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Rapid acidification of endocytic vesicles containing asialoglycoprotein in cells of a human hepatoma line.

Acidification of endocytic vesicles has been implicated as a necessary step in various processes including receptor recycling, virus penetration, and the entry of diphtheria toxin into cells. However, there have been few accurate pH measurements in morphologically and biochemically defined endocytic compartments. In this paper, we show that prelysosomal endocytic vesicles in HepG2 human hepatoma cells have an internal pH of approximately 5.4. (We previously reported that similar vesicles in mouse fibroblasts have a pH of 5.0.) The pH values were obtained from the fluorescence excitation profile after internalization of fluorescein labeled asialo-orosomucoid (ASOR). To make fluorescence measurements against the high autofluorescence background, we developed digital image analysis methods for estimating the pH within individual endocytic vesicles or lysosomes. Ultrastructural localization with colloidal gold ASOR demonstrated that the pH measurements were made when ligand was in tubulovesicular structures lacking acid phosphatase activity. Biochemical studies with 125I-ASOR demonstrated that acidification precedes degradation by more than 30 min at 37 degrees C. At 23 degrees C ligand degradation ceases almost entirely, but endocytic vesicle acidification and receptor recycling continue. These results demonstrate that acidification of endocytic vesicles, which causes ligand dissociation, occurs without fusion of endocytic vesicles with lysosomes. Methylamine and monensin raise the pH of endocytic vesicles and cause a ligand-independent loss of receptors. The effects on endocytic vesicle pH are rapidly reversible upon removal of the perturbant, but the effects on cell surface receptors are slowly reversible with methylamine and essentially irreversible with monensin. This suggests that monensin can block receptor recycling at a highly sensitive step beyond the acidification of endocytic vesicles. Taken together with other direct and indirect estimates of endocytic vesicle pH, these studies indicate that endocytic vesicles in many cell types rapidly acidify below pH 5.5, a pH sufficiently acidic to allow receptor-ligand dissociation and the penetration of some toxin chains and enveloped virus nucleocapsids into the cytoplasm.

Asialoglycoproteins↗

In vivo environmental temperature and the in vitro pattern of luminal acidification in turtle bladders. Evidence for HCO3 ion reabsorption.

In this study, it is shown how to transfer tared aliquots of (HCO3 + CO2)-containing luminal fluids directly into the mercury-sealed chamber of a modified Van Slyke apparatus and how to obtain direct as well as indirect manometric determinations of dissolved CO2 ([CO2]f) in each aliquot of such fluids. It is next shown that the pattern of in vitro luminal acidification in an isolated turtle bladder sac depends upon the prior in vivo ambient temperature to which the donor turtle had become adapted. Under in vivo conditions, the food intake, physical activity, and acid excretion of 32 degrees C-adapted turtles are greater than those of 21 degrees C or 26 degrees C-adapted turtles. Under in vitro conditions of incubating isolated bladder sacs (from 21, 26, and 32 degrees C turtles) in (HCO3 + CO2)-containing Ringer media at a single temperature (21 degrees C), the patterns of luminal acidification are as follows: (a) The rate of depletion of luminal [HCO3] is greatest in bladders from the 32 degrees C-adapted turtles. (b) Concomitant decreases in luminal [CO2]f, [HCO3], and pH (the 'CO2-decreasing patterns' of luminal acidification) develop in all bladders from 32 degrees C turtles, in half of those from 26 degrees C turtles, but in less than one-fifth of those from 21 degrees C-adapted turtles: and (c) a CO2-increasing pattern of luminal acidification is found in most of the bladders from 21 degrees C-adapted turtles. A postulated bicarbonate ion-reabsorbing pump is consistent with all of these patterns of luminal acidification.

Absorption↗

Endosome acidification and receptor trafficking: bafilomycin A1 slows receptor externalization by a mechanism involving the receptor's internalization motif.

To examine the relationship between endosome acidification and receptor trafficking, transferrin receptor trafficking was characterized in Chinese hamster ovary cells in which endosome acidification was blocked by treatment with the specific inhibitor of the vacuolar H(+)-ATPase, bafilomycin A1. Elevating endosome pH slowed the receptor externalization rate to approximately one-half of control but did not affect receptor internalization kinetics. The slowed receptor externalization required the receptor's cytoplasmic domain and was largely eliminated by substitutions replacing either of two aromatic amino acids within the receptor's cytoplasmic YTRF internalization motif. These results confirm, using a specific inhibitor of the vacuolar proton pump, that proper endosome acidification is necessary to maintain rapid recycling of intracellular receptors back to the plasma membrane. Moreover, receptor return to the plasma membrane is slowed in the absence of proper endosome acidification by a signal-dependent mechanism involving the receptor's cytoplasmic tyrosine-containing internalization motif. These results, in conjunction with results from other studies, suggest that the mechanism for clustering receptors in plasma membrane clathrin-coated pits may be an example of a more general mechanism that determines the dynamic distribution of membrane proteins among various compartments with luminal acidification playing a crucial role in this process.

Adaptor Proteins, Vesicular Transport↗

Regulation of rhizosphere acidification by photosynthetic activity in cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. walp.) seedlings.

In contrast to cereals or other crops, legumes are known to acidify the rhizosphere even when supplied with nitrates. This phenomenon has been attributed to N2 fixation allowing excess uptake of cations over anions; however, as we have found previously, the exposure of the shoot to illumination can cause rhizosphere acidification in the absence of N2 fixation in cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp). In this study, we examined whether the light-induced acidification can relate to photosynthetic activity and corresponding alterations in cation-anion uptake ratios. The changes of rhizosphere pH along the root axis were visualized using a pH indicator agar gel. The intensity of pH changes (alkalization/acidification) in the rhizosphere was expressed in proton fluxes, which were obtained by processing the images of the pH indicator agar gel. The uptake of cations and anions was measured in nutrient solution. The rhizosphere was alkalinized in the dark but acidified with exposure of the shoots to light. The extent of light-induced acidification was increased with leaf size and intensity of illumination on the shoot, and completely stopped with the application of photosynthesis inhibitor. Although the uptake of cations was significantly lower than that of anions, the rhizosphere was acidified by light exposure. Proton pump inhibitors N,N'-dicyclohexyl carbodimide and vanadate could not stop the light-induced acidification. The results indicate that light-induced acidification in cowpea seedlings is regulated by photosynthetic activity, but is not due to excess uptake of cations.

Anions↗

Acidification of phagosomes in murine macrophages: blockage by Nocardia asteroides.

Most strains of Nocardia asteroides are susceptible to the detrimental effects of pH 5 when grown in buffered brain-heart infusion broth. Preventing phagosomal acidification may be a mechanism by which this organism survives the microbicidal activity of macrophages. Fluorescein isothiocyanate was conjugated to the surface of Nocardia and Saccharomyces to form pH-sensitive fluorescent probes. The fluorescent emission, and thus the pH, of this probe was quantitated within individual phagosomes by using a computerized cytospectrophotometer. When either live or dead cells of virulent N. asteroides strain GUH-2 were ingested, the phagosomal pH remained above pH 7 for 2 hr. A nonpathogenic soil isolate, N. asteroides strain 19247, only partially blocked acidification. In contrast, when Saccharomyces was used as a control for normal response, the pH decreased to approximately pH 5. Therefore, virulent N. asteroides blocks phagosomal acidification. Because killed Nocardia act in the same manner, this inhibition of acidification appears to be associated with cellular components. This capacity to prevent phagosomal acidification may be prerequisite to the survival of intracellular pathogens.

Animals↗

Physiological importance of endosomal acidification: potential role in proximal tubulopathies.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: In recent years, there have been significant advances in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms relating proximal tubule abnormalities to the pathogenesis of renal Fanconi syndrome. This review focuses on the role of intra-endosomal acidification-machinery proteins (V-ATPase, CLC-5, NHE-3), as well as apical receptors (megalin and cubilin), in the receptor-mediated endocytosis pathway and in the pathogenesis of proximal tubulopathies. RECENT FINDINGS: Animal models, including CLC-5 and megalin knockout mice, cubilin-deficient dogs and cadmium-toxicity studies in rats, have shed light on defects leading to low-molecular-weight proteinuria. In particular, the important contribution of defective endosomal acidification and membrane-protein recycling to the pathogenesis of the Fanconi syndrome has emerged from these studies. These observations, together with recent findings in patients with Dent's disease, Lowe's syndrome, autosomal-dominant idiopathic Fanconi syndrome and Imerslund-Grasbeck disease, show that the proteinuria of the Fanconi syndrome is more generalized than previously suspected. High concentrations of polypeptides, including hormones, vitamin-binding proteins and chemokines in urine from these patients and animals may play an important role in the progressive renal failure that is associated with the syndrome. SUMMARY: The molecular mechanism of proximal tubule protein reabsorption, which is defective in renal Fanconi syndrome, includes a crucial role for endosomal acidification-machinery proteins, in particular the V-ATPase and CLC-5 chloride channels, in the trafficking and acidification-dependent recycling of apical membrane proteins, including the endocytotic receptors megalin and cubilin. An increased understanding of the roles of V-ATPase and CLC-5 in proximal tubule endosomal acidification, in the regulation of the megalin/cubilin-mediated endocytosis pathway and finally in the pathogenesis of human Fanconi syndrome will help in the devising of appropriate strategies for therapeutic intervention for this disorder.

Absorption↗

Patterns of starchy endosperm acidification and protease gene expression in wheat grains following germination

Cereal aleurone responses to gibberellic acid (GA3) include activation of synthesis of hydrolytic enzymes and acidification of the external medium. We have studied the effect of the pH of the incubation medium on the response of wheat (Triticum aestivum) aleurone cells to GA3. De-embryonated half grains show the capacity for GA3-activated medium acidification when incubation is carried out at pH 6.0 to 7.0 but not at lower pHs. In addition, the activating effect of GA3 on the expression of carboxypeptidase III and thiol protease genes is more efficient when the hormone treatment is carried out at neutral pH. In situ pH staining showed that starchy endosperm acidification takes place upon imbibition and advances from the embryo to the distal part of the grain. In situ hybridization experiments showed a similar pattern of expression of a carboxypeptidase III gene, which is up-regulated by GA3 in aleurone cells. However, aleurone gene expression precedes starchy endosperm acidification. These findings imply that in vivo GA perception by the aleurone layer takes place at neutral pH and suggest that the acidification of the starchy endosperm is regulated by GA3 in germinated wheat grains.

Journal Article↗

Salinity-induced inhibition of leaf elongation in maize is not mediated by changes in cell wall acidification capacity.

The physiological mechanisms underlying leaf growth inhibition under salt stress are not fully understood. Apoplastic pH is considered to play an important role in cell wall loosening and tissue growth and was demonstrated to be altered by several growth-limiting environmental conditions. In this study we have evaluated the possibility that inhibition of maize (Zea mays) leaf elongation by salinity is mediated by changes in growing cell wall acidification capacity. The kinetics of extended apoplast pH changes by leaf tissue of known expansion rates and extent of growth reduction under stress was investigated (in vivo) and was found similar for non-stressed and salt-stressed tissues at all examined apoplast salinity levels (0.1, 5, 10, or 25 mM NaCl). A similar rate of spontaneous acidification for the salt and control treatments was demonstrated also in in situ experiments. Unlike growing cells that acidified the external medium, mature nongrowing cells caused medium alkalinization. The kinetics of pH changes by mature tissue was also unchanged by salt stress. Fusicoccin, an enhancer of plasmalemma H(+)-ATPase activity level, greatly stimulated elongation growth and acidification rate to a similar extent in the control and salt treatments. That the ability of the growing tissue to acidify the apoplast did not change under same salt stress conditions that induced inhibition of tissue elongation rate suggests that salinity does not inhibit cell growth by impairing the acidification process or reducing the inherent capacity for cell wall acidification.

Acids↗

Calcium Requirement for Indoleacetic Acid-induced Acidification by Avena Coleoptiles.

The ionic specificity of IAA-induced acidification by Avena coleoptiles was studied, using zwitterionic, presumably impermeant buffers. The acidification was almost totally dependent on divalent cations with an order of effectiveness of Ca(2+) >/= Sr(2+) > Mn(2+), Mg(2+); whereas other polyvalent cations tested were ineffective. The Ca(2+) response was IAA-dependent. The CaCl(2) concentration was optimal at 0.3 to 1 mm and inhibitory at higher concentrations. Sr(2+) inhibited Ca(2+)-dependent acidification and monovalent cations such as K(+) did not induce additional acidification in the presence of optimal CaCl(2). These data are consistent with a mechanism for IAA-induced acidification involving a Ca(2+) -H(+) exchange.

Journal Article↗

Studies on acidification of media by Avena stem segments in the presence and absence of gibberellic Acid.

The rate of acidification of media by Avena stem segments was studied with a titrimeter. GA(3) increased this rate by an average of 17% if supplied to the segments 90 min prior to measurement. GA(3) inhibited the rate by 15% if supplied 10 min prior to measurement. After 90 min incubation, stimulation of elongation had started; at 10 min, GA(3) had not yet started to stimulate elongation in the segments.The acidification rates of the nodes (including the sheath-pulvinus), leaf sheath bases, and the internode bases of the stem segments were determined for plus and minus GA(3)-treated segments. The internode fraction contributes most to modification of the acidification rate, the node-pulvinus fraction less so, and the nongrowing sheath not at all.Acidification rates were measured for segments in different stages of elongation (lag, log, and plateau phases of growth). Segments in these growth stages were obtained from intact plants and from segments preincubated in sucrose and sucrose + GA(3). Segments from all sources which are in the log phase of growth have the highest rates, those in the plateau phase the lowest. For lag and log growth phases, segments preincubated in sucrose + GA(3) show the highest rates, those preincubated in sucrose the lowest rates. The opposite occurs for segments in the plateau phase of growth.Segments stimulated to grow by GA(3) cause the pH of their incubation media to drop to pH 5.15 from an initial pH of 6.5. Nonstimulated segments cause a drop to pH 5.6. Long term growth of the segments is maximal in media buffered to pH 5 in the presence and absence of GA(3).Our results support the idea that GA(3) stimulates an active acidification process in Avena stem segments just after GA(3) starts to stimulate growth in the segments, and that such an acidification process could play an important role in wall-loosening during active growth of the internode.

Journal Article↗

Does salinity reduce growth in maize root epidermal cells by inhibiting their capacity for cell wall acidification?

The reduction in growth of maize (Zea mays L.) seedling primary roots induced by salinization of the nutrient medium with 100 millimolar NaCl was accompanied by reductions in the length of the root tip elongation zone, the length of fully elongated epidermal cells, and the apparent rate of cell production: Each was partially restored when calcium levels in the salinized growth medium were increased from 0.5 to 10.0 millimolar. We investigated the possibility that the inhibition of elongation growth by salinity might be associated with an inhibition of cell wall acidification, such as that which occurs when root growth is inhibited by IAA. A qualitative assay of root surface acidification, using bromocresol purple pH indicator in agar, showed that salinized roots, with and without extra calcium, produced a zone of surface acidification which was similar to that produced by control roots. The zone of acidification began 1 to 2 millimeters behind the tip and coincided with the zone of cell elongation. The remainder of the root alkalinized its surface. Kinetics of surface acidification were assayed quantitatively by placing a flat tipped pH electrode in contact with the elongation zone. The pH at the epidermal surfaces of roots grown either with 100 millimolar NaCl (growth inhibitory), or with 10 millimolar calcium +/- NaCl (little growth inhibition), declined from 6.0 to 5.1 over 30 minutes. We conclude that NaCl did not inhibit growth by reducing the capacity of epidermal cells to acidify their walls.

Journal Article↗

1-Naphthyl Acetate-Dependent Medium Acidification by Zea mays L. Coleoptile Segments.

Zea mays L. cv INRA 5a coleoptile segments ecidify the incubation medium on the addition of 1-naphthyl acetate (1-NA). The buffering capacity of the bathing solution increases during 1-NA stimulated medium acidification. The solution bathing the 1-NA treated coleoptile segment was analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography. A considerable amount of acetic acid was detected in the bathing solution used to measure 1-NA-dependent medium acidification. For the first time, the data demonstrate directly the release of acetic acid from 1-NA. The extent of medium acidification was proportional to 1-NA concentration. Simultaneous measurement of medium acidification and acetate content upon addition of 1-NA showed that both processes were temporally correlated. The stoichiometry of proton equivalents to acetate ion was 0.966. Addition of 50 micromolar N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide had little effect on 1-NA-dependent medium acidification. The results indicate that 1-NA is hydrolyzed in the extracellular space of coleoptile cells.

Journal Article↗

Internalization and acidification of surface HLA-DR molecules by epidermal Langerhans cells: a paradigm for antigen processing.

CD4+ T lymphocytes recognize multi-molecular complexes, formed by major histocompatibility complex class II molecules and exogenous antigens, on the surface of antigen-presenting cells (APC). For most protein antigens, processing is required to produce immunogenic peptide fragments that can then form stable associations with class II molecules. These two processes, the modification of antigen and its coupling to class II molecules, are thought to occur in acidic endosomal compartments. Furthermore, membrane class II molecules are endocytosed in APC and may provide ligands for the immunogenic peptides. To gain insight into these processes, we examined the internalization and acidification of membrane HLA-DR molecules by three APC populations: 1) freshly isolated Langerhans cells (LC), 2) LC after 48-72 h of bulk epidermal cell culture, and 3) peripheral blood monocytes (PBM). Using FITC-conjugated anti-HLA-DR monoclonal antibodies (MoAb), endocytosis was studied by fluorescence microscopy and by flow cytometry (pulse width analysis), while acidification was assessed by exploiting the pH sensitivity of fluorescein fluorescence. We observed both freshly isolated LC and PBM to internalize surface HLA-DR molecules into acidic compartments with great efficiency. Endocytosis was inhibited by the addition of azide and 2-deoxy-D-glucose, whereas acidification was partially blocked by treatment with ammonium chloride or chloroquine. The degree of internalization and acidification of HLA-DR molecules was greatly influenced by the degree of Ab cross-linking. On the other hand, cultured LC were capable of internalizing HLA-DR molecules, but were not able to acidify the environments to which these molecules were delivered; this loss of acidification capacity was partially restored by treatment with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Acids↗

Effects of acidification on growth and glycolysis of Streptococcus sanguis and Streptococcus mutans.

After carbohydrate intake, pH in dental plaque decreases rapidly and reaches about 4 within a few minutes. The acidification not only promotes demineralization of tooth surface but can also cause damage to bacteria in dental plaque. We, therefore, investigated the effect of acidification on the dental plaque bacteria Streptococcus sanguis and Streptococcus mutans. At pH 4.0 and 4.2, both growth and glycolytic activities in these streptococci were repressed. Prolonged acidification (for 60 min at pH 4.0) not only repressed both growth and glycolytic activities but also impaired them in S. sanguis cells with concomitant inactivation of the glycolytic enzymes, hexokinase, phosphofructokinase, glyceraldehydephosphate dehydrogenase and enolase. The impaired abilities of glycolysis and growth recovered following incubation at pH 7.0 for 80-90 min, and this was accompanied by reactivation of the glycolytic enzymes. On the other hand, these impairments were not observed in S. mutans cells exposed to prolonged acidification. These results indicate that the low pH frequently occurring in dental plaque may transiently impair streptococcal glycolysis and growth and that S. mutans is more durable to the acidification than S. sanguis.

Culture Media, Conditioned↗

Trehalase activation in yeasts is mediated by an internal acidification.

It has been reported that the addition of glucose, uncouplers and nystatin to yeast cells grown in a sugarfree medium causes trehalase activation; it has been postulated that this activation might be mediated by the depolarization of the plasma membrane. In this article the values of membrane potential and pH gradient across the plasma membrane of Saccharomyces cerevisiae have been determined under the same conditions as those in which trehalase is activated. Membrane potential was evaluated from the distribution of triphenylmethylphosphonium, the pH gradient from the distribution of benzoic acid across the plasma membrane. When the effect of several agents on the two components of the electrochemical proton gradient across the plasma membrane of ethanol-grown yeast cells were studied, under trehalase activation conditions, the following observations were made. (a) The addition of glucose activated trehalase and caused internal acidification of the cells, but had practically no effect on the membrane potential. (b) The addition of 200 mM KCl depolarized the cell membrane but did not affect the internal pH, nor trehalase activity. (c) Although carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone depolarized the cells at external pH 6.0 and 7.0, it only activated trehalase at an external pH 6.0, leading to the acidification of the internal medium at this pH. (d) Nystatin caused an increase in the triphenylmethylphosphonium accumulation at external pH 6.0 and 7.0, but only activated trehalase at external pH 6.0, causing acidification of the cell interior at this pH. (e) Activation of trehalase was also observed when the internal acidification was caused by addition of a weak acid such as acetate. It is concluded that trehalase activation is mediated by an intracellular acidification and is independent of the membrane potential.

Culture Media↗

Dinitrophenol effect on proximal tubular acidification in the rat.

The effect of 10(-3) M-dinitrophenol (DNP) on renal tubular acidification was studied in proximal tubules of rat kidneys perfused with mammalian Ringer solution. Alkaline (pH 7.8) or acid (pH 5.8) phosphate-buffered solutions were injected into the lumen, and pH changes recorded with antimony micro-electrodes. Luminal perfusion with DNP caused complex acidification or alkalinization curves, an initial rapid shift toward a higher than control pH being followed by a slower acidification. Acidification half-times of the initial phase (t1/2 = 1.6 s) were markedly shorter than controls (6.2 s). This response was probably due to transient action of DNP, since keeping constant peritubular DNP levels by capillary perfusion caused simple exponential pH curves. In such experiments luminal pH increased from pH 6.6-6.8 to 7.1-7.2, while acidification and alkalinization t1/2 decreased from about 7 s to 3-5 s. Secretory H-ion fluxes increased transiently and then fell below controls after a few minutes of perfusion, while H-ion efflux from the lumen increased progressively. These data suggest that, besides its known effect on cell metabolism, DNP acts directly on proximal tubular cell membranes, increasing the rate of passive H-ion equilibration, both mechanisms impairing the tubular capacity to maintain normal proximal pH gradients and fluxes.

2,4-Dinitrophenol↗

Differential modulation of beta2 and beta4 subunits of human neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors by acidification.

We have shown previously that acidification increases the affinity of agonists to rat alpha3beta4 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) and accelerates both the activation and decay kinetics of agonist-induced currents recorded from human embryonic kidney 293 cells stably expressing the receptor (Abdrakhmanova et al., 2002b). Here, we report on experiments examining the effect of rapid acidification on four different subtypes (alpha3beta4alpha5, alpha4beta2, alpha3beta2, and alpha3beta2alpha5) of human neuronal nAChRs stably expressed in tsA201 cells using a piezoelectric device for rapid (<5 ms) solution application. Application of ACh, at its EC(50) concentration for each nAChR subtype, at pH values 7.4 and 6.0, showed that acidification, similarly to that reported for rat alpha3beta4 acetylcholine receptors (AChRs), increased the amplitude and accelerated the activation and decay kinetics of the currents in human alpha3beta4alpha5 AChRs by increasing their affinity to the agonist. In sharp contrast, acidification reduced the amplitude but accelerated the decay kinetics of the current in all human beta2-containing nAChR subtypes (alpha3beta2, alpha3alpha5beta2, alpha4beta2) examined in this study. Brief application of ACh at saturating concentration (1 mM) on alpha3beta4alpha5 AChRs induced a "rebound current" upon rapid washout of the agonist at pH 7.4, but no "rebound current" was observed in alpha3beta2 AChRs. Surprisingly, acidification, pH 6.0, applied only during the agonist pulse also accelerated the decay kinetics of the "rebound current". Our data provide evidence for the specificity of proton-induced modulation of neuronal nAChRs based on their beta subunit composition. Furthermore, in alpha3beta4alpha5 AChR, we find that protonation effects may persist, after washout of acidic solutions, consistent with proton-induced conformational changes of the receptor.

Cells, Cultured↗

Heat induces intracellular acidification in human A-431 cells: role of Na(+)-H+ exchange and metabolism.

The resting intracellular pH (pHi) of A-431 cells at 37 degrees C in Na+ Hanks' solution is 7.23 +/- 0.02. In the presence of amiloride (100 microM) pHi decreases to 7.08 +/- 0.03. Hyperthermia induces a temperature- and time-dependent intracellular acidification of 0.2 pH units in either bicarbonate-free or bicarbonate-buffered solutions. After heat treatment (45 degrees C, 10 min) pHi returns to normal 1 h after incubation at 37 degrees C. The activity of the Na(+)-H+ exchanger was examined in heated and unheated cells in the absence of bicarbonate. Unheated cells recover from an acid load in a [Na+]o-dependent and amiloride-sensitive manner. The apparent Michaelis constant for extracellular Na+ is 38 +/- 9 mM, and the apparent mean affinity constant for amiloride is 11 +/- 3 microM. In heated cells the apparent affinity of the Na(+)-H+ exchanger for extracellular Na+ is not changed, but the maximal recovery rate is approximately 40% slower than that of unheated cells. The rate of recovery from acid loading returns to normal 2 h after heat treatment. [Na+]i and intrinsic buffering power in heated cells are the same as those in unheated cells. Decreases in both intracellular ATP and lactic acid are observed in heated cells. 2-Deoxy-D-glucose and sodium azide induce an intracellular acidification but prevent most of the acidification induced by heat. Heat treatment causes no further acidification in cells that are acidified by both amiloride and 2-deoxy-D-glucose together. These data are the first to suggest that thermally induced intracellular acidification is due to both an inhibition of Na(+)-H+ exchange and an inhibition of metabolic pathways.

Amiloride↗