Acetazolamide and transient responses of basolateral membrane potential of rabbit kidney proximal tubules perfused in vitro

Cross-talk and the role of KATP channels in the proximal tubule

Over the last few years it has become evident that an assortment of functionally-related, but diverse, KATP channels provide an important and physiologically-regulated determinant of the K conductive pathways in many, if not all, epithelial cells expressed along the nephron. As such, KATP plays central roles in regulating and maintaining a number of transport processes in concert with physiological demands of the kidney. In the renal proximal tubule, KATP channels and changes in the hydrolytic activity of the Na,K-ATPase permit ATP to act as a coupling modulator of parallel Na,K-ATPase-K recycling. The response insures that cell membrane potential, intracellular K activity and cell volume are protected in the face of physiological variations in transcellular ion transport. In addition to demonstrating the physiological relevance of KATP in renal epithelial, these studies have provided a long awaited answer to the underlying mechanism of pump-leak coupling, a universal and essential homeostatic mechanism observed in nearly all salt translocating epithelia.

Intracellular potassium activity in mammalian proximal tubule: effect of perturbations in transepithelial sodium transport

Intracellular potassium activity (alpha Ki) was measured in control conditions in mid-cortical rabbit proximal convoluted tubule using two methods: (i) by determination of the K+ equilibrium potential (EK) using Ba(2+)-induced variations in the basolateral membrane potential (VBL) during transepithelial current injections and (ii) with double-barrel K-selective microelectrodes. Using the first method, the mean VBL was -48.5 +/- 3.2 mV (n = 16) and the mean EK was -78.4 +/- 4.1 mV corresponding to alpha Ki of 68.7 mM. With K-selective microelectrodes, VBL was -36.6 +/- 1.1 mV (n = 19), EK was -64.0 +/- 1.1 mV and alpha Ki averaged 40.6 +/- 1.7 mM. While these last EK and VBL values are significantly lower than the corresponding values obtained with the first method (P less than 0.001 and P less than 0.01, respectively), the electrochemical driving force for K transport across the basolateral membrane (microK = VBL-EK) is not significantly different for both techniques (30.1 +/- 3.3 mV for the first technique and 27.6 +/- 1.8 mV for ion-selective electrodes). This suggests an adequate functioning of the selective barrel but an underestimation of VBL by the reference barrel of the double-barrel microelectrode. Such double-barrel microelectrodes were used to measure temporal changes in alpha Ki and microK in different experimental conditions where Na reabsorption rate (JNa) was reduced. alpha Ki was shown to increase by 12.2 +/- 2.7 (n = 5) and 14.1 +/- 4.4 mM (n = 5), respectively, when JNa was reduced by omitting in the luminal perfusate: (i) 5.5 mM glucose and 6 mM alanine and (ii) glucose, alanine, other Na-cotransported solutes and 110 mM Na. In terms of the electrochemical driving force for K exit across the basolateral membrane, microK, a decrease of 5.4 +/- 2.0 mV (P less than 0.05, n = 5) was measured when glucose and alanine were omitted in the luminal perfusate while microK remained unchanged when JNa was more severely reduced (mean change = -1.7 +/- 2.1 mV, NS, n = 5). In the latter case, this means that the electrochemical driving force for K efflux across the basolateral membrane has not changed while both the active influx through the Na-K pump and the passive efflux in steady state are certainly reduced. If the main pathway for K transport is through the basolateral K conductance, this implies that this conductance must have decreased in the same proportion as that of the reduction in the Na-K pump activity.

Regulation of basolateral membrane potential after stimulation of Na+ transport in proximal tubules

We have previously shown that stimulation of apical Na-coupled glucose and alanine transport produces a transient depolarization of basolateral membrane potential (Vbl) in rabbit proximal convoluted tubule (PCT, S1 segment). The present study is aimed at understanding the origin of the membrane repolarization following the initial effect of addition of luminal cotransported solutes. Luminal addition of 10-15 mM L-alanine produced a rapid and highly significant depolarization of Vbl (20.3 +/- 1.1 mV, n = 15) which was transient and associated with an increase in the fractional K+ conductance of the basolateral membrane (tK) from 8 to 29% (P less than 0.01, n = 6). Despite the significant increase in tK, the repolarization was only slightly reduced by the presence of basolateral Ba2+ (2 mM, n = 6) or quinine (0.5 mM, n = 5). The repolarization was greatly reduced in the presence of 0.1 mM 4-acetamino-4'isothiocyamostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid (SITS) and blunted by bicarbonate-free solutions. Intracellular pH (pHi) determined with the fluorescent dye 2',7'-bis-2-carboxyethyl-5(and -6)-carboxyfluorescein (BCECF), averaged 7.39 +/- 0.02 in control solution (n = 9) and increased to 7.50 +/- 0.03 in the first 15 sec after the luminal application of alanine. This was followed by a significant acidification averaging 0.16 +/- 0.01 pH unit in the next 3 min. In conclusion, we believe that, contrary to other leaky epithelia, rabbit PCT can regulate its basolateral membrane potential not only through an increase in K+ conductance but also through a cellular acidification reducing the basolateral HCO3- exit through the electrogenic Na-3(HCO3) cotransport mechanism.

The effect of acetazolamide on the endolymphatic sac DC potential

The effect of acetazolamide known as a potent carbonic anhydrase inhibitor of the endolymphatic sac DC potential (ESP) was examined in the guinea pig. Intravenous administration of acetazolamide produced a dose-dependent decrease in ESP amplitude at doses of less than 10 mg/kg. The effect of acetazolamide on ESP was saturated at doses exceeding 10 mg/kg. The maximum reduction of ESP induced by acetazolamide was approximately 50% of the original ESP amplitude. The results suggest that carbonic anhydrase is involved in the generation of ESP.

Cell swelling, co-transport activation and potassium conductance in isolated perfused rabbit kidney proximal tubules

1. Isolated, perfused rabbit proximal tubules were used to study the effects of activation of the apical membrane sodium co-transporters, and of the effects of osmotically induced cell swelling, upon cell volume, basolateral membrane potential and apparent partial conductance of potassium. 2. Activation of electrogenic apical sodium co-transport caused a depolarization of the basolateral membrane and a reduction of the basolateral apparent potassium transference number. This was followed by a spontaneous partial recovery of potential and increase in apparent potassium transference number. 3. Stimulation of apical sodium co-transport led to a sustained increase in cell volume. 4. A sustained increase in cell volume (of similar magnitude to that seen after activation of apical membrane sodium co-transporters) was also caused by reduction of bath and perfusate osmolality by removal of 89 mmol l-1 mannitol from both lumen and bath solutions. 5. This reduction in bath and perfusate osmolality also led to a basolateral membrane hyperpolarization and an increase in basolateral apparent potassium transference number. 6. These observations support the possibility that some of the partial recovery of basolateral membrane potential (Vb1) during apical sodium co-transport stimulation is due to a cell volume sensitive change in basolateral potassium conductance.