Na+/h+ exchange modulates acidification of early rat liver endocytic vesicles. Vandyke, Rebecca W., Tammie L. Bully, and Kimberly K. Belanger. Veterans Administration Medical Center, Gastroenterology Division and Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0682
APStracts 2:0198C, 1995.
Endocytic vesicles are acidified by an electrogenic vacuolar H+ -ATPase. These studies examined whether rat liver endosomes also exhibit Na+/H+ exchange and whether this transporter alters acidification. Extravesicular Na+ caused saturable proton efflux from acidified endosomes with a Km for Na+ of 7.6 mM, whereas an in-to-out Na+ gradient caused endosome acidification without MgATP and accelerated acidification with MgATP. Na+-driven proton fluxes were little altered by valinomycin or carbonyl cyanide m -chlorophenylhydrazone. Na+/H+ exchange was inhibited by Li+ but was not affected by K+, Cl-, amiloride (1 mM) or 5-(N, N-dimethyl) amiloride (0.1 mM). Na+/H+ exchange was detected in "early" but not in "late" liver endosomes or in lysosomes. These data suggest that early rat liver endosomes exhibit Na+/H+ exchange that, immediately after endosome formation, may accelerate vesicle acidification. Because of its insensitivity to amiloride, this exchanger may be a pharmacologically altered form of NHE-1 or a new isoform.

Received 27 January 1995; accepted in final form 5 May 1995.
APS Manuscript Number C52-5.
Article publication pending Am. J. Physiol. (Cell Physiology).
ISSN 1080-4757 Copyright 1995 The American Physiological Society.
Published in APStracts on 26 May 1995.