A microfluorometric method for alkaline phosphatase: application to the various segments of the nephron

Phosphate transport in immortalized cell cultures from the renal proximal tubule of normal and Hyp mice: evidence that the HYP gene locus product is an extrarenal factor

Whether renal phosphate wasting in X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH) results from an intrinsic renal or humoral defect remains controversial. In studies of the murine homolog of XLH, harboring the Simian Virus 40 (SV40) large T antigen, we obviated the influence of renal cell heterogeneity and impressed memory by comparing Na(+)-phosphate cotransport in immortalized cells from the S1 segment of the proximal tubule. Cells from SV40 transgenic normal and Hyp mice exhibit characteristics of differentiated proximal tubule cells including gluconeogenesis and alkaline phosphatase activity. Surprisingly, however, we found two distinct populations of cells from the S1 proximal tubule of both normal and Hyp mice. In one, PTH treatment increases cAMP accumulation, while in the other both PTH and thyrocalcitonin enhance cAMP production. Kinetic parameters for Na(+)-phosphate cotransport were similar in both subpopulations of cells from normal (Km, 0.29 +/- 0.03 vs. 0.39 +/- 0.04 mM; Vmax, 4.6 +/- 0.6 vs. 5.2 +/- 0.4 nmol/mg/5 minutes) and Hyp mice (0.33 +/- 0.02 vs. 0.26 +/- 0.04; 6.0 +/- 0.7, 4.8 +/- 0.6). More importantly, phosphate transport in S1 cells of either subpopulation from Hyp mice is no different than that of normals. These data indicate that renal proximal tubule cells from Hyp mice have intrinsically normal phosphate transport and support the hypothesis that a humoral abnormality underlies renal phosphate wasting in XLH.

Differential properties of brush-border membrane vesicles from early and late proximal tubules of rat kidney

We describe the preparation and properties of BBM vesicles (BBMV) from the superficial and juxtamedullary rat renal cortex using Ca(2+)-precipitation method and/or by density gradient centrifugation. BBMV were characterized by the presence of BBM marker enzymes as distributed along microdissected proximal convoluted tubule and proximal straight tubules from superficial and juxtamedullary cortex. In tubules from both superficial and juxtamedullary cortex, the activities of gamma-glutamyltransferase and leucine aminopeptidase were 5-10 times higher in proximal straight tubules than in proximal convoluted tubule. The alkaline phosphatase was higher in proximal convoluted tubules than in straight tubules from superficial cortex, but it was lower in proximal convoluted than straight tubules from the juxtamedullary cortex. The Na+/Pi cotransport had higher Vmax and lower Km in BBMV from superficial cortex than from BBMV from juxtamedullary tissue. BBMV from superficial cortex separated on Percoll gradient showed a high activity of alkaline phosphatase and low activities of gamma-glutamyltransferase and leucine aminopeptidase. Conversely, BBM from juxtamedullary cortex separated into a major peak with very high activities of gamma-glutamyltransferase and leucine aminopeptidase, and lesser activity of alkaline phosphatase. These distinct BBMV fractions showed diverse Na+/Pi cotransport properties and BBM marker enzyme distributions. Thus, using the outlined methodology it is feasible to prepare BBMV derived predominantly from proximal convoluted tubules or from proximal straight tubules located in either superficial or deep cortical nephrons.

Solubilization and reconstitution of the renal phosphate transporter

Proteins from brush-border membrane vesicles of rabbit kidney cortex were solubilized with 1% octylglucoside (protein to detergent ratio, 1:4 (w/w). The solubilized proteins (80.2 +/- 2.3% of the original brush-border proteins, n = 10, mean +/- S.E.) were reconstituted into artificial lipid vesicles or liposomes prepared from purified egg yolk phosphatidylcholine (80%) and cholesterol (20%). Transport of Pi into the proteoliposomes was measured by rapid filtration in the presence of a Na+ or a K+ gradient (out greater than in). In the presence of a Na+ gradient, the uptake of Pi was significantly faster than in the presence of a K+ gradient. Na+ dependency of Pi uptake was not observed when the liposomes were reconstituted with proteins extracted from brush-border membrane vesicles which had been previously treated with papain, a procedure that destroys Pi transport activity. Measurement of Pi uptake in media containing increasing amounts of sucrose indicated that Pi was transported into an intravesicular (osmotically sensitive) space, although about 70% of the Pi uptake appeared to be the result of adsorption or binding of Pi. However, this binding of Pi was not dependent upon the presence of Na+. Both Na+-dependent transport and the Na+-independent binding of Pi were inhibited by arsenate. The initial Na+-dependent Pi transport rate in control liposomes of 0.354 nmol Pi/mg protein per min was reduced to 0.108 and 0 nmol Pi/mg protein per min in the presence of 1 and 10 mM arsenate, respectively. Future studies on reconstitution of Pi transport systems must analyze and correct for the binding of Pi by the lipids used in the formation of the proteoliposomes.

Enzymatic removal of alkaline phosphatase from renal brush-border membranes. Effect on phosphate transport and on phosphate binding

Brush-border membrane vesicles prepared from rabbit kidney cortex were incubated at 37 degrees C for 30 min with phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C. This maneuver resulted in a release of approx. 85% of the brush-border membrane-linked enzyme alkaline phosphatase as determined by its enzymatic activity. Transport of inorganic [32P]phosphate (100 microM) by the PI-specific phospholipase C-treated brush-border membrane vesicles was measured at 20-22 degrees C in the presence of an inwardly directed 100 mM Na+ gradient. Neither initial uptake rates, as estimated from 10-s uptake values (103.5 +/- 6.8%, n = 7 experiments), nor equilibrium uptake values, measured after 2 h (102 +/- 3.4%) were different from controls (100%). Control and PI-specific phospholipase C-treated brush-border membrane vesicles were extracted with chloroform/methanol to obtain a proteolipid fraction which has been shown to bind Pi with high affinity and specificity (Kessler, R.J., Vaughn, D.A. and Fanestil, D.D. (1982) J. Biol. Chem. 257, 14311-14317). Phosphate binding (at 10 microM Pi) by the extracted proteolipid was measured. No significant difference in binding was observed between the two types of preparations: 31.0 +/- 9.37 in controls and 29.8 +/- 8.3 nmol/mg protein in the proteolipid extracted from PI-specific phospholipase C-treated brush-border membrane vesicles. It appears therefore that alkaline phosphatase activity is essential neither for Pi transport by brush-border membrane vesicles nor for Pi binding by proteolipid extracted from brush-border membrane. These results dissociate alkaline phosphatase activity, but not brush-border membrane vesicle transport of phosphate, from phosphate binding by proteolipid.