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MUCOSAL BIOLOGY
Departments of 1Biomedical Sciences and 2Veterinary Pathobiology and 3Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri; 4Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina; and Departments of 5Molecular Genetics, Biochemistry, and Microbiology and 6Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
Submitted 1 August 2006 ; accepted in final form 12 December 2006
| ABSTRACT |
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bicarbonate secretion; intestine; cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator; Slc4; putative anion transporter 1; downregulated in adenoma; anion exhanger isoform 4
The principal candidates for this process are two members of the multifunctional anion exchanger (Slc26a) family, i.e., Slc26a3 [known as downregulated in adenoma (DRA)] and Slc26a6 [known as putative anion transporter 1 (PAT-1) or Cl/formate exchanger] and one member of the HCO3 transporter family (Slc4a), i.e., Slc4a9 [known as anion exchanger isoform 4 (AE4)]. All three anion exchangers have been immunolocalized to the apical membrane of the intestinal epithelium, especially along the villous axis (18, 22, 45, 48). Studies utilizing recombinant proteins have shown that DRA transports HCO3 in exchange for luminal Cl, SO42, or oxalate (29). PAT-1 is more versatile, demonstrating Cl, oxalate, SO42, formate, HCO3, and hydroxyl transport in Xenopus oocytes (29). Although controversial (7), recent studies have suggested that both DRA and PAT-1 exhibit electrogenic properties, leading to the proposal that that DRA and PAT-1 have apparent stoichiometries of 2 Cl:1 HCO3 and 1 Cl:2 HCO3, respectively (33). Less well characterized is the AE4 protein, but a functional expression study (48) has shown that AE4 exhibits Cl/HCO3 exchange (48).
Disease-causing loss-of-function mutations have not been reported for human PAT-1 (SLC26A6) or AE4 (SLC4A9). However, loss-of-function mutations in DRA (SLC26A3) are the causal factor in the inherited disease congenital chloride-losing diarrhea (CLD). These patients have defective intestinal Cl/HCO3 exchange resulting in diarrhea with high Cl content and systemic alkalinization (20, 28). Likewise, initial reports of clinical disease in the DRA knockout mouse model (i.e., diarrhea, elevated chloride stool concentration, and growth retardation) closely resemble that of human CLD (6). The severe intestinal manifestations of CLD may reflect an interaction between DRA and the major apical membrane Na+/H+ exchangers (NHE2 and NHE3) responsible for electroneutral NaCl absorption, as based on evidence of functional coupling of these exchangers in recombinant cell systems and changes in DRA expression in the NHE3 knockout intestine (26, 30).
Duodenal villi are directly exposed to gastric acid chyme from the stomach, but little is known regarding the physiology of HCO3 transport in the villous epithelium where DRA, PAT-1, and AE4 are reportedly expressed. Recently, we (35) have demonstrated the capability to directly measure Cl/HCO3 exchange activity across the apical membrane of epithelial cells in the upper half of villi in the intact murine duodenal mucosa using BCECF-AM microfluorometry of intracellular pH (pHi). This investigation found robust Cl/HCO3 exchange activity in the upper villus with exchange rates similar to or greater than those reported for exchanger isoforms expressed in heterologous cell systems (7, 38, 45); however, the in situ exchange process varied from recombinant protein studies by exhibiting relative insensitivity to distilbenes but not niflumic acid. It is important to examine the activity of specific anion exchangers in the native intestinal epithelium, but, unfortunately, there are no known inhibitors of anion exchangers that effectively discriminate between exchanger isoforms or lack additional effects on other anion transport proteins. Therefore, in the present study, we used the intestinal mucosa from mice with gene-targeted deletions of PAT-1, DRA, and AE4 and their wild-type (WT) littermates to assess the relative contributions of each exchanger to the process of apical Cl/HCO3 exchange across the duodenal upper villous epithelium.
| MATERIALS AND METHODS |
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Fluorescence measurements of pHi and image analysis.
The method used for imaging villous epithelial cells in the intact murine intestine has been previously described (16, 35). Briefly, after the mouse had been euthanasized, the proximal duodenum was isolated, stripped of the outer muscle layers by blunt dissection, and mounted luminal side up in a horizontal Ussing-type perfusion chamber where luminal and serosal surfaces of the tissue were independently bathed. The luminal superfusate was an isethionate-bicarbonate-Ringer (IBR) solution containing (in mmol/l) 140.0 Na+, 55.0 Cl, 55.0 isethionate, 25.0 HCO3, 5.2 K+, 5.0 TES, 4.8 gluconate, 2.8 PO43, 1.2 Ca2+, 1.2 Mg2+, 10.0 glucose, and 6.8 mannitol that was gassed with 95% O2-5% CO2 at 37°C (pH 7.4). The serosal superfusate was a Cl-free IBR solution (with Cl replaced with isethionate) gassed with 95% O2-5% CO2 at 37°C (pH 7.4). All duodena were treated with indomethacin (1 µM, bilateral) and TTX (0.1 µM, serosal) to minimize the effect of endogenous prostaglandins and neural tone, respectively (5, 34). During superfusion, the duodenum was treated on the serosal side with 1 µM EIPA to block the activity of NHE1. Villi immobilized by a fine nylon mesh overlay were incubated for 5 min with a luminal solution containing 100 µM DL-DTT to remove mucus and then incubated on the luminal side with 16 µM BCECF-AM for 10 min before superfusion of the luminal surface. Using a x40 water-immersion objective (Olympus, Melville, NY), 10 epithelial cells from the mid to upper region of a single villus were selected for ratiometric analysis. Changes in pHi were measured by dual-excitation wavelength techniques (440 and 495 nm), and villi were imaged at 535-nm emission. Ratiometric images were obtained at 20-s intervals with a Sensi-Cam digital camera (Cooke, Auburn Heights, MI) and processed using Axon Imaging Workbench 2.2 (Axon Instruments, Union City, CA). The 495-to-440-nm ratios were converted to pHi using a standard curve generated by the K+/nigericin technique (4, 40). The intrinsic buffering capacity (
i) of duodenal villous cells was estimated by the ammonium prepulse technique, and the total buffering capacity (
total) was calculated from the equation
total =
i +
HCO3 =
i + 2.3 x [HCO3]i, where
HCO3 is the buffering capacity of the HCO3/CO2 system and [HCO3]i is the intracellular concentration of HCO3. The rate of pHi change during the initial 90-s period of linear
pH/
t change was converted to the transmembrane flux (J) of HCO3 or H+ (JHCO3 and JH+; measured in mM/min) using the following equation: J =
pH/
t x
total (46).
Measurement of apical Cl/HCO3 and Na+/H+ exchange.
For measurements of Cl/HCO3 exchange, duodenal preparations were superfused with IBR solution on the luminal side, and pHi alkalinization was induced by replacement of Cl with isethionate on an equimolar basis. After a stable pHi (
2 min) had been attained, pHi recovery was initiated by the readdition of Cl to the luminal superfusate. In some experiments, SO42 was used to replace Cl on an equimolar basis during pHi recovery. For methazolamide experiments, 100 µM methazolamide was initially added to the superfusate from a 10 mM stock in Cl-free IBR solution. For bilateral Krebs-bicarbonate-Ringer (KBR) experiments, the luminal superfusate was KBR solution, which contained (in mM) 140.0 Na+, 5.2 K+, 25 HCO3, 5 TES, 2.8 PO43, 110 Cl, 1.2 Ca2+, 1.2 Mg2+, 4.8 gluconate, and 16.8 mannitol and was gassed with 95% O2-5% CO2 at 37°C (pH 7.4). The serosal perfusate was similar in composition to the luminal solution except that 10 mM mannitol was replaced (equimolar) with glucose. Rates of anion exchange during alkalinization and recovery (
pHi/min) were calculated from a linear regression of the values from the first 90 s of the initial pHi changes during Cl removal and replacement, respectively, and these rates were converted to JHCO3.
For measurements of apical membrane Na+/H+ exchange activity, the proximal duodenum was superfused with nominally CO2/HCO3-free solutions where NaHCO3 was replaced equimolar with NaTES and gassed with 100% O2. Experiments to measure Na+/H+ exchange consisted of pHi acidification induced by replacement of luminal Na+ with NMDG+ on an equimolar basis. After a stable pHi had been obtained (
2 min), pHi recovery was initiated by replacing NMDG+ with Na+. Rates of anion exchange during Na+/H+ exchange were calculated from a linear regression of the values from the first 90 s of the initial pHi changes during Na+ replacement, and these rates were converted to JH+.
Experiments of recombinant murine DRA.
Murine (m)DRA (a gift of J. Melvin, University of Rochester) was inserted into the multiple cloning site of a bicistronic pIRES plasmid (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA) containing DSRed2, a red fluorescent protein (RFP). The resulting plasmid was transformed into DH5
-competent cells (Invitrogen) by heat shock, and single colonies were picked for plasmid isolation (after overnight growth) by the alkaline lysis method. The plasmid was digested with HincII to confirm the proper orientation of the DRA insert. Plasmid containing mDRA or empty vector (control) was transfected using Superfect transfection reagent (Qiagen, Valencia, CA) according to the manufacturer's directions into CHO cells grown on coverslips (50% confluent). Cells expressing RFP were selected for pHi experiments 24 h after transfection.
Isolation of villous epithelium and RT-PCR.
Duodenal segments were resected, opened longitudinally along the mesenteric border, and washed in oxygenated physiological Ringer solution containing 100 µM DTT. Under a dissecting microscope, the segment was placed mucosal side up over a parallel ridge (1-mm height) on a plastic surface and drawn beneath a no. 11 scalpel blade (perpendicular to the villi), thereby scraping the villous epithelium from the villous cores. Isolated villi were dispersed in a small volume (0.5 ml) of oxygenated Ringer solution containing 800 U/ml RNAse inhibitor (Qiagen) using a large-bore transfer pipette and immediately frozen in liquid nitrogen. Total RNA was isolated using TRI-Reagent (Molecular Research Center, Cincinnati, OH) according to the manufacturer's instructions and dissolved in 100 µl RNAse-free water. The Superscript preamplification system (Invitrogen) was used for first-strand cDNA synthesis according to the manufacturer's instructions. Each PCR of 25 µl contained 1 µl cDNA, 1x PCR Mg2+-free buffer, 2 mM MgCl2, 0.2 mM dNTP, 0.4 mM primer, and 0.5 U/reaction Taq DNA polymerase (Promega, Madison, WI). A master mix was made and added to 0.2-ml reaction tubes containing either cDNA (±reverse transcriptase) or water (as the negative control). Primers for DRA, PAT-1, and AE4 were designed based on murine sequences from the National Center for Biotechnology Information database. The primers for DRA were 5'-GGTTTAGCATTTGCTCTGCTGG-3' and 5'-TTACAGTCATGATGAGTTCGATG-3'. The primers for PAT-1 were 5'-GCGACTCTCTGAAAGAGAAGTG-3' and 5'-TCAGAGTTTGGTGGCCAAAACA-3'. The primers for AE4 were 5'-CATGCCTGGTCAAGAAAGCTAG-3' and 5'-CACTCATGTTACTGGGCCTGGTGG-3'. RT-PCR was performed on samples using RT-PCR cycles consisting of a 5.0-min denaturation at 94°C followed by 60 cycles of 94°C for 30 s, 60°C for 1.0 min, and 72°C for 1.0 min and ended with 7.0 min at 72°C using a MWG Primus 96 plus thermocycler (MWG-Biotech, Highpoint, NC). RT-PCR products were electrophoresed on a 2% agarose gel for analysis. To evaluate genomic DNA contamination of the RNA samples, RT-PCR was performed on samples using the following primers designed to amplify genomic DNA and cDNA of
-actin: 5'-TGTTACCAACTGGGACGACA-3' and 5'-TCTCAGCTGTGGTGGTGAAG-3'. The absence of an amplicon in the no reverse transcriptase sample indicated minimal genomic DNA contamination. mRNA expression for each exchanger was compared against a similarly treated tissue control reported to express high levels of the specific transcript.
Western blot analysis of NHE3.
For Western blot analysis, duodenal microsomal membranes were prepared from age-matched PAT-1() and WT adult mice as previously described (3, 41, 45). Briefly, membrane preparations were separated by SDS-PAGE and transferred to nitrocellulose membranes, blocked with 5% milk proteins, and probed with affinity-purified primary antibodies against NHE3 or
-actin. The monoclonal anti-NHE3 antibody was directed against the COOH-terminal 131 amino acids of rabbit NHE3 (41), and
-actin monoclonal antibodies were purchased from Alpha Diagnostics (San Antonio, TX). The secondary antibody was an anti-rabbit IgG conjugated to horseradish peroxidase (GIBCO-BRL, Gaithersburg, MD), which was visualized using chemiluminescence (SuperSignal Substrate, Pierce) and captured on light-sensitive imaging film (Kodak). Bands corresponding to NHE3 and
-actin proteins were quantified by densitometric analysis (UN-SCAN-IT gel software, Silk Scientific, Orem, UT) and were expressed as percentages of control. The equity in protein loading in all blots was verified by gel staining using Coomassie brilliant blue R-250 (Bio-Rad, Hercules, CA).
Materials. The fluorescent dye BCECF-AM was obtained from Invitrogen. TTX was obtained from BioMol. All other materials were obtained from either Sigma-Aldrich (St. Louis, MO) or Fisher Scientific (Springfield, NJ).
Statistics. All values are reported as means ± SE. Data between two treatment groups were compared using a two-tailed unpaired Student t-test assuming equal variances between groups. A probability value of P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
| RESULTS |
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Cl/HCO3 exchange in the PAT-1() upper villous epithelium of the murine duodenum. Previous studies conducted in upper murine duodenal villous epithelia have revealed characteristics of basal anion exchange (e.g., high rates of SO42 transport and enhanced Cl/HCO3 exchange activity during epithelial cell depolarization) that were most consistent with PAT-1 activity based on recombinant protein expression studies (19, 23, 35, 45, 47). To evaluate the contribution of PAT-1, we compared the rates of apical membrane Cl/HCO3 exchange activity between PAT-1() and WT duodenal villi. As shown by the experiment in Fig. 4A, the rates of alkalinization and recovery during Cl substitution/replacement were significantly reduced in the PAT-1() duodenum compared with the WT duodenum. Cumulative data from several pHi experiments on PAT-1() and WT epithelia demonstrated that the rates of HCO3 influx during Cl removal and HCO3 efflux during Cl replacement were significantly reduced by 65% and 80%, respectively, in PAT-1() villi relative to WT villi (Fig. 4, B and C). Paradoxically, the baseline pHi was significantly more acidic in PAT-1() villi relative to WT villi under the conditions of our study (Fig. 4D).
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| DISCUSSION |
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In the present investigation, BCECF microfluorometry experiments of the intact PAT-1() duodenum revealed that apical Cl/HCO3 exchange was significantly reduced by 6580% compared with the WT duodenum. This finding confirms the results of our previous study (35), which revealed characteristics of anion exchange in the upper villous epithelium that were most consistent with PAT-1 activity. In addition to PAT-1, a finite rate of Cl/HCO3 exchange was still present in the PAT-1() duodenum, indicating the contribution of other anion exchangers such as DRA and AE4. The examination of AE4() mice compared with WT mice revealed minimal involvement of AE4 in basal Cl/HCO3 exchange in the upper villous epithelium. In contrast, the examination of Cl/HCO3 exchange activity in DRA() mice compared with WT mice demonstrated a 3040% reduction in exchange rates. Thus, these data indicate that PAT-1 is the principal Cl/HCO3 exchanger in the apical membrane of the upper villous epithelium with a smaller but significant contribution by DRA and minimal contribution from AE4.
The results of the functional experiments suggested that there was limited alteration in the apical surface activity of the remaining anion exchangers in each knockout mouse. In this regard, we noted a minor discrepancy in the estimates for the relative contribution of DRA to the total Cl/HCO3 exchange activity in the murine upper villous epithelium. Taking the residual Cl/HCO3 exchange activity in the PAT-1() duodenum as a measure of DRA activity, we estimate a minimum contribution of
20% to total Cl/HCO3 exchange activity (Fig. 4C). On the other hand, the reduction of Cl/HCO3 exchange activity in the DRA() villous epithelium yields a maximal estimate of
40% (Fig. 3B). This discrepancy suggests decreased expression/activity of the remaining anion exchanger in each knockout, e.g., DRA in the PAT-1() duodenum and PAT-1 in the DRA() duodenum. Thus, compensatory increases in anion exchanger activity are not apparent in the villous epithelium. Precise estimation of the contribution of DRA to the total Cl/HCO3 exchanger activity will require measurements of anion exchanger expression specifically in the upper villous epithelium, e.g., by using laser capture microdissection or differential cell isolation techniques, which are beyond the scope of the present investigation.
The present investigation found that a distinguishing feature of PAT-1 is its ability to transport SO42, because SO42/HCO3 exchange was essentially eliminated in the PAT-1() villous epithelium compared with the WT villous epithelium. Both PAT-1 and DRA have been reported to be SO42 transporters (29); however, recent studies using recombinant protein expression systems have shown that human DRA does not efficiently transport SO42, i.e., the rate of SO42 transport is two to three orders of magnitude less than the rate of Cl/HCO3 exchange (8, 29). In the present study, SO42/HCO3 exchange in DRA() duodenal villi was not significantly different from that observed in WT villi, indicating that mDRA also does not appreciably transport SO42. To verify that mDRA, like human DRA, does not effectively transport SO42, we measured SO42/HCO3 exchange activity of recombinant mDRA expressed in CHO fibroblasts. These experiments revealed robust Cl/HCO3 exchange but little evidence of SO42/HCO3 exchange in mDRA-transfected cells. In addition, the examination of SO42 transport in the surface epithelium of the cecum, where DRA is the dominant apical membrane exchanger, also revealed no detectable SO42 transport (data not shown). Rates of SO42/HCO3 exchange were also measured in the AE4() duodenal villous epithelium because studies examining AE4 exchange properties are limited (48). Like the experiments with the DRA() epithelium, these experiments revealed no significant differences in SO42-dependent HCO3 efflux in the AE4() villous epithelium compared with the WT villous epithelium. Thus, these data show that a distinguishing characteristic of PAT-1 is the capability for SO42/HCO3 exchange in the upper villous epithelium of the murine duodenum.
Measurements of pHi in the DRA() and PAT-1() villous epithelium revealed opposite effects of these transporters on pHi regulation. In the DRA() villous epithelium, baseline pHi was significantly increased compared with the WT epithelium. This change is consistent with the loss of a Cl/HCO3 exchanger that is normally coupled to NHE3 for electroneutral NaCl absorption, i.e., continued proton efflux via NHE3 without concurrent HCO3 efflux would increase pHi. Although NHE3 may not normally contribute to pHi regulation in the intestine (14), the genetic ablation of a partnering anion exchanger possibly removes an element of normal regulation for NHE3. Additional studies of DRA() mice using the jejunum, where electroneutral NaCl absorption predominates, will be necessary to test this hypothesis. In contrast to the deletion of DRA, measurements of pHi in the PAT-1() villous epithelium revealed a significantly reduced baseline pHi compared with the WT epithelium. This phenomenon was investigated further because cell acidification resulting from deletion of a base exporter is counterintuitive. One potential explanation is that loss of a coupled interaction between PAT-1 and NHE3 reduces the activity or expression of the NHE. However, apical membrane Na+/H+ exchange activity and NHE3 protein expression were not different between PAT-1() and WT epithelia. An alternative hypothesis is that PAT-1 acts as a base importer (i.e., Clout/HCO3in exchange) under the conditions of our study. Consistent with this hypothesis was the demonstration that removal of CO2/HCO3 or treatment with the CA inhibitor methazolamide normalized pHi between PAT-1() and WT epithelia. Based on evidence that PAT-1 may functionally and physically interact with CA II (1), the latter finding suggests a novel interaction between PAT-1 and intracellular CA, i.e., a "reversed" HCO3 transport metabolon (25, 39) that facilitates HCO3 influx to protect the epithelial cell against intracellular acidification. This may be of physiological importance as the upper villous epithelium of the duodenum is exposed to acid challenge not only from gastric effluent but also from H+ influx during nutrient absorption (e.g., apical H+/peptide cotransporter 1) (12). Given the high PCO2 in gastric effluent (17), the source of HCO3 for PAT-1 Clout/HCO3in exchange may be dependent on extracellular CA activity (27). Although rapid diffusion of CO2 through cell membranes induces pHi acidification in the duodenal villous epithelium during luminal exposure to a high-PCO2/low-HCO3 solution (pH 6.4) (15), we found that a greater extent of pHi acidification occurs during exposure to high-PCO2/low-HCO3 solution (pH 5.4) in the PAT-1() duodenum compared with the WT duodenum (WT
pHi = 0.9 ± 0.1 and PAT-1()
pHi = 1.3 ± 0.2, n = 3; J. Simpson and L. Clarke, unpublished observations). The recent proposal that PAT-1 is electrogenic with a stoichiometry of 1 Cl:2 HCO3 (33) would also favor the HCO3 influx activity of PAT-1 during depolarization of the villous epithelium, e.g., during Na+- or H+-coupled nutrient absorption. The resting apical membrane potential and intracellular Cl concentrations of the upper villous epithelium under the conditions of our study are presently unknown, so whether the electrochemical gradient favors Clout/HCO3in activity by PAT-1 cannot be determined at this time. However, as we (35) have shown previously, depolarization of the upper villous epithelium using high extracellular K+ concentration specifically increases the rate of Clout/HCO3in exchange. Together, these considerations raise the possibility that PAT-1 plays a role in pHi regulation, especially during nutrient absorption, by providing a HCO3 influx pathway across the apical membrane of the villous enterocyte.
In our study, isolation of apical membrane acid-base transporters required inhibition of basolateral membrane NHE1 and Cl/HCO3 exchange by EIPA treatment and removal of basolateral Cl, respectively. We first investigated whether the activity of NHE1 could normalize basal pHi in the PAT-1() epithelium by removal of basolateral EIPA treatment. Although a trend toward increased pHi was noted, the PAT-1() villous epithelium remained acidic compared with the WT epithelium, indicating that activity of NHE1 alone is apparently unable to compensate for the loss of PAT-1. Next, a physiological Cl concentration was included in the basolateral bath in addition to removal of basolateral EIPA treatment. This change corrected the pHi difference between PAT-1() and WT villous epithelia. Thus, under physiological conditions, pHi of the upper villous epithelium can be normalized in the absence of PAT-1 by a complex process apparently requiring the activity of basolateral transporters.
The activity of PAT-1 in the upper villous epithelium is likely affected by the presence of low levels of CFTR. In our previous study (35) of the CFTR() mouse intestine, it was shown that both Clin/HCO3out and Clout/HCO3in exchange rates were reduced in the upper villous epithelium compared with the WT mouse. The mechanism of decrease was traced to the loss of a CFTR Cl leak pathway that facilitated apical membrane Cl/HCO3 exchange activity. The role of CFTR was considered passive and not due to a direct intermolecular interaction with the anion exchanger(s) (24) because CFTR is expressed at low levels in the upper villous epithelium (thereby minimizing the opportunity for 1:1 stoichiometry between CFTR and a Slc26a exchanger) and the effect could be reproduced by acute CFTR channel blockade. Given the dominance of PAT-1 activity (Fig. 4), it is reasonable to conclude that the CFTR Cl leak pathway primarily facilitates PAT-1 and perhaps lesser amounts of DRA activity in the upper villous epithelium. Since CFTR demonstrates ohmic conductance of Cl (2), it is reasonable that the Cl leak pathway may operate to the advantage of PAT-1 Cl/HCO3 exchange activity independent of the direction of transport, i.e., providing Cl uptake during Clout/HCO3in exchange and Cl exit during Clin/HCO3out exchange.
Although we (31) have previously suggested that the reduced Cl/HCO3 exchange activity of the upper villous epithelium contributes to deficient basal HCO3 secretion across the CFTR() duodenum, a subsequent pH stat study (42) of PAT-1() mice showed that PAT-1 only contributes
20% to basal HCO3 secretion in the WT duodenum. Thus, a 30% reduction in PAT-1 activity in the upper villous epithelium of the CFTR() duodenum would have a negligible effect on basal HCO3 secretion. Apparently, most transepithelial HCO3 secretion under basal conditions comes from the lower villous and crypt epithelium where the activities of DRA or AE4 may provide a major contribution. Given evidence that PAT-1 plays a minor role in transepithelial HCO3 secretion under basal conditions, it is possible that the abundant PAT-1 activity in the upper villous epithelium serves other functions, such as pHi regulation, as suggested above.
In conclusion, our study of PAT-1(), DRA(), and AE4() mice indicated that PAT-1 is the major contributor to basal Cl/HCO3 and SO42/HCO3 exchange across the apical membrane of the upper villous epithelium in the murine duodenum. Based on past studies of CFTR activity in this region of the villus, it is likely that PAT-1 activity is facilitated indirectly by a CFTR Cl leak pathway that sustains the gradient for Cl/HCO3 exchange. However, additional experiments in the PAT-1() duodenum revealed a propensity for PAT-1 to operate in Clout/HCO3in mode for HCO3 influx, thereby providing a potentially important mechanism for protecting the upper villous epithelial cell from intracellular acidification. DRA was also found to contribute a smaller but significant portion of Cl/HCO3 exchange in the upper villous epithelium. DRA deletion resulted in intracellular alkalinization, which may indicate unregulated activity of Na+/H+ exchange and evidence of DRA's involvement in coupled NaCl absorption in this locale. Therefore, DRA may not significantly contribute to net HCO3 secretion under basal conditions from the upper villous epithelium, whereas a recent report (36) from our laboratory suggested that DRA may have a different role in the lower villus epithelium. Thus, it will be necessary to examine anion transport in the lower villus/crypt epithelium where CFTR is predominantly expressed to fully evaluate the contributions of AE4, DRA, and PAT-1 to transepithelial HCO3 secretion.
| GRANTS |
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| FOOTNOTES |
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The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. The article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.
1 No endogenous Cl/HCO3 exchange was observed in mock-transfected CHO cells, whereas inconsistent levels of activity were found when mock-transfected NIH 3T3 and HEK-293 cells were examined. ![]()
2 Pharmacological inhibition of NHE1 by 1 µM EIPA added to the basolateral superfusate during a similar time period, i.e., 20 min, has been previously demonstrated in this preparation by a study (43) showing significant acidification of the pHi in the upper villous epithelium of the NHE3() duodenum during 1 µM EIPA treatment. ![]()
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