AJP - Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology, Vol 271, Issue 2 268-G274, Copyright © 1996 by American Physiological Society

ARTICLES

Ontogeny of K+ transport in rat distal colon

R. I. Aizman, G. Celsi, L. Grahnquist, Z. M. Wang, Y. Finkel and A. Aperia
Department of Woman and Child Health, St. Goran's Children's Hospital, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.

Infants need to retain more K+ than adults to avoid growth retardation. Since the K+ requirements are different in infants (I) and in adults (A), the mechanisms regulating K+ homeostasis should also be different. The colon plays an important role for the regulation of K+ homeostasis. Colonic K+ transport is bidirectional. In this study we have examined the development of colonic K+ transport with special reference to the contribution of different K(+)-transporting pathways. The net colonic K+ uptake, as determined by in vivo perfusion studies and by 86Rb uptake, was significantly higher in I than in A rats. In both I and A colon, approximately 80% of total 86Rb uptake was dependent on vanadate-sensitive P-type adenosinetriphosphatases (ATPases), but the contribution of these different ATPases changes during development. The activity of colonic Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase, measured as ouabain-sensitive Na(+)-dependent ATP hydrolysis and as 86Rb uptake, was lower in I than in A rats. In contrast, the activity of K(+)-ATPases located in apical membrane and measured as ouabain insensitive and SCH-28080 sensitive, as ouabain-sensitive Na(+)-independent ATP hydrolysis, and as 86Rb uptake was significantly higher in I than in A rats. The ratio between apically located K(+)-ATPases and basolateral Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase activities was almost 3.2-fold higher in I than in A colon. We identified with Northern blot the expression of the colonic H(+)-K(+)-ATPase and the Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase alpha-subunits. The alpha-mRNA expression of both ATPases was significantly higher in I than in A rats. The pH and K+ sensitivity of the ouabain-insensitive, SCH-28080-sensitive K(+)-ATPase was the same in I and A colons. In conclusion, the relative activity of apical K+ absorbing ATPases is higher in the I than in the A colon, which should aid infants in retaining K+.

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