Publications

The renal effects of parathyroid hormone (PTH) include a decreased rate of acidification by the proximal tubule. To determine whether this effect represented a PTH action on the Na+-H+ antiporter, we investigated the effect of PTH on the established opossum kidney (OK) cell line. This cell line retains several features characteristic of proximal tubule cells, including an amiloride-sensitive Na+-H+ antiporter and high-affinity PTH receptors with a coupled cAMP response. We measured steady-state intracellular pH and amiloride-sensitive 22Na+ uptake as a reflection of the activity of the Na+-H+ antiporter. Under bicarbonate and CO2-free conditions, the steady-state intracellular pH of OK cell cultures was modified by altering the rate of Na+-H+ exchange. When Na+-H+ exchange was inhibited by amiloride, intracellular pH fell. Conversely, augmenting antiporter activity by addition of monensin, a Na+-H+ exchange ionophore, raised intracellular pH. PTH (2.5 X 10(-8) M) lowered intracellular pH by up to 0.17 pH units, and half of the maximum PTH effect was present at a concentration of 10(-12) M. This effect was not seen in the presence of amiloride or in the absence of sodium, suggesting that a functional Na+-H+ antiporter is necessary for its expression. The decrease in intracellular pH was reproduced by forskolin and 8-bromo-cAMP, suggesting that this is a cAMP-mediated effect. PTH, forskolin, and 8-bromo-cAMP also decreased the amiloride-sensitive component of 22Na+ uptake in OK cells by up to 64%, whereas the amiloride-insensitive component was unaffected.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)