H2o2 activates red blood cell k-cl cotransport via stimulation of a phosphatase. Bize, Isabel, and Philip B. Dunham. Department of Biology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York 13244
APStracts 2:0229C, 1995.
K-Cl cotransport is involved in volume regulation in a number of cell types. Cell swelling stimulates K-Cl cotransport, probably by inhibition of a volume-sensitive kinase. K-Cl cotransport can also be activated by oxidants and thiol reagents. We investigated the effect of H2O2 on K-Cl cotransport of LK sheep red cells in an attempt to identify the target of oxidants. H2O2 stimulated K-Cl cotransportt; The stimulation was virtually abolished by subsequent incubation with calyculin, a protein phosphatase inhibitor. This suggests that H2O2 stimulates a calyculin-sensitive (CS)-phosphatase and activates K-Cl cotransport by causing a decrease in phosphorylation of the transporter or a regulatory protein. The thiol reagent NEM which stimulates K-Cl cotransport, did not stimulate further in cells with cotransport activated by staurosporine, but did stimulate cotransport further in cells with cotransport activated by H2O2. These results suggest that there are at least two distinct phosphorylation sites on the transporter or a regulator. The results also suggest that the phosphatase is associated with the membrane.

Received 2 November 1994; accepted in final form 12 April 1995.
APS Manuscript Number C655-4.
Article publication pending Am. J. Physiol. (Cell Physiology).
ISSN 1080-4757 Copyright 1995 The American Physiological Society.
Published in APStracts on  6 July 1995.