Intracellular pH regulation in freshly isolated suspensions of rabbit inner medullary collecting duct cells: role of Na+:H+ antiporter and H(+)-ATPase.

To define proton transport mechanisms involved in the regulation of intracellular pH (pHi) in cells of the inner medullary collecting duct (IMCD), pHi and cell membrane potential were estimated by using the fluorescent dyes 2,7-biscarboxyethyl-5(6)-carboxyfluorescein and 3,3'-dipropylthiadicarbocyanine iodide, respectively, in suspensions of freshly isolated rabbit IMCD cells. The resting pHi of IMCD cells in nonbicarbonate Ringer's solution (pH 7.4) was 7.21 +/- 0.03 (mean +/- SE). When cells were acidified by ammonium withdrawal, the initial pHi recovery rate was 0.33 +/- 0.02 pH unit/min; replacement of extracellular Na+ (130 mM) with N-methyl-D-glucamine+ reduced the pHi recovery rate to 0.08 +/- 0.02 pH unit/min, while addition of 0.1 mM amiloride in the presence of extracellular Na+ reduced the rate of pHi recovery to 0.02 +/- 0.02 pH unit/min. Similar results were obtained in cells acid loaded with HCl. Cells recovering from acidification exhibited 22Na+ uptake rates threefold higher than did nonacidified cells. The rate of Na(+)-dependent pHi recovery was independent of the cell membrane potential. In the absence of extracellular Na+, depolarizing cell membrane potential in a stepwise manner by increasing extracellular K+ concentrations from 1 to 130 mM resulted in graded increments in the rate of pHi recovery. In the presence of 130 mM K+, the pHi recovery rate in acidified cells was dependent on cellular ATP levels, sensitive to 1 mM N-ethylmaleimide, and insensitive to 0.01 mM oligomycin in the presence of glucose (control, 0.24 +/- 0.01; ATP-depleted, 0.13 +/- 0.02; addition of N-ethylmaleimide, 0.16 +/- 0.01; addition of oligomycin, 0.27 +/- 0.02 pH unit/min). ATP depletion markedly inhibited H+ extrusion from IMCD cells measured by using a pH stat. These results provide direct evidence in freshly isolated IMCD cells that both a Na+:H+ antiporter and a rheogenic H(+)-ATPase participate in pHi regulation.