Kinetics of DIDS inhibition of swelling-activated K-Cl cotransport in low K sheep erythrocytes.

The inhibitory effect of various stilbene disulfonates was examined on the swelling-activated Cl-dependent K transport (K-Cl cotransport) in low K sheep erythrocytes. Both diisothiocyanatostilbenes H2DIDS and DIDS were found to be potent inhibitors. The DIDS concentration yielding 50% inhibition (IC50) of KCl cotransport was 60 microM in the absence of external K and 3 microM at physiological K concentration. Other stilbene derivatives, such as SITS (4-acetamido-4' isothiocyanatostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid), were only effective in the presence of external K, whereas DNDS (4,4'-dinitrostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid) and ISA (4-sulfophenyl isothiocyanate) had only slight effects at a concentration of 1 mM. The augmenting effect of external K is due to a second K site, distinguishable from the K transport site by its much higher affinity. No inhibition occurred in the absence of external Cl, whether or not external Rb(K) was present. Additionally, DIDS inhibited K-Cl cotransport activated by thiol alkylation with N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) as well as by Mg depletion in the presence of A23187 and a chelator. We conclude that allosteric sites affect the stilbene binding. When these sites are saturated, changes in external K or Cl concentration do not affect the affinity for DIDS (noncompetitive inhibition).