Osmotic and phorbol ester-induced activation of Na+/H+ exchange: possible role of protein phosphorylation in lymphocyte volume regulation.

The Na+/H+ antiport is stimulated by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13, acetate (TPA) and other phorbol esters in rat thymic lymphocytes. Mediation by protein kinase C is suggested by three findings: (a) 1-oleoyl-2-acetylglycerol also activated the antiport; (b) trifluoperazine, an inhibitor of protein kinase C, blocked the stimulation of Na+/H+ exchange; and (c) activation of countertransport was accompanied by increased phosphorylation of specific membrane proteins. The Na+/H+ antiport is also activated by osmotic cell shrinking. The time course, extent, and reversibility of the osmotically induced and phorbol ester-induced responses are similar. Moreover, the responses are not additive and they are equally susceptible to inhibition by trifluoperazine, N-ethylmaleimide, and ATP depletion. The extensive analogies between the TPA and osmotically induced effects suggested a common underlying mechanism, possibly activation of a protein kinase. It is conceivable that osmotic shrinkage initiates the following sequence of events: stimulation of protein kinase(s) followed by activation of the Na+/H+ antiport, resulting in cytoplasmic alkalinization. The Na+ taken up through the antiport, together with the HCO3- and Cl- accumulated in the cells as a result of the cytoplasmic alkalinization, would be followed by osmotically obliged water. This series of events could underlie the phenomenon of regulatory volume increase.

Control of free cytoplasmic calcium by intracellular pH in rat lymphocytes.

Activation of Na+-H+ exchange in rat thymocytes was found to be followed by an increase in free cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration [( Ca2+]i). We determined whether the change in [Ca2+]i was secondary to the uptake of Na+, or to the cytoplasmic alkalinization that result from activation of the antiport. Increasing intracellular [Na+] by treating the cells with ouabain or gramicidin failed to affect [Ca2+]i. In contrast, procedures that increased the cytoplasmic pH, such as addition of monensin or NH3, significantly elevated [Ca2+]i. These results suggest an important role of cytoplasmic pH in the control of [Ca2+]i in lymphocytes.

22Na+ fluxes in thymic lymphocytes. I. Na+/Na+ and Na+/H+ exchange through an amiloride-insensitive pathway.

The Na+ transport pathways of normal rat thymocytes were investigated. Na+ conductance was found to be lower than K+ conductance, which is consistent with reported values of membrane potential. In contrast, the isotopically measured Na+ permeability was greater than 10-fold higher than that of K+, which indicates that most of the flux is electroneutral. Cotransport with Cl- (or K+ and Cl-) and countertransport with Ca2+ were ruled out by ion substitution experiments and use of inhibitors. Countertransport for Na+ or H+ through the amiloride-sensitive antiport accounts for only 15-20% of the resting influx. In the presence of amiloride, 22Na+ uptake was increased in Na+-loaded cells, which suggests the existence of Na+/Na+ countertransport. Cytoplasmic pH determinations using fluorescent probes indicated that under certain conditions this amiloride-resistant system will also exchange Na+ for H+, as evidenced by an internal Na+-dependent acidification is proportional to internal [Na+] but inversely related to extracellular [Na+]. Moreover, 22Na+ uptake is inhibited by increasing external [H+]. The results support the existence of a substantial amiloride-insensitive, electroneutral cation exchange system capable of transporting Na+ and H+.

22Na+ fluxes in thymic lymphocytes. II. Amiloride-sensitive Na+/H+ exchange pathway; reversibility of transport and asymmetry of the modifier site.

22Na+ flux and cytoplasmic pH (pHi) determinations were used to study the reversibility, symmetry, and mechanism of activation of the Na+/H+ exchange system in rat thymic lymphocytes. In acid-loaded cells, the antiport can be detected as an Na+-induced, amiloride-sensitive alkalinization. At pHi greater than or equal to 7.0, amiloride-sensitive net H+ fluxes are not detectable. To investigate whether at this pHi the transporter is operative in a different mode, e.g., Na+/Na+ exchange, 22Na+ uptake was measured as a function of pHi. The results indicate that the antiport is relatively inactive at pHi greater than or equal to 7.0. Comparison of the rates of H+ efflux (or equivalent OH- uptake) and Na+ uptake indicate that Na+/Na+ countertransport through this system is negligible at all values of pHi and that the Na+:H+ stoichiometry is 1:1. Measurements of pHi in Na+-loaded cells suspended in Na+-free medium revealed an amiloride-sensitive cytoplasmic acidification, which is indicative of exchange of internal Na+ for external H+. The symmetry of the system was analyzed by measuring the effect of extracellular pH (pHo) on Na+ efflux. Unlike cytoplasmic acidification, lowering pHo failed to activate the antiport. The results indicate that the amiloride-sensitive Na+/H+ exchanger is reversible but asymmetric. The system is virtually inactive at pHi greater than or equal to 7.0 but can be activated by protonation of a modifier site on the cytoplasmic surface. Activation can also occur by depletion of cellular Na+. It is proposed that Na+ may also interact with the modifier site, stabilizing the unprotonated (inactive) form.

Na+/H+ exchange in volume regulation and cytoplasmic pH homeostasis in lymphocytes.

Osmotic shrinking activates an amiloride-sensitive Na+/H+ exchange in the membrane of blood and thymic lymphocytes. The exchange, which is virtually quiescent in isotonic conditions, can also be activated by lowering the cytoplasmic pH (pHi). Activation by pHi is largely caused by an allosteric interaction of H+ with a kinetic modifier site, different from the internal substrate site. The set point or threshold pHi for activation of the exchanger is dictated by the protonation of the modifier. Evidence is presented that indicates that cell shrinking alters the pHi sensitivity of the modifier, shifting the set point to more alkaline levels. In the presence of HCO3- and Cl- a volume increase will accompany the change in pHi. Volume changes can also be produced in isotonic solutions if the exchange is activated by acidification of the cytoplasm, e.g., by addition of propionate to the medium. The latter phenomenon provides a simple method for the detection of the Na+/H+ antiport by electronic cell sizing.

Characterization of the activation of Na+/H+ exchange in lymphocytes by phorbol esters: change in cytoplasmic pH dependence of the antiport.

Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate and other phorbol esters induce an intracellular alkalinization in rat thymic lymphocytes. An extracellular acidification can be recorded concomitantly. This transmembrane H+ (equivalent) flux is dependent on external Na+ and is amiloride sensitive. Phorbol esters also stimulate an amiloride-sensitive uptake of 22Na+, suggesting activation of Na+o/H+i exchange. Only those phorbol derivatives that are tumor promoters and activators of protein kinase C stimulate the antiport. Activation of the Na+/H+ exchange is brought about by a change in the cytoplasmic pH sensitivity of the antiport. Activation of the Na+/H+ exchanger by phorbol esters results in membrane hyperpolarization, due to indirect stimulation of the electrogenic Na+/K+ pump by the increased intracellular Na+ concentration. Increased Na+/H+ exchange also produces cell swelling, which may be one of the earliest manifestations of the growth-promoting properties of the phorbol esters.

Amiloride-sensitive Na+-H+ exchange in platelets and leukocytes: detection by electronic cell sizing.

A new method was developed to detect the activity of the Na+-H+ exchange system as changes in cell volume. The cytoplasmic pH of isolated cells in suspension was lowered by incubation in Na-propionate medium, due to permeation of the protonated acid. This resulted in activation of Na+-H+ countertransport, measurable either as a Na+-dependent alkalinization or as an increase in 22Na+ uptake, both of which are amiloride sensitive. The continued operation of the antiport on prolonged exposure to Na-propionate results in a considerable increase in Na+ (and presumably propionate-) content. This is accompanied by an osmotic water shift and cell swelling, detectable by electronic sizing. This method was used to investigate the presence of the Na+-H+ exchanger in human platelets, neutrophils, lymphocytes, and monocytes as well as in cultured cell lines of B and T lymphoblasts and of macrophages. All these cell types displayed an amiloride-sensitive swelling when suspended in Na-propionate media. The results suggest the ubiquity of the Na+-H+ exchange system in the plasma membrane of nucleated mammalian blood cells.