Effect of cadmium on C-14-glucose uptake by Staphylococcus aureus

The aim of the study was to evaluate an influence of Cd++ on 14C-glucose uptake by two strains of S. aureus resistant and sensitive to cadmium in 0.1 M phosphate buffer, pH 7.0. Uptake of this sugar in both strains is an active process in which energy comes from oxidation of endogenous substrates, what was shown in aerobic condition, anaerobic condition at temperatures of 37 degrees C and 4 degrees C, and with p-CMB and CCCP. In the resistant strains Cd++ at 10 microM concentration did not inhibit endogenous respiration, 14C-glucose uptake and its oxidation. This is due to presence of energy-dependent system of 2H+/Cd++ antiport coded by cadA genes located on penicillinase pII17810 plasmid, which eliminated Cd++ from bacterial cell. In the case of plasmid free variant deprived of this system, Cd++ is retained in cytoplasm and blocks endogenous respiration uptake, and oxidation of glucose.     

Stimulating action of cadmium on the Na-dependent transport of organic acid in the frog kidney

Cadmium ions (10(-5)-10(-3) M) stimulate Na-dependent transport of a weak organic acid, fluorescein, into the proximal tubules of surviving frog kidney. Their stimulatory action ceases with increasing the duration of incubation to 45-60 minutes (stimulation does not disappear after introducing acetate into the incubating medium), in the presence of amiloride in the tubular lumen or in the absence of Na+ from the medium. The data obtained in the present work coincide with the previously reported evidence of the influence of Cd2+ on the Na-independent fluorescein transport into the proximal tubules of rat kidney. They are in good accordance with the suggestion that the effect of Cd2+ of the weak organic acid transport is mediated through an acceleration of the active reabsorption of Na+ with the accompanying activation of Na,K-ATPase.     

Effects of hyperthermia on the membrane potential and Na+ transport of V79 fibroblasts

The effects of hyperthermia (41-43 degrees C) on the membrane potential (calculated from the transmembrane distribution of [3H]tetraphenylphosphonium) and Na+ transport of Chinese hamster V79 fibroblasts were studied. At 41 degrees C, hyperthermia induced a membrane hyperpolarization of log phase cells (5 to 26 mV) that was reversible upon returning to 37 degrees C. The hyperpolarization was inhibited 50% by 1 mM ouabain or 0.25 mM amiloride, an inhibitor of Na+:H+ exchange. Shifting temperature to 41 degrees C increased ouabain-sensitive Rb+ uptake indicating activation of the electrogenic Na+ pump. At 43 degrees C for 60 min, the membrane potential of log phase cells depolarized (20-35 mV). Parallel studies demonstrated enhanced Na+ uptake at 41 degrees C only in the presence of ouabain. At 43 degrees C, Na+ uptake was increased relative to controls with or without ouabain present. At both 41 and 43 degrees C, 0.25 mM amiloride inhibited heat-stimulated Na+ uptake. Na+ efflux was enhanced at 41 degrees C in a process inhibited by ouabain. Thus, one consequence of heat treatment at 41 degrees C is activation of Na+:H+ exchange with the resultant increase in cytosolic [Na+] activating the electrogenic Na+ pump. At temperatures greater than or equal to 43 degrees C, the Na+ pump is inhibited.     

Carrier-dependent and carrier-independent uptake of myo-inositol in cultured retinal pigment epithelial cells: activation by heat and concentration

Transport of myo-inositol (MI) was studied in primary cultures of bovine retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. At low external concentrations (0.01-1 mM), uptake appeared to follow saturation kinetics, although the reciprocal forms of the rate equations did not fit either Lineweaver-Burk or Eadie-Hofstee plots. Increasing external concentrations dramatically changed the pattern of MI entry. At two to three orders of magnitude higher than physiological concentrations, a second saturation occurred (pseudo saturation). Cells incubated with 20 microM [3H]MI for 60 min had a ratio of intracellular to extracellular radioactivity greater than or equal to 8, indicating active transport. MI transport reduction by Na+ replacement or inhibitors (phlorizin, ouabain, amiloride, KSCN, iodoacetamide, MI analogues) was greater when RPE cells were incubated with low (20-400 microM) than with high (10-20 mM) MI concentrations. Cells incubated with 20 microM MI at 53 or 65 degrees C showed increased transport (up to 560%) compared with cells at 22 degrees C. The effect on MI uptake (20 microM) of Na+ replacement also was reduced at 53 degrees C. The uptake of MI involved at least two transport systems. The major mechanism at low external MI concentrations (physiological levels) was a carrier-mediated active process. At high external MI levels, uptake occurred by a diffusion process. A lipotropic effect of MI may be responsible for this increased rate of diffusion.     

Cation transport in lung epithelial cells derived from fetal, newborn, and adult rabbits

Recent studies done with fetal and adult sheep and with monolayers of cultured rat alveolar type II cells suggest that active transport of Na+ across the lung epithelium may contribute to liquid absorption from air spaces, an essential component of the normal switch from placental to pulmonary gas exchange at birth. The goals of this work were 1) to study the ontogeny of cation transport in lung epithelial cells derived from fetal, newborn, and adult rabbits and 2) to determine the influence of premature birth, air breathing, labor, and postnatal lung maturation on K+ uptake in these cells. We harvested granular pneumonocytes by tracheal instillation of proteolytic enzymes followed by centrifugation of the dispersed cells over a discontinuous density gradient of metrizamide. This procedure yielded 65-90% granular pneumonocytes, of which more than 80% excluded vital dye. Using freshly isolated cells, we measured uptake of 86Rb+, which mimics transmembrane movement of K+, in the presence or absence of 10(-4) M ouabain and in the presence or absence of 5 X 10(-4) M furosemide or bumetanide. In adult rabbit studies, 86Rb+ uptake was twice as fast in lung epithelial cells (98 +/- 7 nmol X 10(6) cells-1 X h-1) as it was in alveolar macrophages (51 +/- 6 nmol X 10(6) cells-1 X h-1). Ouabain inhibited 55-60% of the uptake by pneumonocytes, and "loop" diuretics inhibited an additional 15-20%. The rate of 86Rb+ uptake in fetal cells was less than 10% (6 +/- 1 nmol X 10(6) cells-1 X h-1) of the rate in adult cells; ouabain inhibited 80-85% of 86Rb+ uptake in fetal cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Insulin stimulation of (Na+,K+)-adenosine triphosphatase-dependent 86Rb+ uptake in rat adipocytes

Insulin stimulated the uptake of 86Rb+ (a K+ analog) in rat adipocytes and increased the steady state concentration of intracellular potassium. Half-maximal stimulation occurred at an insulin concentration of 200 pM. Both basal- and insulin-stimulated 86Rb+ transport rates depended on the concentration of external K+, external Na+, and were 90% inhibited by 10(-3) M ouabain and 10(-3) M KCN, indicating that the hormone was activating the (Na+,K+)-ATPase. Insulin had no effect on the entry of 22Na+ or exit of 86Rb+. Kinetic analysis demonstrated that insulin acted by increasing the maximum velocity, Vmax, of 86Rb+ entry. Inhibition of the rate of Rb+ uptake by ouabain was best described by a biphasic inhibition curve. Scatchard analysis of ouabain binding to intact cells indicated binding sites with multiple affinities. Only the rubidium transport sites which exhibited a high affinity for ouabain were stimulated by insulin. Stimulation required insulin binding to an intact cell surface receptor, as it was reversible by trypsinization. We conclude that the uptake of 86Rb+ by the (Na+,K+)-ATPase is an insulin-sensitive membrane transport process in the fat cell.     

Inotropic effects and changes in sodium and calcium contents associated with inhibition of monovalent cation active transport by ouabain in cultured myocardial cells

Cultured monolayers of spontaneously contracting chick embryo ventricular cells were perfused with culture medium containing ouabain. Contractile state was monitored by an optical-video system recording amplitude and velocity of cell wall motion. Positive inotropic effects of 2.5 x 10(-7) to 10(-6) M ouabain were manifest within 1.5-2 min, and reached a stable plateau within 5-6 min. The inotropic effect was fully reversed within 5 min after washout of ouabain. Inhibition of uptake of 42K+ (or the K+ analog 86Rb+) and efflux of 24Na+ occurred 1.5-2 min after exposure to ouabain. The degree of inhibition of transport was closely related to the magnitude of the positive inotropic effect throughout the ouabain concentration range 10(-7) to 10(-6) M. After washout of ouabain from monolayers, the monovalent cation active transport rate returned to normal within 1 min. Thus, both the onset and offset of inotropic action of ouabain were closely related temporally to inhibition of the sodium pump. Exposure to ouabain caused significant increases in exchangeable Na and Ca contents that appeared to be developed within 5 min. These data support the hypothesis that inhibition of monovalent cation active transport by ouabain is causally related to the development of positive inotropy and are consistent with modulation of Ca content by intracellular Na+ via the Na+-Ca2+ exchange carrier mechanism.     

Effect of external ATP on the plasma membrane permeability and (Na+ +K+)-ATPase activity of mouse neuroblastoma cells

1. Addition of 3.5 mM ATP to mouse neuroblastoma Neuro-2A cells results in a selective enhancement of the plasma membrane permeability for Na+ relative to K+, as measured by cation flux measurements and electro-physiological techniques. 2. Addition of 3.5 mM ATP to Neuro-2A cells results in a 70% stimulation of the rate of active K+ -uptake by these cells, partly because of the enhanced plasma membrane permeability for Na+. Under these conditions the pumping activity of the Neuro-2A (Na+ +K+)-ATPase is optimally stimulated with respect to its various substrate ions. 3. External ATP significantly enhances the affinity of the Neuro-2A (Na+ +K+)-ATPase for ouabain, as measured by direct [3H]ouabain-binding studies and by inhibition studies of active K+ uptake. In the presence of 3.5 mM ATP and the absence of external K+ both techniques indicate an apparent dissociation constant for ouabain of 2 X 10(-6)M. Neuro-2A cells contain (3.5 +/- 0.7) X 10(5) ouabain-binding sites per cell, giving rise to an optimal pumping activity of (1.7 +/- 0.4) X 10(-20) mol K+/min per copy of (Na+ +K+)-ATPase at room temperature.     

Enhancement (by ATP, insulin, and lack of divalent cations) of ouabain inhibition of cation transport and ouabain binding in frog skeletal muscle; effect of insulin and ouabain on sarcolemmal (Na + K)MgATPase.

Using small, intact frog muscles, the basic properties of Na+ and K+ transport were shown to resemble those of the (Na+ + K+)Mg2+ATPase (EC 3.6.1.3) isolated from skeletal muscle. (a) External K+ is essential for Na+ exit and K+ entry after the muscles are Na+-loaded and K+-depleted; (b) the ouabain concentration causing maximum inhibition of recovery is the same for transport as for the inhibition of the isolated enzyme. Ouabain causes a decrease in the sorbitol space and causes muscle fibre swelling. Absence of Ca2+ and Mg2+ inhibits recovery of normal Na+ and K+ concentrations and increases the sorbitol space. Insulin stimulates K+ uptake and Na+ loss in intact muscles but has no effect on the isolated sarcolemmal (Na+ + K+)Mg2+ATPase. Absence of divalent cations, addition of external ATP and of insulin enhance the ouabain inhibition of recovery. Bound ouabain was measured using [3H]ouabain and [14C]sorbitol (to measure the extracellular space). The process of binding was slowly reversible and was saturable within a range of ouabain concentrations from 1.48 X 10(-7) to 5.96 X 10(-7) M. From the nonexchangeable ouabain bound, the density of glycoside receptors was estimated to be 650 molecules per square micrometre of membrane surface. The absence of divalent cations, addition of external ATP and of insulin significantly enhanced the amount of ouabain bound. Substitution of Na+ and K+ by choline greatly reduced the bound ouabain.     

Insulin and exercise stimulate muscle alpha-aminoisobutyric acid transport by a Na+-K+-ATPase independent pathway

Sodium ions are required for the active transport of amino acids such as alpha-aminoisobutyric acid (AIB) into skeletal muscle. To examine the role of Na+-K+-ATPase in this phenomenon, studies were carried out using the isolated perfused rat hindquarter preparation. Perfusion for 30 min with ouabain at a dose sufficient to inhibit the Na+-K+ pump (10(-4) M) inhibited the basal rate of AIB uptake in all muscles studied by up to 80%. However, it failed to inhibit the stimulation of AIB uptake, either by insulin (200 microU/ml) or electrically-induced muscle contractions. The increase in K+ release by the hindquarter in the presence of ouabain was the same under all conditions suggesting comparable inhibition of the Na+-K+ pump. These studies suggest that the basal, but not insulin or exercise-stimulated AIB transport into muscle is acutely dependent on a functional Na+-K+ pump. They also suggest that stimulated and basal uptake of AIB involve different mechanisms.     

Bioelectric properties and ion flow across excised human bronchi

Bioelectric properties and ion transport of excised human segmental/subsegmental bronchi were measured in specimens from 40 patients. Transepithelial electric potential difference (PD), short-circuit current (Isc), and conductance (G), averaged 5.8 mV (lumen negative), 51 microA X cm-2, and 9 mS X cm-2, respectively. Na+ was absorbed from lumen to interstitium under open- and short-circuit conditions. Cl- flows were symmetrical under short-circuit conditions. Isc was abolished by 10(-4) M ouabain. Amiloride inhibited Isc (the concentration necessary to achieve 50% of the maximal effect = 7 X 10(-7) M) and abolished net Na+ transport. PD and Isc were not reduced to zero by amiloride because a net Cl- secretion was induced that reflected a reduction in Cl- flow in the absorptive direction (Jm----sCl-). Acetylcholine (10(-4) M) induced an electrically silent, matched flow of Na+ (1.7 mueq X cm-1 X h-1) and Cl- (1.9 mueq X cm-12 X h-1) toward the lumen. This response was blocked by atropine. Phenylephrine (10(-5) M) did not affect bioelectric properties or unidirectional ion flows, whereas isoproterenol (10(-5) M) induced a small increase in Isc (10%) without changing net ion flows significantly. We conclude that 1) Na+ absorption is the major active ion transport across excised human bronchi, 2) Na+ absorption is both amiloride and ouabain sensitive, 3) Cl- secretion can be induced by inhibition of the entry of luminal Na+ into the epithelia, and 4) cholinergic more than adrenergic agents modulate basal ion flow, probably by affecting gland output.     

Possible mechanisms of positive inotropic action of synthetic human calcitonin gene-related peptide in isolated rat atrium

The effect of synthetic human calcitonin gene-related peptide (hCGRP) on the isolated and electrically driven left atria of rats were investigated. The peptide at concentrations of 3 X 10(-9)-3 X 10(-7) M produced positive inotropic effects on the left atria in a dose-dependent manner. Verapamil (10(-5) M) and adenosine (10(-4) M) reduced the positive inotropic effect of hCGRP at concentrations of 3 X 10(-9) and 3 X 10(-8) M, but not at that of 3 X 10(-7) M. Ouabain (5 X 10(-5) M) inhibited the effect of hCGRP in concentrations of 3 X 10(-7) and 3 X 10(-8) M, but not in that of 3 X 10(-9) M. Simultaneous pretreatment with verapamil (10(-5) M) and ouabain (5 X 10(-5) M) suppressed the positive inotropy by hCGRP at all concentrations tested. On the other hand, tetrodotoxin (10(-6) M) potentiated only the positive inotropic effect of 3 X 10(-7) M hCGRP. Metoprolol (10(-7) M) and theophilline (10(-3) M) did not affect the inotropic effect of hCGRP. These results suggest that the positive inotropic effect of hCGRP is not mediated by beta-adrenoceptors but by two distinct mechanisms of action, which was inhibited by verapamil but not by ouabain (facilitation of Ca++ influx in lower concentrations of hCGRP) and which was blocked by ouabain but not by verapamil and potentiated by tetrodotoxin (inhibition of Na+/Ca++ exchange mechanism at higher concentrations of hCGRP).     

Calcium dependence of the stimulating action of cadmium on organic acid transport in the frog kidney

The stimulatory effect of cadmium ions on the Na-dependent fluorescein transport into the frog renal proximal tubules ceased with decreasing Ca++ concentration in solution on both the sides of the cell layer down to micromolar level. The decrease in Ca++ concentration per se stimulated fluorescein uptake during short-term incubations. A further diminution of Ca++ concentration in the tubular lumen with the aid of EGTA resulted in a sharp inhibition of the organic acid transport. Amiloride, which prevented the stimulatory effect of cadmium, inhibited the fluorescein transport at both millimolar and micromolar levels of Ca++ concentration, but it failed to affect the transport process after introducing EGTA into the tubular lumen. The results are discussed within the frames of a model regarding extracellular Ca++ as an allosteric inhibitor, and intracellular Ca++ as an allosteric activator of sodium channels in the apical membrane. Cd++ is assumed to compete with Ca++ for binding to centers of the allosteric inhibition, thereby accelerating the sodium ion flux across the cells of the proximal tubules.     

Na,K-ATPase in excitation-contraction coupling of vascular smooth muscle from cattle.

Lowering the extracellular K+ content from 6 to 0.6 mM causes a rise, and elevation from 6 to 8.5 mM a fall of 45Ca++ efflux from the vascular smooth muscle cells of the arteria carotis communis of cattle. In contrast, a level of 17 mM K+ has no influence. Removal of extracellular calcium does not block these effects. 10(-4) M ouabain also induces a rise in Ca++ efflux, additional potassium reduction then being without effect; 10(-9) M ouabain is of no influence. The 45Ca++ efflux kinetics correlates with the activity of the isolated Na,K-ATPase. Tonus increases of the vascular strips by 10(-4) M ouabain and potassium deficiency cannot be blocked by 4 mM lanthanum or removal of extracellular calcium. Unlike sodium, potassium stimulates the active Ca++ binding and the activity of the Ca-ATPase of the microsomal fraction. The ative Ca++ binding of the mitochondria is stimulated by both ions. It is postulated that the activity of the plasma membrane Na,K-pump is able to regulate the tonus of big arteries through alteration of Ca++ storage processes.     

Identification of two molecular forms of (Na+,K+)-ATPase in rat adipocytes. Relation to insulin stimulation of the enzyme

Two molecular forms of the (Na+,K+)-ATPase catalytic subunit have been identified in rat adipocyte plasma membranes using immunological techniques. The similarity between these two forms and those in brain (Sweadner, K. J. (1979) J. Biol. Chem. 254, 6060-6067) led us to use the same nomenclature: alpha and alpha(+). The K0.5 values of each form for ouabain (determined by inhibition of phosphorylation of the enzyme from [gamma-32P]ATP) were 3 X 10(-7)M for alpha(+) and 1 X 10(-5)M for alpha. These numbers correlate well with the K0.5 values for the two ouabain-inhibitable components of 86Rb+/K+ pumping in intact cells (1 X 10(-7) M and 4 X 10(-5)M). Quantitation of the Na+ pumps in plasma membranes demonstrated a total of 11.5 +/- 0.2 pmol/mg of membrane protein, of which 8.5 +/- 0.3 pmol/mg, or 75%, was alpha(+). Insulin stimulation of 86Rb+/K+ uptake in rat adipocytes was abolished by ouabain at a concentration sufficient to inhibit only alpha(+)(2-5 X 10(-6)M). Immunological techniques and ouabain inhibition of catalytic labeling of the enzyme from [gamma-32P]ATP demonstrated that alpha(+) was present in skeletal muscle membranes as well as in adipocyte membranes, but was absent from liver membranes. Since insulin stimulates increased Na+ pump activity in adipose and muscle tissue but not in liver, there is a correlation between hormonal regulation of (Na+,K+)-ATPase and the presence of alpha(+). We propose that alpha(+) is the hormonally-sensitive version of the enzyme.     

Kidney epithelial cells of monkey origin (BSC-1) express a sodium bicarbonate cotransport. Characterization by 22Na+ flux measurements

Na movement across the plasma membranes of confluent monolayers of monkey kidney epithelial cells (BSC-1) was studied using 22Na+ uptake and efflux techniques in the presence of 10(-4) M ouabain. In the presence of 28 mM bicarbonate, uptake was inhibited by both 10(-3) M amiloride and 10(-3) M 4,4'diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid (DIDS). In DIDS-pretreated cells, 10(-3) M amiloride led to a further reduction of 22Na+ uptake, while 10(-5) furosemide was ineffective. DIDS also inhibited sodium efflux, indicating that the DIDS-sensitive pathway mediates both influx and efflux of 22Na+. DIDS-sensitive 22Na+ uptake, as studied in the presence of both 10(-4) M ouabain and 10(-3) M amiloride, was abolished by the absence of bicarbonate, which could not be substituted by other plasma membrane-permeable buffers. In 28 mM HCO3-, DIDS-sensitive uptake of 28 mM Na+ was cis-inhibited by 124 mM Na+, but no significant inhibition by K+ or Li+ was found. DIDS-sensitive 22Na+ uptake was a saturable function of both Na+ concentration (apparent Km between 20 and 40 mM at 28 mM HCO3-) and HCO3- concentration (apparent Km between 7 and 14 mM at 151 mM Na+). Intracellular microelectrode measurements showed that net Na+ transport in the presence of HCO3- is electrogenic, i.e. that there is anion cotransport with Na+. This effect is abolished by 1 mM DIDS. It is concluded that monkey kidney epithelial cells possess a stilbene-sensitive, electrogenic sodium bicarbonate symport, which may play an important role in bicarbonate reabsorption in the mammalian kidney.     

The mechanism of fluid secretion in the rabbit pancreas studied by means of various inhibitors

In order to increase our understanding of the mechanism of pancreatic fluid secretion we have studied the effects of various transport inhibitors on this process in the isolated rabbit pancreas. In this preparation, a high rate of unstimulated fluid secretion occurs, which probably originates from the ductular cells. Inhibitory are ouabain, furosemide, bumetanide, piretanide, 4-acetamido-4'-isothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid (SITS) and acetazolamide, with their half-inhibitory concentrations: 2 X 10(-6) M (ouabain), 1.3 X 10(-3) M (furosemide), 2.2 X 10(-3) M (bumetanide and piretanide) and 1.4 X 10(-4) M (SITS). With acetazolamide a maximal inhibition of only 20% is found at 10(-3) M. Amiloride (10(-3) M) has no effect on pancreatic fluid secretion. The inhibitory effects on HCO-3 output are always larger and those on Cl- output lower than those on fluid secretion. The results suggest that the ouabain-sensitive (Na+ + K+)-ATPase system provides the energy for a Na+-gradient-driven Cl--HCO-3-exchange transport system, sensitive to the loop diuretics furosemide, bumetanide and piretanide and to SITS. This system would drive the transcellular transport of HCO-3 and secondarily that of cations, Cl- and water.     

Inhibition of sodium for sodium exchange by phlorizin in frog sartorius muscle

The effects of phlorizin (2 X 10(-3) mol X l-1) on the Na transport of frog (Rana esculenta) sartorius muscle were investigated in glucose-free medium. Phlorizin decreased the rate coefficient of 24Na efflux by about 40%. The degree of inhibition was comparable to that caused by ouabain (10(-4) mol X l-1). Phlorizin could evoke a further reduction in the 24Na efflux also in the presence of ouabain. The intracellular Na content of the phlorizin-treated muscles remained unchanged, in contrast to a 60% increase induced by ouabain. 42K uptake was not affected by phlorizin. Data indicate that the ouabain-sensitive Na-K pump was not involved in the action of phlorizin. At the same time, phlorizin failed to alter the residual 24Na efflux measured in Li-Ringer solution containing ouabain. When Na: Na exchange was restored by replacing Na into the washout solution in the presence of ouabain, the increase of 24Na efflux was significantly diminished by phlorizin. Phlorizin reduced the 24Na uptake into a compartment with a half time of 6 min by about 40% without affecting the intracellular compartment. The results suggest that phlorizin inhibits the ouabain-insensitive Na: Na exchange in a superficial Na compartment.     

Atrial natriuretic factor and cGMP inhibit amiloride-sensitive Na+ transport in the cultured renal epithelial cell line, LLC-PK1

The renal cell culture model, LLC-PK1, which contains an amiloride-sensitive conductive Na+ transport pathway and a Na+/H+ exchanger, was utilized to examine the direct effects of atriopeptin II and cGMP on Na+ transport in epithelial cells. Exposure of cells to atriopeptin II (10(-7) M) increased cGMP production within 2 min of addition to cells in monolayer. Atriopeptin II (10(-7) M) or exogenous 8-bromo-cGMP (10(-3) M) maximally inhibited the uptake of 22Na+ through the conductive pathway which accounted for up to 60% of total 22Na+ uptake. The apparent Ki for this inhibition by atriopeptin II was 2 X 10(-11) M. Amiloride inhibited 22Na+ uptake to a similar extent as atriopeptin II, and the effects of the presence of both agents was not additive. In contrast, neither atriopeptin II nor cGMP blunted the increment in 22Na+ uptake induced by a pH gradient. Thus atriopeptin II can directly inhibit Na+ transport in renal epithelial cells, probably through its stimulation of cGMP.     

Ouabain-insensitive Na+ stimulation of a microsomal Mg2+ -ATPase in gills of sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax L.)

Bass gill microsomal preparations contain a Mg2+-dependent Na+-stimulated ATPase activity in the absence of K+, whose characteristics are compared with those of the (Na+ + K+)-ATPase of the same preparations. The activity at 30 degrees C is 11.3 mumol Pi X mg-1 protein X hr-1 under optimal conditions (5 mM MgATP, 75 mM Na+, 75 mM HEPES, pH 6.0) and exhibits a lower pH optimum than the (Na+ + K+)-ATPase. The Na+ stimulation of ATPase is only 17% inhibited by 10-3M ouabain and completely abolished by 2.5 mM ethacrinic acid which on the contrary cause, respectively, 100% and 34% inhibition of the (Na+ + K+)-ATPase. Both Na+-and (Na+ + K+)-stimulated activities can hydrolyze nucleotides other than ATP in the efficiency order ATP greater than CTP greater than UTP greater than GTP and ATP greater than CTP greater than GPT greater than UTP, respectively. In the presence of 10(-3)M ouabain millimolar concentrations of K+ ion lower the Na+ activation (90% inhibition at 40 mM K+). The Na+-ATPase is less sensitive than (Na+ + K+)-ATPase to the Ca2+ induced inhibition as the former is only 57.5% inhibited by a concentration of 1 X 10(-2)M which completely suppresses the latter. The thermosensitivity follows the order Mg2+--greater than (Na+ + K+)--greater than Na+-ATPase. A similar break of the Arrhenius plot of the three enzymes is found. Only some of these characteristics do coincide with those of a Na+-ATPase described elsewhere. A presumptive physiological role of Na+-ATPase activity in seawater adapted teleost gills is suggested.