Thiol-dependent passive K+Cl- transport in sheep red blood cells: VI. Functional heterogeneity and immunologic identity with volume-stimulated K+(Rb+) fluxes

The effect of xanthine oxidase and hypoxanthine on the permeability of red cells from patients with sickle cell anemia

Red cells from patients with sickle cell anemia (SCA) are under greater oxidative challenge than those from normal individuals. We postulated that oxidants generated by xanthine oxidase (XO) and hypoxanthine (HO) contribute to the pathogenesis of SCA through altering solute permeability. Sickling, activities of the main red cell dehydration pathways (Psickle , Gardos channel, and KCl cotransporter [KCC]), and cell volume were measured at 100, 30, and 0 mmHg O2 , together with deoxygenation-induced nonelectrolyte hemolysis. Unexpectedly, XO/HO mixtures had mainly inhibitory effects on sickling, Psickle , and Gardos channel activities, while KCC activity and nonelectrolyte hemolysis were increased. Gardos channel activity was significantly elevated in red cells pharmacologically loaded with Ca2+ using the ionophore A23187, consistent with an effect on the transport system per se as well as via Ca2+ entry likely via the Psickle pathway. KCC activity is controlled by several pairs of conjugate protein kinases and phosphatases. Its activity, however, was also stimulated by XO/HO mixtures in red cells pretreated with N-ethylmaleimide (NEM), which is thought to prevent regulation via changes in protein phosphorylation, suggesting that the oxidants formed could also have direct effects on this transporter. In the presence of XO/HO, red cell volume was better maintained in deoxygenated red cells. Overall, the most notable effect of XO/HO mixtures was an increase in red cell fragility. These findings increase our understanding of the effects of oxidative challenge in SCA patients and are relevant to the behavior of red cells in vivo.

Potassium-chloride cotransporter 3 interacts with Vav2 to synchronize the cell volume decrease response with cell protrusion dynamics

Loss-of-function of the potassium-chloride cotransporter 3 (KCC3) causes hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy with agenesis of the corpus callosum (HMSN/ACC), a severe neurodegenerative disease associated with defective midline crossing of commissural axons in the brain. Conversely, KCC3 over-expression in breast, ovarian and cervical cancer is associated with enhanced tumor cell malignancy and invasiveness. We identified a highly conserved proline-rich sequence within the C-terminus of the cotransporter which when mutated leads to loss of the KCC3-dependent regulatory volume decrease (RVD) response in Xenopus Laevis oocytes. Using SH3 domain arrays, we found that this poly-proline motif is a binding site for SH3-domain containing proteins in vitro. This approach identified the guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) Vav2 as a candidate partner for KCC3. KCC3/Vav2 physical interaction was confirmed using GST-pull down assays and immuno-based experiments. In cultured cervical cancer cells, KCC3 co-localized with the active form of Vav2 in swelling-induced actin-rich protruding sites and within lamellipodia of spreading and migrating cells. These data provide evidence of a molecular and functional link between the potassium-chloride co-transporters and the Rho GTPase-dependent actin remodeling machinery in RVD, cell spreading and cell protrusion dynamics, thus providing new insights into KCC3's involvement in cancer cell malignancy and in corpus callosum agenesis in HMSN/ACC.

Effects of protein kinase and phosphatase inhibitors and anti-L antisera on K+ transport in LK sheep red cells

We investigated the role of protein phosphorylation in the action of anti-L on low potassium (LK) sheep red cells. Anti-L stimulated the Na/K pump by four- to fivefold, but Na/K pump activity in anti-L-stimulated or in control cells was unaffected by protein kinase/protein phosphatase (PK/PP) inhibitors. KCl co-transport activity was inhibited by anti-L (about 50%). Co-transport was stimulated by staurosporine; and inhibited by calyculin A, okadaic acid, tyrphostin B46 and genistein; with a similar pattem in both control and anti-L-treated cells. O2 sensitivity of KCl co-transport was similar in control and anti-L-treated cells. Neither control nor anti-L-stimulated Na/K pump activities were O2 sensitive. Incubation with urea stimulated KCl co-transport in both control and anti-L-treated cells. Inhibition of co-transport by anti-L was unaffected by low concentrations of urea but was reduced at higher urea concentrations. Na/K pump activity of control cells was unaffected by incubation with urea, but that in cells stimulated by anti-L was reduced, though not significantly. Under high hydrostatic pressure, KCl co-transport was stimulated, and the inhibitory effects of PP inhibition (okadaic acid), anti-L or combinations of the two were reduced. Results suggest that anti-L does not affect K+ transport in LK sheep red cells via protein phosphorylation.

Deferiprone therapy in homozygous human beta-thalassemia removes erythrocyte membrane free iron and reduces KCl cotransport activity

Deposition of free iron is a characteristic feature of beta-thalassemia (beta-thal) red blood cells believed to play an important role in the generation of oxidative injury to the cell membrane. Increased red blood cell KCI cotransport, reduced K content, and cell dehydration are also found in beta-thal red blood cells. It is not known, however, whether deposition of free iron plays a role in these membrane transport changes. To explore this issue, we studied-both in vitro and in vivo-the effect on KCI cotransport of removing red blood cell membrane free iron from beta-thal erythrocytes. Eleven patients with beta-thal major who underwent long-term transfusion and were treated with deferiprone (75 mg/kg/day) for 9 months participated in the study. Deferiprone therapy removed membrane free iron from beta-thal erythrocytes, which was followed by reduced KCI cotransport activity. The reduced KCI cotransport activity was accompanied by an increase in the red blood cell K content. These data suggest that the increased activity of KCI cotransport in beta-thal red blood cells is mediated by the deposition of membrane free iron, a mechanism that may be attenuated by deferiprone therapy.

N-ethylmaliemide (NEM)-stimulated potassium transport in camel erythrocytes

In this study N-ethylmaliemide (NME)-stimulated, ouabain-resistant potassium influx in camel erythrocytes was measured using the radioactive rubidium tracer 86Rb+. The results showed that camel erythrocytes responded to NEM pretreatment by a threefold increase in influx which was Cl- dependent. The anion dependence of K+ influx in pre-treated cells was Br- > Cl- > NO3-. The pH dependence curve for NEM-stimulated K+ influx and the combination between volume and NEM stimulation in camel erythrocytes were determined. The findings indicated that the camel erythrocytes potassium transport system has many similarities to that of other mammalian species.

Inhibition of K+ transport in human sickle cell erythrocytes by okadaic acid and sodium fluoride

1. The effect of okadaic acid and sodium fluoride on swelling- and N-ethylmaleimide (NEM)-stimulated KCl cotransport was examined in blood cells from homozygote sickle cell anaemia patients. 2. Blood was drawn into heparin or EDTA by vein puncture from sickle cell patients previously diagnosed in the haematology clinics of Princess Badee'a Teaching Hospital. A standard method for measuring flux by using radioactive rubidium was used. 3. Okadaic acid strongly inhibited swelling-stimulated KCl cotransport if added before swelling. Okadaic acid and sodium fluoride added before NEM inhibited the activation of transport by NEM. Okadaic acid added after NEM did not inhibit transport. 4. The inhibition of the effects of NEM by okadaic acid and sodium fluoride indicates that activation of the flux by NEM requires the action of phosphatase.

Role of protein kinases in regulating sheep erythrocyte K-Cl cotransport

K-Cl cotransport in sheep erythrocytes can be activated by treatment either with A-23187 and EDTA to reduce concentration of internal ionized Mg [Mg]i) to submicromolar levels, with staurosporine, a potent kinase inhibitor, or with N-ethylmaleimide (NEM). Activation by these maneuvers is prevented and reversed by genistein [inhibition constant (Ki) of 15 microM], which inhibits tyrosine kinases (TK). The related glycosidated compound genistin, which does not inhibit TK, does not inhibit transport, whereas another TK inhibitor, tyrphostin B46, inhibits both basal and stimulated transport (Ki of 28 microM). Cotransport activation by NEM is prevented and reversed by the phosphatase inhibitor, calyculin A, and activation by staurosporine occurs only if cells contain ATP. Increasing [Mg]i inhibits cotransport in the presence of calyculin A whether or not staurosporine is present as well. Our work suggests that genistein inhibits cotransport through a TK and that staurosporine and NEM activate cotransport, probably through inhibition of other kinases, causing stimulation through dephosphorylation of a protein (possibly the transporter itself) be a serine/threonine phosphatase. [Mg]i inhibits cotransport by activating a kinase (concentration for half-maximal activation of 10 microM) that phosphorylates this protein.

Sulfhydryl oxidation and activation of red cell K(+)-Cl- cotransport in the transgenic SAD mouse

The SAD mouse is characterized by the expression of human SAD hemoglobin (Hb), a super S Hb with a higher tendency to polymerize than HbS due to the presence of two additional mutations, Antilles beta 23Ile and D Punjab beta 121Glu. Monovalent cation transport was studied in erythrocytes from SAD-1 (Hb SAD = 19%) and beta-thal/SAD-1 (Hb SAD = 26%) mice. Erythrocytes containing Hb SAD exhibited dehydration, increased maximal rate of Na(+)-K+ pump, unchanged Rb+ flux via the Gardos channel, and increased K(+)-Cl- cotransport. K(+)-Cl- cotransport was defined as Cl(-)-dependent (substitution with sulfamate or methanesulfonate) okadaic acid-sensitive K+ efflux. Volume regulatory decrease via K(+)-Cl- cotransport was also increased in swollen SAD erythrocytes compared with controls. K(+)-Cl- cotransport was stimulated by staurosporine in all mouse strains, but the extent of stimulation was reduced in beta-thal/SAD-1 mice. Treatment with dithiothreitol reduced K(+)-Cl- cotransport activity in SAD-1 and beta-thal/SAD-1 mice to levels similar to that of control strains, indicating that reversible sulfhydryl oxidation contributes to the activated state of K(+)-Cl- cotransport in mouse erythrocytes that express transgenic human Hb SAD.

Screening of potential transport systems for methyl mercury uptake in rat erythrocytes at 5 degrees by use of inhibitors and substrates

The current study was designed to screen the potential transport systems for methyl mercury (MeHg) uptake by isolated erythrocytes from rats at 5 degrees. Several inhibitors and substrates were used to test which potential transport system might be involved in MeHg uptake. Probenecid was used to test the organic anion transport system, valinomycin was used to test the effect of the membrane potential, D-glucose and cytochalasin B were used to test the facilitated diffusive D-glucose transport system and colchicine and vinblastine were used to test the microtubule system. The effects of Ca++, Mg++ and Na+ on MeHg uptake have been examined. Ouabain, ATP and glucose were used to test the active transport system, cysteine for the cysteine-facilitated transport system, glycine for system Gly, DL-methionine for system L, and MeHgCl and 4',4-diisothiocyano-2',2-stilbenedisulfonic acid (DIDS) for the Cl- ion transport system. The results showed that MeHg uptake might be involved in the following transport systems at 5 degrees: 1) organic anion transport system; 2) facilitated diffusive D-glucose transport system; 3) cysteine-facilitated transport system; 4) Cl- ion transport system. Moreover, the transport systems for MeHg uptake were sensitive to the membrane potential. Although the mechanisms of interaction of transport systems have not been fully clarified, evidence has been presented which support the existence of several simultaneous transport systems for MeHg uptake.

Glutathione removal reveals kinases as common targets for K-Cl cotransport stimulation in sheep erythrocytes

K-Cl cotransport is activated by swelling, lowering of cellular free Mg (Mgi), and thiol modification of erythrocytes. Direct actions by thiol reagents on the K-Cl cotransport complex were separated from indirect effects through nonoxidative changes in cellular glutathione (GSH). We used 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB), which, conjugated to GSH, is extruded from the erythrocyte as a thioether. CDNB caused a small biphasic effect (inhibition and stimulation) on K-Cl cotransport and, at 1 mM, abolished its stimulation by N-ethylmaleimide (NEM), diazenedicarboxylic acid bis[N,N-dimethylamide], methyl methanethiosulfonate, and staurosporine, a kinase inhibitor, independent of the order of treatment. Hence, NEM and other activating-thiol reagents, and perhaps GSH removal itself, target unidentified kinases involved in activation of K-Cl cotransport. CDNB also abrogated K-Cl cotransport stimulation by Mgi depletion independent of the order of treatment, indicating inhibition at a second site nearer to the transporter. Furthermore, CDNB treatment elevated and rendered K-Cl cotransport insensitive to osmotic shrinkage, suggesting uncoupling from the regulator.

Activation of K+/Cl- cotransport in human erythrocytes exposed to oxidative agents

Activation of K+/Cl- cotransport was studied after exposure of normal human erythrocytes to the oxidative action of acetylphenylhydrazine (APH), menadione sodium bisulfite (MSB), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) or phenazine metasulfate (PMS). In order to better define the relative contributions of K+/Cl- cotransport on ouabain and bumetanide-resistant (OBR) K+ efflux induced by oxidation, we used (dihydroindenyl)oxyalkanoic acid (DIOA) and carbocyanine as specific inhibitors, respectively, of cotransport system and Ca(2+)-activated K+ channel. APH, MSB and - to much less extent - H2O2 promoted a K+ efflux pathway with features corresponding to those of K+/Cl- cotransport. This pathway showed: (i) kinetics of efflux compatible with a specific cation transport system; (ii) requirement for chloride anion; (iii) resistance to ouabain, bumetanide and carbocyanine inhibition; (iv) stimulation by hypotonic challenge; (v) susceptibility to inhibition by DIOA. Dithiothreitol (DTT) or 2-mercaptoethanol (2-ME) decreased K+/Cl- cotransport activation, suggesting that oxidative mechanisms affected crucial SH groups of the transporter. These data suggest that oxidation represents a factor capable of modulating activation of K+/Cl- cotransport. Its possible contribution in situations with high oxidative risk, such as sickle-cell anaemia or beta thalassemia, is discussed.

Cation transport and volume regulation in sickle red blood cells

Cellular dehydration is one of several pathological features of the sickle cell. Cation depletion is quite severe in certain populations of sickle cells and contributes to the rheological dysfunction that is the root cause of vascular occlusion in this disease. The mechanism of dehydration of sickle cells in vivo has not been ascertained, but three transport pathways may play important roles in this process. These include the deoxygenation-induced pathway that permits passive K+ loss and entry of Na+ and Ca2+; the K(+)-Cl- cotransport pathway, activated by acidification or cell swelling; and the Ca(2+)-activated K+ channel, or Gardos pathway, presumably activated by deoxygenation-induced Ca2+ influx. Recent evidence suggests that these pathways may interact in vivo. Heterogeneity exists among sickle cells as to the rate at which they become dense, suggesting that other factors may affect the activity or interactions of these pathways. Understanding the mechanism of dehydration of sickle cells may provide opportunities for pharmacological manipulation of cell volume to mitigate some of the symptoms of sickle cell disease.

Erythrocyte K-Cl cotransport: properties and regulation

Erythrocytes possess a Cl-dependent, Na-independent K transport system cotransporting K and Cl in a 1:1 stoichiometry that is membrane potential independent. This K-Cl cotransporter is stimulated by cell swelling, acidification, Mg depletion, and thiol modification. Cell shrinkage, elevation of cellular divalent ions, thiol alkylation, phosphatase inhibitors, and derivatives of certain loop diuretics and stilbenes are inhibitory. Thus regulation of K-Cl cotransport at the membrane and cytoplasmic levels is highly complex. Basal K-Cl cotransport decreases with cellular maturation, whereas its modes of stimulation and inhibition are variable between species. The physiological inactivation appears to be prevented in low-K animal erythrocytes. In certain human hemoglobinopathies, K-Cl cotransport may be the cause of cellular dehydration and volume decrease. K-Cl cotransport occurs also in nonerythroid cells, such as in epithelial and liver cells of other species. At the threshold of molecular characterization, this comprehensive review places our present understanding of the mechanisms modulating K-Cl cotransport physiologically and pathophysiologically into kinetic and thermodynamic perspectives.

Investigation of monovalent cation influxes of diamide-treated human erythrocytes in solutions of different ionic strength

Total and residual i.e. (ouabain + bumetanide + EGTA)-insensitive K+ as well as Na+ influxes were investigated in human erythrocytes before and after treatment with diamide (5 mM). In physiological and in low ionic strength solution these influxes were increased after diamide treatment. Diamide-treated cells do not exhibit significant differences between the total and residual influxes for both Na+ and K+. The diamide-induced cation fluxes in low ionic strength solution are significantly higher compared with the fluxes in physiological ionic strength solution. The diamide-induced K+ influx is not chloride-dependent, and replacement of NaCl by sodium methylsulfate does not significantly reduce this flux. A subsequent incubation of diamide-treated erythrocytes with dithioerythritol which restores the cellular glutathione level to its original value only partly decreases the enhanced K+ influx. From these results it can be concluded that electrodiffusion and K/Cl cotransport are not involved in the diamide-induced stimulation of the residual K+ influx of human erythrocytes.

Magnesium and ATP dependence of K-Cl co-transport in low K+ sheep red blood cells

1. In low K+ (LK) sheep red blood cells, depletion of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) by glycolysis inhibition induced specific effects on ouabain-resistant Cl(-)-dependent K+ transport (K-Cl co-transport), depending on the osmolarity: stimulation in isosmotic while inhibition in hyposmotic solutions. However, these effects depended upon the presence of internal Mg2+. 2. In LK sheep red blood cells, ATP constituted nearly 90% of the Mg2+ buffering capacity. As no significant reduction of total Mg2+ was observed after ATP depletion, the overall internal Mg2+ in ATP-depleted cells exists in the free form. 3. The dependence of K+ efflux on internal Mg2+ was also directly related to the presence of ATP. In control cells, Mg2+ constituted an endogenous inhibitor, inducing a 70% inhibition of K-Cl fluxes but only 30% in ATP-depleted cells. The Cl(-)-insensitive component of K+ efflux was unaffected by the divalent cation. 4. After Mg2+ removal, the rate of K+ efflux was significantly increased at all osmolarities, between 240 mosM (swollen cells) and 440 mosM (shrunken cells). Hence, Mg(2+)-depleted LK sheep red cells lose volume sensitivity of K-Cl co-transport. 5. Internal K+ or Cl- were not required for the Mg2+ inhibition, and Mg2+ did not interfere with the internal binding sites for Cl- or K+. Hence, the sites for Mg2+ or MgATP, and for K+ and Cl- are independent of each other.

Okadaic acid inhibition of KCl cotransport. Evidence that protein dephosphorylation is necessary for activation of transport by either cell swelling or N-ethylmaleimide

The mechanism of activation of KCl cotransport has been examined in rabbit red blood cells. Previous work has provided evidence that a net dephosphorylation is required for activation of transport by cell swelling. In the present study okadaic acid, an inhibitor of protein phosphatases, was used to test this idea in more detail. We find that okadaic acid strongly inhibits swelling-stimulated KCl cotransport. The IC50 for okadaic acid is approximately 40 nM, consistent with the involvement of type 1 protein phosphatase in transport activation. N-Ethylmaleimide (NEM) is well known to activate KCl cotransport in cells of normal volume. Okadaic acid, added before NEM, inhibits the activation of transport by NEM, indicating that a dephosphorylation is necessary for the NEM effect. Okadaic acid added after NEM inhibits transport only very slightly. After a brief exposure to NEM and rapid removal of unreacted NEM, KCl cotransport activates with a time delay that is similar to that for swelling activation. Okadaic acid causes a slight increase in the delay time. These findings are all consistent with the idea that NEM activates transport not by a direct action on the transport protein but by altering a phosphorylation-dephosphorylation cycle. The simplest hypothesis that is consistent with the data is that both cell swelling and NEM cause inhibition of a protein kinase. Kinase inhibition causes net dephosphorylation of some key substrate (not necessarily the transport protein); dephosphorylation of this substrate, probably by type 1 protein phosphatase, causes transport activation.

Swelling-activated K-Cl cotransport: metabolic dependence and inhibition by vanadate and fluoride

Activation of K-Cl cotransport by cell swelling was studied by measuring K influx in isotonic and hypotonic media in human red blood cells after depletion of cellular ATP and after exposure to vanadate or fluoride. Preincubation of red blood cells with 2-deoxyglucose resulted in an inhibition of swelling-activated K-Cl cotransport that paralleled the decline in cellular ATP. Subsequent repletion of ATP by incubation in glucose, phosphate, and guanosine partially restored swelling-activated K-Cl cotransport. Swelling-activated K-Cl cotransport was also inhibited by 200 microM vanadate. This inhibition was partially blocked by DIDS, indicating an intracellular action, and required a 40-min preincubation, suggesting that inhibition was due to vanadyl rather than vanadate. Activation of K-Cl cotransport in swollen cells was also blocked by 16 mM fluoride, an effect that was immediate and independent of Cl concentration. Incubation of cells with 1 mM adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) to raise intracellular cAMP levels did not inhibit swelling-activated K-Cl cotransport, indicating that fluoride was not acting through adenyl cyclase. No inhibition of Cl-dependent or bumetanide-sensitive K influx in isotonic medium (Na-K-2Cl cotransport) was observed with ATP depletion, vanadate, fluoride, or cAMP. Activation of K-Cl cotransport by N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) was inhibited by ATP depletion but only partially inhibited by fluoride and not inhibited by vanadate. Fluoride inhibited K-Cl cotransport only when added before NEM treatment. These results suggest that activation of K-Cl cotransport by cell swelling requires ATP and involves a phosphohydrolase or phosphotransferase reaction that is inhibited by vanadyl and fluoride.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Low potassium-type but not high potassium-type sheep red blood cells show passive K+ transport induced by low ionic strength

Low potassium-type (LK) sheep red blood cells show a significant increase of the residual (i.e., ouabain-insensitive) K+ influx when the ionic strength of the solution is decreased. This effect is absent from high potassium-type (HK) sheep red blood cells. The KCl cotransport system is not involved since three different manoeuvres to suppress the KCl cotransport (replacement of Cl- by NO3-, volume-decrease, inhibition by anti-L1 antibodies) have no effect on the low ionic strength-stimulated K+ influx.

Thiol-dependent passive K: Cl transport in sheep red blood cells: IX. Modulation by pH in the presence and absence of DIDS and the effect of NEM

Recently we proposed that cytoplasmic acidification of low K+ (LK) sheep erythrocytes may stimulate ouabain-resistant Cl(-)-dependent K+ flux (K+: Cl- contransport), also known to be activated by cell swelling, treatment with N-ethylmaleimide (NEM), or removal of cellular bivalent cations. Here we studied the dependence of K+ transport on intracellular and extracellular pH (pHi, pHo) varied either simultaneously or independently using the Cl-/HCO3- exchange inhibitor 4,4, diisothiocyanatostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid (DIDS). In both control and NEM-treated LK cells volumes were kept near normal by varying extracellular sucrose. Using DIDS as an effective pH clamp, both K+ efflux and influx of Rb+ used as K+ congener were strongly activated at acid pHi and alkaline pHo. A small stimulation of K+ (Rb+) flux was also seen at acid pHi in the absence of DIDS, i.e., when pHi approximately pHo. Anti-Ll serum, known to inhibit K+: Cl-cotransport, prevented the pHi-stimulated K+ (Rb+) fluxes. Subsequent to NEM treatment at pH 6, K+ (Rb+) fluxes were activated only by raising pH, and thus were similar to the pH activation profile of K+ (Rb+) fluxes in DIDS-treated cells with pHo varied at constant physiologic pHi. Anti-Ll, which inhibited NEM-stimulated K+ (Rb+) fluxes, failed to do so in NEM-plus DIDS-treated cells. Thus, NEM treatment interferes with the internal but not with the external pH-sensitive site.

Volume-sensitive K-Cl cotransport in inside-out vesicles made from erythrocyte membranes from sheep of low-K phenotype

Unidirectional K ion effluxes were measured from inside-out vesicles prepared from erythrocyte membranes from sheep of the low-K phenotype. Total K efflux was 150 nmol per mg of protein per hr in a Cl medium of 295 mosmol/kg (with the Na/K pump inhibited). Cl-dependent K efflux (determined with methanesulfonate replacing Cl) was 54 nmol/(mg.hr). Cl-dependent K efflux (K-Cl cotransport) increased to 77 nmol/(mg.hr) with osmotic swelling of approximately 30% in 230-mosmol/kg medium and decreased to 13 nmol/(mg.hr) after shrinkage of approximately 60% in 430-mosmol/kg medium. Osmotically induced changes in transport and vesicle volume were reversible. K-Cl cotransport was enhanced by ATP. Nonhydrolyzable ATP analogues failed to substitute for ATP, indicating that phosphorylation is involved. However, in the absence of added ATP there was significant K-Cl cotransport, suggesting that phosphorylation is not essential for function. The results provide clues about the nature of the signals detected by the sensor of cell volume changes and demonstrate that inside-out vesicles from sheep erythrocyte membranes provide an advantageous experimental system for investigation of the volume sensor.

K-Cl cotransport in LK sheep erythrocytes: kinetics of stimulation by cell swelling

The effects of osmotic cell swelling were studied on the kinetics of Cl-dependent K+ influx, K-Cl cotransport, in erythrocytes from sheep of the low K+ (LK) phenotype. Swelling approximately 25% stimulated transport by increasing maximum velocity (Jmax) approximately 1.5-fold and by increasing apparent affinity for external K (Ko) nearly twofold. Dithiothreitol (DTT) was shown to be a partial, reversible inhibitor of K-Cl cotransport. It inhibited in cells of normal volume by reducing Jmax more than twofold; apparent affinity for Ko was increased by DTT, suggesting that DTT stabilizes the transporter-Ko complex. Cell swelling reduced the extent of inhibition by DTT: Jmax was inhibited by only about one-third in swollen cells, and apparent affinity was only slightly affected. This result suggested that DTT does not act directly on the transporter, but on a hypothetical regulator, an endogenous inhibitor. Swelling relieves inhibition by the regulator, and reduces the effect of DTT. Reducing intracellular Mg2+, Mgc, stimulated cotransport. Swelling of low-Mg2+ cells stimulated transport further, but only by raising apparent affinity for Ko nearly threefold: Jmax was unaffected. Thus effects of swelling on Jmax and apparent affinity are separable processes. The inhibitory effects of Mgc and DTT were shown to be additive, indicating separate modes of action. There appear to be two endogenous inhibitors: the hypothetical regulator, which holds affinity for Ko, low; and Mgc, which affects Jmax, perhaps by holding some transporters in an inactive form. Swelling stimulates transport by relieving both types of inhibition.

Kinetics of activation and inactivation of swelling-stimulated K+/Cl- transport. The volume-sensitive parameter is the rate constant for inactivation

Red blood cells of several species are known to exhibit a ouabain-insensitive, anion-dependent K+ (Rb+) flux that is stimulated by cell swelling. We have used rabbit red cells to study the kinetics of activation and inactivation of the flux upon step changes in tonicity. Sudden hypotonic swelling (210 mosmol) activates the flux after a lag period of 10 min at 37 degrees C and 30-50 min at 25 degrees C. In cells that were preswollen to activate the transporter, sudden shrinkage (by addition of hypertonic NaCl) causes a rapid inactivation of the flux; the time lag for inactivation is less than 2 min at 37 degrees C. A minimal model of the volume-sensitive KCl transport system requires two states of the transporter. The activated (A) state catalyzes transport at some finite rate (turnover number unknown because the number of transporters is unknown). The resting (R) state has a much lower or possibly zero transport rate. The interconversion between the states is characterized by unimolecular rate constants R k12 in equilibrium with k21 A. The rate of relaxation to any new steady state is equal to the sum of the rate constants k12 + k21. Because the rate of transport activation in a hypotonic medium is lower than the rate of inactivation in an isotonic medium, we conclude that the volume-sensitive rate process is inactivation (the A to R transition); that is, cell swelling activates transport by lowering k21. Three phosphatase inhibitors (fluoride, orthovanadate, and inorganic phosphate) all inhibit the swelling-activated flux and also slow down the rate of approach to the swollen steady state. This finding suggests that a net dephosphorylation is necessary for activation of the flux and that the net dephosphorylation takes place as a result of swelling-induced inhibition of a kinase rather than stimulation of a phosphatase.

Loop diuretic and anion modification of NEM-induced K transport in human red blood cells

The thioalkylating agent N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) causes ouabain-insensitive K loss from human red blood cells. This K loss is inhibited when intracellular Cl is replaced by another permeant anion or when loop diuretics are placed in the incubation medium after NEM exposure. In this report, we have tested the possibility that Cl replacement or loop diuretics not only influence the transport of K induced by NEM but also the interaction of NEM with its target sulfhydryl group. This possibility was examined by replacing intracellular Cl or exposing the cells to loop diuretics before NEM exposure, then measuring K loss in a Cl medium free of loop diuretics. We found that such pretreatment with either Cl substitution or loop diuretics stimulated, rather than inhibited, NEM-induced K loss. This enhancement was not additive in that the increase in K loss induced by anion substitution was not increased further when loop diuretics were also present. These data suggest that anion substitution and loop diuretics enhance the interaction of NEM with its cellular target but inhibit the K loss induced by NEM.

Volume-dependent K+ transport in rabbit red blood cells comparison with oxygenated human SS cells

In this study the volume-dependent or N-ethylmaleimide (NEM)-stimulated, ouabain-insensitive K+ influx and efflux were measured with the tracer 86Rb+ in rabbit red blood cells. The purpose of the work was to examine the rabbit as a potential model for cell volume regulation in human SS red blood cells and also to investigate the relationship between the NEM-reactive sulfhydryl group(s) and the signal by which cell swelling activates the transport. Ouabain-resistant K+ efflux and influx increase nearly threefold in cells swollen hypotonically by 15%. Pretreatment with 2 mM NEM stimulates efflux 5-fold and influx 10-fold (each measured in an isotonic medium). The ouabain-resistant K+ efflux was dependent on the major anion in the medium. The anion dependence of K+ efflux in swollen or NEM-stimulated cells was as follows: Br- greater than Cl- much greater than NO3- = acetate. The magnitudes of both the swelling- and the NEM-stimulated fluxes are much higher in young cells (density separated but excluding reticulocytes) than in older cells. Swelling- or NEM-stimulated K+ efflux in rabbit red blood cells was inhibited 50% by 1 mM furosemide, and the inhibitory potency of furosemide was enhanced by extracellular K+, as is known to be true for human AA and low-K+ sheep red blood cells. The swelling-stimulated flux in both rabbit and human SS cells has a pH optimum at approximately 7.4. We conclude that rabbit red blood cells are a good model for swelling-stimulated K+ transport in human SS cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Volume-dependent regulation of ion transport and membrane phosphorylation in human and rat erythrocytes

Osmotic swelling of human and rat erythrocytes does not induce regulatory volume decrease. Regulatory volume increase was observed in shrunken erythrocytes of rats only. This reaction was blocked by the inhibitors of Na+/H+ exchange. Cytoplasmic acidification in erythrocytes of both species increases the amiloride-inhibited component of 22Na influx by five- to eight-fold. Both the osmotic and isosmotic shrinkage of rat erythrocytes results in the 10- to 30-fold increase of amiloride-inhibited 22Na influx and a two-fold increase of furosemide-inhibited 86Rb influx. We failed to indicate any significant changes of these ion transport systems in shrunken human erythrocytes. The shrinking of quin 2-loaded human and rat erythrocytes results in the two- to threefold increase of the rate of 45Ca influx, which is completely blocked by amiloride. The dependence of volume-induced 22Na influx in rat erythrocytes and 45Ca influx in human erythrocytes on amiloride concentration does not differ. The rate of 45Ca influx in resealed ghosts was reduced by one order of magnitude when intravesicular potassium and sodium were replaced by choline. It is assumed that the erythrocyte shrinkage increases the rate of a nonselective Cao2+/(Nai+, Ki+) exchange. Erythrocyte shrinking does not induce significant phosphorylation of membrane protein but increases the 32P incorporation in diphosphoinositides. The effect of shrinkage on the 32P labeling of phosphoinositides is diminished after addition of amiloride. It is assumed that volume-induced phosphoinositide response plays an essential role in the mechanism of the activation of transmembrane ion movements.

Cation-anion cotransport

Two methods have been described for the study of cation-chloride cotransport systems. The zero-trans efflux method is designed to determine stoichiometric relationships between cotransported ions under conditions where ion exchanges cannot occur. These exchanges (e.g., Na+/Na+, K+/K+) may occur as partial or incomplete reactions of a cotransport process and can lead to erroneous determinations of the stoichiometry of the cotransport process. The zero-trans efflux method can also be used to study the effects of cell volume, pH, and intracellular ion concentrations on cotransport processes. The valinomycin method is used to determine the electrogenicity or electroneutrality of transport, and in this regard can be used in conjunction with other methods such as those employing potential-sensitive dyes or microelectrodes. Other, more recently developed ionophores with specificity for lithium rather than potassium have now been used to study the effect of Em on the ATP-dependent Na+/K+ pump. It may be possible to use such ionophores to confirm the suspected electroneutrality of (K+ + Cl-) cotransport systems, as well as for other studies of specific potassium transport processes in which valinomycin obviously cannot be used. Both methods discussed in detail in this chapter, and particularly the valinomycin method, were originally devised for use in red blood cells in order to take advantage of (or circumvent) properties of the red cell membrane, such as its low permeability to sodium and potassium and relatively high permeability to chloride. However, valinomycin has been used successfully to demonstrate the electroneutrality of (Na+ + K+ + 2Cl-) cotransport in MDCK cells, and the zero-trans efflux method should be applicable to the study of transport processes in other types of cells in suspension, so long as the transport system being studied can be accurately defined (e.g., as an inhibitor-sensitive or chloride-dependent cation flux) and comprises a significant fraction of the total salt efflux.

Thiol-dependent K:Cl transport in sheep red cells: VIII. Activation through metabolically and chemically reversible oxidation by diamide

The sulfhydryl (SH) oxidant diamide activated in a concentration-dependent manner ouabain-resistant (OR), Cl-dependent K flux in both low potassium (LK) and high potassium (HK) sheep red cells as determined from the rate of zero-trans K efflux into media with Cl or Cl replaced by NO3 or methane sulfonate (CH3SO3). Diamide did not alter the OR Na efflux into choline Cl. The diamide effect on K efflux appeared after 80% of cellular glutathione (GSH) was oxidized to GSSG, its disulfide. The stimulation of K efflux was completely reversed during metabolic restitution of GSH, a process that depended on the length of exposure to and the concentration of diamide. The action of diamide on both the K:Cl transporter and GSH was also fully reversed by the reducing agent dithiothreitol (DTT). Diamide apparently oxidized the same SH groups alkylated by N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) (Lauf, P.K. 1983. J. Membrane Biol. 73:237-246). Like NEM, diamide activated K:Cl transport several-fold more in LK cells than in HK cells, and the effect on LK cells was partially inhibited by anti-L1, the allo-antibody known to inhibit OR K fluxes.

Volume-sensitive K influx in human red cell ghosts

K influx into resealed human red cell ghosts increases when the ghosts are swollen. The influx demonstrates properties similar to volume-sensitive K fluxes present in other cells. The influx is, for the most part, insensitive to the nature of the major intracellular cation and therefore is not a K-K exchange. The influx is much greater when the major anion is Cl than when the major anion is NO3; Cl stimulates the flux and, at constant Cl, NO3 inhibits it. Increase in the influx rate is rapid when shrunken ghosts are swollen or when NO3 is replaced by Cl. The volume-sensitive K influx requires intracellular MgATP at low concentrations, and ATP cannot be replaced by nonhydrolyzable ATP analogues. The volume-sensitive influx is inhibited by Mg2+ and by high concentrations of vanadate, but is stimulated by low concentrations of vanadate. It is not modified by cAMP, the removal of Ca2+ by EGTA, substances that activate protein kinase C, or by inhibition of phosphatidylinositol kinase. The influx is inhibited by neomycin and by trifluoperazine.

Volume and anion dependency of ouabain-resistant K-Rb fluxes in sheep red blood cells

The effect of six different anions on the volume response of ouabain-resistant K transport was systematically studied at extracellular pH (pHo) = 7.4 in sheep red blood cells of both low and high K genotype before and after treatment with the sulfhydryl (SH) reagent N-ethylmaleimide (NEM). In methanesulfonate (CH3SO3), both the apparent Rb permeability (P(app)Rb), calculated from ouabain-resistant Rb influx), and K permeability (PK, calculated from the rate constants of ouabain-resistant zero-trans K efflux, 0k(OR)K) were volume independent and close to 10(-10) cm/s for both cell types, but in Cl, Br, I, SCN, and NO3 they were significantly different in low and high K cells with altered cell volumes. Thus, in 15% osmotically shrunken low K cells, P(app)Rb) and PK were similar regardless of the anions present, but upon 10-15% swelling, they increased to approximately 4-6 X 10(-9) cm/s in Br and 2 X 10(-9) cm/s in Cl and also increased with comparatively small increments in I, SCN, and NO3. Treatment with NEM enhanced both P(app)Rb) and PK, particularly in shrunken low K cells, to approximately 10(-8) cm/s in Br and Cl but not in I, SCN, and NO3. In shrunken or isotonic high K cells, P(app)Rb) and PK were close to 10(-10) cm/s in all anions except for SCN. Swelling and/or NEM increased PK and P(app)Rb) in Cl and Br only two- to threefold.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Properties of K+ transport in resealed human erythrocyte ghosts

We report here our studies on K+ transport in resealed human red cell ghosts (RG) in the presence of 0.1 mM ouabain and 0.01 mM bumetanide, inhibitors of the Na+-K+ pump and Na+-K+-Cl- cotransport, respectively. RG were obtained with the gel-filtration method. K+ efflux from RG was dependent on the pH used in the lysis buffer and increased when the pH used in the lysis buffer and increased when the pH was raised from 5.5 to 8.0. As in intact red cells, RG made from cells of the least dense fraction had a much higher K+ efflux than RG made from cells of the densest fraction. This K+ flux is volume independent and increases when the pH of the flux medium is increased from 6.0 to 8.0. K+ efflux (60-70%) at pH 7.40 from RG made from cells of the least dense fraction is inhibited when Cl- is substituted by nitrate or when the ghosts are resealed in the absence of ATP. This chloride- and ATP-dependent component is markedly reduced in RG made from cells of the densest fraction. An increase in the internal Mg2+ concentration in RG from the least dense fraction induced marked inhibition of K+ efflux. Contrary to intact cells, N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) did not affect K+ efflux from RG. Thus the effects of pH, osmolarity, and NEM on K+ transport in RG are markedly different from those reported in intact erythrocytes.

Kinetic comparison of ouabain-resistant K:Cl fluxes (K:Cl [Co]-transport) stimulated in sheep erythrocytes by membrane thiol oxidation and alkylation

The stimulatory effects of two thiol (SH) group oxidants, methylmethane thiosulfonate (MMTS) and diazene dicarboxylic acid bis [N,N-dimethylamide] (diamide), on the kinetics of ouabain-resistant (OR) K:Cl [co]-transport in low K (LK) sheep red blood cells were compared with the effects of alkylating agents, notably N-ethylmaleimide (NEM). At low concentrations, both MMTS and diamide stimulated K:Cl [co]-transport, and with a latency period, as measured by OR zero-trans K efflux and OR uptake of external Rb, Rbo, as K congener in Cl and NO3 media. At high concentrations the effect of diamide saturated, and that of MMTS disappeared. The stimulatory effect of MMTS was partially reversed by the reducing agent dithiothreitol (DTT) known to fully restore the diamide-activated K flux (Lauf, J. Memb. Biol. 101:179-188, 1988). In diamide preequilibrated LK sheep red cells, the Km of K:Cl [co]-transport for external Cl, Clo, was 84.3 mM, and 18.7 mM for Rbo, with nearly identical Vmax values around 4 mmol Rb/L cells x h for K (Rb) fluxes in Cl and after correction for the small Cl-independent component. Zero net K (Rb) flux existed at Kc (cell K)/Rbo concentration ratios, [K]c/[Rb]c, of 0.8 i.e. when the electrochemical driving forces across the membrane were about equal. The measured K efflux/Rb influx ratios were almost twice those predicted from [K]c/[Rb]o and the Cl equilibrium potential suggesting that the diamide-stimulated K (Rb) flux may occur through non-diffusional, carrier-mediated transport.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Thiol-dependent passive K/Cl transport in sheep red cells: VII. Volume-independent freezing by iodoacetamide, and sulfhydryl group heterogeneity

The sulfhydryl (SH) reagent iodoacetamide (IAAM) inhibits stimulation of Cl-dependent K transport in low K (LK) sheep red cells by another SH reagent, N-ethylmaleimide (NEM), without itself activating this transport pathway (J. Membrane Biol., 1983, 73:257-261). We now report that IAAM alone, acting with a kinetic slower than NEM, sharply reduced the capability of the Cl-dependent K transport system to regulate its activity in response to cell volume changes. This effect of IAAM did not depend on the cell volume maintained during chemical treatment, a fact ruling out that the reactivity of the SH groups with IAAM was a function of the volume-dependent turnover rate of the transporter. On the other hand, the prevention of the NEM-stimulatory effect on Cl-dependent K transport was found to be volume-dependent since 1) the rate with which IAAM blocked the subsequent NEM action was twice as fast in cells swollen in 250 mOSM as opposed to cells shrunken in 370 mOSM media, and 2) the dose response of the IAAM effect was different in swollen and shrunken cells. The action of IAAM with or without subsequent treatment with NEM seemed to be independent of cellular ATP which is required for full expression of the stimulatory modification of Cl-dependent K transport by NEM (Am. J. Physiol., 1983, 245:C445-C448). Clusters of SH groups on the Cl-dependent K transporter apparently react differently with IAAM and NEM when separately applied but, used in combination, reflect a complex volume-dependent effect that may reveal a "volume-sensing" component of the transport molecule.

Activation of electroneutral K flux in Amphiuma red blood cells by N-ethylmaleimide. Distinction between K/H exchange and KCl cotransport

Exposure of Amphiuma red blood cells to millimolar concentrations of N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) resulted in net K loss. In order to determine whether net K loss was conductive or was by electroneutral K/H exchange or KCl cotransport, studies were performed evaluating K flux in terms of the thermodynamic forces to which K flux by the above pathways should couple. The direction and magnitude of the NEM-induced net K flux did not correspond with the direction and magnitude of the forces relevant to K conductance or electroneutral KCl cotransport. Both the magnitude and direction of the NEM-activated K flux responded to the driving force for K/H exchange. We therefore conclude that NEM-induced K loss, like that by osmotically swollen Amphiuma red blood cells, is by an electroneutral K/H exchanger. In addition to the above studies, we evaluated the kinetic behavior of the volume- and NEM-induced K/H exchange flux pathways in media where Cl was replaced by SCN, NO3, para-aminohippurate (PAH), or gluconate. The anion replacement studies did not permit a distinction between K/H exchange and KCl cotransport, since, depending upon the anion used as a Cl replacement, partial inhibition or stimulation of volume-activated K/H exchange fluxes was observed. In contrast, all anions used were stimulatory to the NEM-induced K loss. Since, on the basis of force-flow analysis, both volume-and NEM-induced K loss are K/H exchange, it was necessary to reevaluate assumptions (i.e., anions serve as substrates and therefore probe the translocation step) associated with the use of anion replacement as a means of flux route identification. When viewed together with the force-flow studies, the Cl replacement studies suggest that anion effects upon K/H exchange are indirect. The different anions appear to alter mechanisms that couple NEM exposure and cell swelling to the activation of K/H exchange, as opposed to exerting direct effects upon K and H translocation.

Cell volume, K transport, and cell density in human erythrocytes

We report here studies on the regulation of cell volume and K transport in human erythrocytes separated according to density. When cell volume was increased (isosmotic swelling, nystatin technique), erythrocytes of the least dense but not of the densest fraction shrunk back toward their original volume. This process was due to a ouabain (0.1 mM) and bumetanide (0.01 mM) (OB)-resistant K loss. OB-resistant K+ efflux from the least dense fraction was stimulated by hypotonic swelling and had a bell-shaped dependence on pH (pH optimum 6.75-7.0). These pH and volume effects were not evident in the densest fraction. The swelling-induced K+ efflux from the least dense fraction was inhibited when chloride was substituted by nitrate, thiocyanate, and acetate, whereas it was stimulated by bromide. Increasing cell Mg2+ content also markedly inhibited K+ efflux from isosmotically swollen cells. N-ethylmaleimide (NEM, 1 mM) greatly increased OB-resistant K+ efflux from the least dense fraction but not from the densest fraction. These data reveal the presence, in the lease dense fraction of normal human erythrocytes, of a pathway for K+ transport that is dependent on volume, pH, and chloride, is inhibited by internal Mg2+, and possibly plays a role in determining the erythrocyte water and cation content.

Swelling, NEM, and A23187 activate Cl(-)-dependent K+ transport in high-K+ sheep red cells

In low K+ (LK) sheep red cells a significant fraction of the total ouabain-resistant (OR) K+ flux is inhibited when Cl- is replaced by other anions of the Hofmeister series except Br- (Cl(-)-dependent K+ flux). In contrast, high K+ (HK) sheep red cells in isosmotic media did not possess any significant OR Cl(-)-dependent K+ flux when Cl- was replaced by NO3- or I-. However, exposure to hyposmotic solutions, treatment with the sulfhydryl (SH) group reagent N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) or with the bivalent metal ion (Me2+) ionophore A23187 in absence of external Me2+ caused a significant activation of Cl(-)-dependent K+ transport as measured with Rb+ as K+ congener. There was no Cl(-)-dependent Rb+ flux in A23187-treated cells when Mn2+, Mg2+, and Ca2+ were present at 1 mM concentrations, suggesting that cellular accumulation of these Me2+ is inhibitory. Similar to LK red cells, HK red cells failed to respond to A23187 when pretreated with NEM supporting the hypothesis proposed recently (Lauf, P. K. J. Membr. Biol. 88: 1-13, 1985) of a common mechanism of Cl(-)-dependent K+ transport activation. The magnitudes of the Cl(-)-dependent Rb+ fluxes in HK cells were much smaller than those elicited by identical treatments in LK red cells, and the effect of all interventions was not due to the presence of reticulocytes known to possess Cl(-)-dependent K+ transport.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Furosemide-sensitive K+ (Rb+) transport in human erythrocytes: modes of operation, dependence on extracellular and intracellular Na+, kinetics, pH dependency and the effect of cell volume and N-ethylmaleimide

The effect of extracellular and intracellular Na+ (Nao+, Nai+) on ouabain-resistant, furosemide-sensitive (FS) Rb+ transport was studied in human erythrocytes under varying experimental conditions. The results obtained are consistent with the view that a (1 Na+ + 1 K+ + 2 Cl-) cotransport system operates in two different modes: mode i) promoting bidirectional 1:1 (Na+-K+) cotransport, and mode ii) a Nao+-independent 1:1 ki+ exchange requiring Nai+ which, however, is not extruded. The activities of the two modes of operation vary strictly in parallel to each other among erythrocytes of different donors and in cell fractions of individual donors separated according to density. Rb+ uptake through Rbo+/Ki+ exchange contributes about 25% to total Rb+ uptake in 145 mM NaCl media containing 5 mM RbCl at normal Nai+ (pH 7.4). Na+-K+ cotransport into the cells occurs largely additive to K+/K+ exchange. Inward Na+-Rb+ cotransport exhibits a substrate inhibition at high Rbo+. With increasing pH, the maximum rate of cotransport is accelerated at the expense of K+/K+ exchange (apparent pK close to pH 7.4). The apparent KmRbo+ of Na+-K+ cotransport is low (2 mM) and almost independent of pH, and high for K+/K+ exchange (10 to 15 mM), the affinity increasing with pH. The two modes are discussed in terms of a partial reaction scheme of (1 Na+ + 1 K+ + 2 Cl-) cotransport with ordered binding and debinding, exhibiting a glide symmetry (first on outside = first off inside) as proposed by McManus for duck erythrocytes (McManus, T.J., 1987, Fed. Proc., in press). N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) chemically induces a Cl--dependent K+ transport pathway that is independent of both Nao+ and Nai+. This pathway differs in many properties from the basal, Nao+-independent K+/K+ exchange active in untreated human erythrocytes at normal cell volume. Cell swelling accelerates a Nao+-independent FS K+ transport pathway which most probably is not identical to basal K+/K+ exchange. Ko+ less than Nao+ less than Lio+ less than Mgo2+ reduce furosemide-resistant Rb+ inward leakage relative to cholineo+.

Amiloride-sensitive sodium-hydrogen exchange in osmotically shrunken rabbit red blood cells

As part of a detailed study of cell volume regulation in high-potassium mammalian erythrocytes, we have characterized ouabain-insensitive sodium transport in normal and osmotically shrunken rabbit red cells. In cells of normal volume and physiological pH, there is no amiloride-inhibited component of the sodium efflux (into either sodium-containing or sodium-free media). Osmotic shrinkage activates an amiloride-sensitive (50% inhibitory concentration = 10(-5) M) sodium transport system that can catalyze net sodium movement in either direction. This system appears to be distinct from the sodium-sodium (sodium-lithium) counter-transporter that operates in cells of normal volume. Replacement of chloride with acetate does not inhibit the sodium flux, but replacement with either nitrate or thiocyanate is inhibitory. An inward sodium gradient in shrunken cells induces a net uphill efflux of acid equivalents, indicating that the sodium transport is a sodium-hydrogen exchange. However, a sevenfold inward gradient of hydrogen ions (pHo = 6.4; pHi = 7.2) does not stimulate net sodium efflux in shrunken cells. This suggests that the extracellular affinity of the transport site for hydrogen ions is high, and that there is an extracellular noncompetitive inhibitory site for proton binding. Bilateral pH reduction stimulates an amiloride-inhibitable sodium flux in cells of normal volume; this indicates that, as has been found in kidney, brain, and lymphocytes, there is an intracellular protonation site that can activate the transport. Shrinkage of the cells shifts the pH dependence of the transport, suggesting that part of the signal for the osmotic activation of the transport is a shift in the pKa of this modifier site.

Potassium-chloride cotransport in resealed human red cell ghosts

Furosemide-inhibitable K influx is threefold higher in resealed ghosts of human erythrocytes than in intact cells. The enhancement is specific for K in that furosemide-inhibitable Na influx is the same in resealed ghosts and intact cells. The enhanced K influx resembles K-Cl cotransport in intact cells in that it requires Cl but not Na. N-ethylmaleimide (NEM), which stimulates furosemide-inhibitable K influx in intact cells, is without effect (or slightly inhibitory) in resealed ghosts. The failure of NEM to enhance the flux was not due to low ATP in the ghosts. These findings suggest that enhancement of the K flux in ghosts occurs by oxidation of membrane protein sulfhydryl groups, known to occur with lysis, the same sulfhydryl groups at which NEM acts by alkylation. This conclusion is supported by two observations: dithiothreitol completely prevents the increase in K influx in ghosts; this agent inhibits both oxidation of sulfhydryl groups and alkylation of them by NEM; and K influx in resealed ghosts is sensitive to changes in cell volume, just as it is in NEM-treated intact cells.

Passive K+-Cl- fluxes in low-K+ sheep erythrocytes: modulation by A23187 and bivalent cations

A fraction of the ouabain-resistant (OR) K+ flux of low-K+ (LK) sheep erythrocytes is Cl- dependent (K+-Cl- transport) and is activated reversibly by cell swelling or irreversibly by treatment with N-ethylmaleimide (NEM). The effect of the ionophore A23187 plus bivalent cations (Me2+) or ethyleneglycol-bis(beta-aminoethylether)-N,N'-tetraacetic acid (EGTA) was studied on K+-Cl- transport in control or NEM-treated LK cells. The following observations were made. 1) A23187 (6 microM), at a hematocrit of 10% (vol/vol) and in the presence of 1 mM EGTA, activated severalfold OR K+-Cl- transport in shrunken or swollen cells but failed to stimulate further K+-Cl- flux in NEM-treated cells. 2) In the absence of EGTA, but at very low external Ca2+ concentrations [( Ca2+]o = 10(-7) M), A23187 stimulated OR K+-Cl- flux in controls less than with EGTA and inhibited it slightly in NEM-treated cells. 3) When [Ca2+]o was raised to 10(-3) M, an almost complete inhibition of OR K+-Cl- fluxes occurred in shrunken, swollen, or NEM-treated cells. 4) Other Me2+ inhibited OR K+-Cl- flux in the presence of A23187 in the following order of decreasing potency: Mn2+ much greater than Ca2+ greater than Mg2+ greater than Sr2+ much much greater than Ba2+. 5) Stimulation of OR K+-Cl- flux by A23187 +/- EGTA and inhibition by A23187 + Ca2+ were reversible and did not alter significantly cellular ATP. 6) The stimulatory effect of A23187 plus EGTA, perhaps by Me2+ removal, on K+-Cl- flux and its inhibition by Ca2+ were reversibly abolished in metabolically depleted cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Effects of A23187 and Ca2+ on volume- and thiol-stimulated, ouabain-resistant K+C1- fluxes in low K+ fluxes in low K+ sheep erythrocytes

Ouabain-resistant (OR), C1- -dependent K+ (K+C1-) transport measured by Rb+ influx in isosmotic and anisosmotic media was stimulated by the Ca2+ ionophore A23187 and EGTA (ethylene-glycol-tetracetic acid) in low K+ (LK) but not in high K+ (HK) sheep red cells. Increasing external Ca2+ concentrations, [Ca2+]o, from about 10(-7) to 10(-3)M in presence of A23187 and in absence of EGTA inhibited OR Rb+ influx, in LK red cells osmotically shrunken or swollen as well as treated with the thiol reagent N-ethylmaleimide (NEM). Hence the volume- and the NEM-stimulated K+C1- transport system in LK cells can be experimentally modulated by cellular Ca2+ or other Me2+, which may interact with sites on the K+C1- transporter under the control of membrane sulfhydryl (SH) groups.