[The role of HCO3- ATPase in H+ /HCO3-Secretion (author's transl)].

Active buffer transport, e.g. H+ -secretion by stomach and kidney and HCO3--secretion by pancreas and salivary glands, is linked with the presence of a HCO3-stimulated ATP-Phosphohydrolase. In contrast to (Na+ -k+)-ATPase which is considered to be equivalent to the Na+ pump, the HCO3--ATPase requires only one ion for activation and is insensitive to ouabain. The HCO3--ATPase is found in the plasma membrane of the epithelia, but in contrast to the (Na+ -k+)-ATPase it is located in the luminal cell border. The activity of the HCO3--ATPase changes in parallel along with the rate of active buffer transport, a finding which underlines its importance as a transport enzyme. Several disorders of buffer transport are described which are possibly associated with a defect of the HCO3--ATPase system.