Activation of vacuolar-type proton pumps by protein kinase C. Role in neutrophil pH regulation

Activated neutrophils undergo a large burst of metabolic acid generation, yet maintain their cytosolic pH (pHi) within physiological limits. To analyze the underlying regulatory mechanisms, pHi was measured fluorimetrically in suspensions of human neutrophils. In acid loaded but otherwise unstimulated cells, pHi recovered rapidly via Na+/H+ exchange. Upon Na+ removal, recovery from an imposed acid load was negligible. Phorbol ester activation of acidified cells induced a rapid recovery of pHi partly due to a Zn(2+)-sensitive H(+)-conductive pathway. A third component of the regulatory response was apparent in Na(+)-free media containing Zn2+. Acid extrusion through this alternate pathway was voltage sensitive and capable of translocating H+ equivalents against their electrochemical gradient. This active H+ transport was inhibited by N-ethylmaleimide, by N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide and by nanomolar doses of bafilomycins A1 or B1, suggesting the involvement of vacuolar (V)-type H+ pumps. Cytosolic alkalinization was accompanied by extracellular acidification, indicative of translocation of H+ equivalents across the surface membrane and consistent with the sensitivity of the alkalinization to changes in plasma membrane potential. The activity of the V-type H+ pumps was virtually undetectable in resting cells, becoming apparent only after treatment with phorbol esters or other, chemically unrelated agonists of protein kinase C. These H+ pumps are likely to play a role in pHi homeostasis during the metabolic burst that accompanies neutrophil activation during infection and inflammation.