Effects of okadaic acid and intracellular cl-on na+,k+,cl- cotransport. Altamirano, Anibal A., Gerda E. Breitwieser, and John M. Russell. Department of Physiology, Medical College of Pennsylvania and Hahnemann University, Philadelphia, PA 19129, and, *Department of Physiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, and, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA 02543
APStracts 2:0162C, 1995.
The Na+,K+,Cl- cotransporter of the squid giant axon requires ATP and is inhibited by intracellular Cl- in a concentration-dependent manner ([Cl-]i >/=200 mM completely inhibits the cotransporter). In the present study we address the question of whether inhibition of cotransport by intracellular Cl- is due to a Cl-i-induced increase of protein phosphatase activity. Intracellular dialysis was used to apply the phosphatase inhibitor, okadaic acid (OKA), under conditions of [Cl-]i = 0 or 150 or 300 mM while measuring cotransporter-mediated unidirectional Cl- influx into axons. At 0 mM [Cl-]i, the application of 250 nM OKA had no effect on the cotransport-mediated Cl- influx when axons were dialyzed with the normal [ATP]i (4 mM). Reduction of [ATP] to 50 NM resulted in a significant decrease of the bumetanide -sensitive Cl- influx which could be partially reversed by OKA treatment. Similarly, in ATP-limited axons with a [Cl-]i of 150 mM, cotransporter influx was partially stimulated by treatment with OKA. However, axons dialyzed with 300 mM [Cl-]i ([ATP]i = 50 NM) had no measurable cotransport influx nor was subsequent treatment with OKA able to induce a cotransport-mediated Cl- influx. We conclude that the inhibition of cotransport caused by intracellular Cl- is not the result of an increase in the OKA-sensitive protein phosphatase activity.

Received 17 October 1994; accepted in final form 4 April 1995.
APS Manuscript Number C616-4.
Article publication pending Am. J. Physiol. (Cell Physiology).
ISSN 1080-4757 Copyright 1995 The American Physiological Society.
Published in APStracts on 19 April 1995.