cis configuration; (d) L-alpha-amino acid isomers in both COOH and NH2 termini, although D-isomers of hydrophobic amino acids are acceptable in the NH2 terminus; and (e) a backbone of less than 3 amino acid residues. A striking finding of the present study is that, for peptides satisfying these minimal structural requirements, the primary determinant of affinity is hydrophobicity. The fact that there is a highly significant (p less than 0.001) correlation between Ki and hydrophobicity allows the prediction of the affinity for any di- or tripeptide composed of alpha-amino acids in the L-form.

Location of a Bombyx mori receptor binding region on a Bacillus thuringiensis delta-endotoxin.

Receptor binding studies were performed with 125I-labeled trypsin-activated insecticidal toxins, CryIA(a) and CryIA(c), from Bacillus thuringiensis on brush-border membrane vesicles (BBMV) prepared from Bombyx mori larval midgut. Bioassays were performed by gently force feeding B. mori with diluted toxins. CryIA(a) toxin (LD50; 0.002 micrograms) was 200 times more active against B. mori larvae than CryIA(c) toxin (LD50; 0.421 micrograms) and showed high-affinity saturable binding. The Kd and the binding site concentration for CryIA(a) toxin were 3.5 nM and 7.95 pmol/mg, respectively. CryIA(c) toxin (Kd, 50.35 nM; Bmax, 2.85 pmol/mg) did not demonstrate high-affinity binding to B. mori BBMV. Control experiments with CryIA(a) and CryIA(c) toxins revealed no binding to mouse small intestine BBMV and nonspecific binding to pig kidney BBMV. These data provide evidence that binding to a specific receptor on the membrane of midgut epithelial cells is an important determinant with respect to differences in insecticidal spectrum of insecticidal crystal proteins. To locate a B. mori receptor binding region on the CryIA(a) toxin, homologous and heterologous competition binding studies were performed with a set of mutant proteins which had previously been used to define the B. mori "specificity domain" on this toxin (Ge, A. Z., Shivarova, N. I., and Dean, D. H. (1989) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 86, 4037-4041). These mutant proteins have had regions of their genes reciprocally exchanged with the cryIA(c) gene. A B. mori receptor binding region on CryIA(a) toxin includes the amino-terminal portion of the hypervariable region, amino acids 332-450, which is identical to the previously described B. mori specificity determining region. These data provide direct evidence that delta-endotoxins contain a tract of amino acids that comprise a binding region and as a results determines the specificity of a toxin.