Functional differences between the rabbit and human na+/ dicarboxylate cotransporters expressed in xenopus oocytes. Pajor, Ana M., and Ning Sun. University of Arizona, Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, Tucson, AZ 85724
APStracts 3:0151F, 1996.
The rabbit and human Na+/dicarboxylate cotransporters, NaDC-1 and hNaDC-1, were expressed in Xenopus oocytes and the transport of succinate, citrate and glutarate was compared. Both transporters had similar affinities for succinate and glutarate, with Km's of about 0.5-0.8 mM (succinate) and 6-7 mM (glutarate), verifying that they are low affinity sodium-dependent dicarboxylate transporters. The two transporters differed in their handling of citrate. At pH 7.5, the Km for citrate was 0.9 mM in the rabbit NaDC-1 and 7 mM in the human hNaDC-1. However, the human transporter was more sensitive to pH than the rabbit. At pH 5.5, the Km for citrate decreased to 1.2 mM in hNaDC-1 and decreased to 0.3 mM in the rabbit transporter. Both transporters had Hill coefficients between 1.6 and 2.1, suggesting that multiple sodium ions are coupled to the transport of divalent anions. However, the human transporter, hNaDC-1, had a lower apparent affinity for sodium (KNa 78 mM) than the rabbit transporter (KNa 41 mM). In addition, the human hNaDC-1 was relatively insensitive to inhibition by lithium, furosemide and flufenamate compared with the rabbit NaDC-1. The differences between the human and rabbit transporters may account for observed differences in renal handling of citrate between species.

Received 14 March 1996; accepted in final form 22 August 1996.
APS Manuscript Number F96-6.
Article publication pending Am. J. Physiol. (Renal Fluid Electrolyte
Physiology).
ISSN 1080-4757 Copyright 1996 The American Physiological Society.
Published in APStracts on 19 September 1996