Several cation transporters and volume regulation in high-K dog red blood cells

Normal dog red blood cells lack the Na-K pump, and their cation composition is low K and high Na (LK). Recently, a dog was found with red blood cells containing high K and low Na concentrations (HK) due to the existence of the Na-K pump. In the present study, cation transport and volume regulation in HK cells were compared with those of LK cells. HK cells showed not only Rb influx through a Na-K pump, but also Rb influx through a Cl-dependent K transporter. The Rb influx rate through the Na-K pump was 0.65-1.44 mmol.l cells-1.h-1 in Cl and 1.75-2.24 mmol.l cells-1.h-1 in NO3, in HK cells, but only trace activities are found in LK cells. In HK cells, the Rb influx rate through Cl-dependent K transport was 0.36-0.96 mmol.l cells-1.h-1, and it was enhanced in swollen cells but vanished in shrunken cells. In LK cells, the transport was evident only in swollen cells. The original volume of swollen HK cells was restored by water extrusion promoted by Cl-dependent transport. The Na-Ca exchange transporter, which works as a volume regulator in LK cells, functioned in HK cells only when they were loaded with Na. Hence, the exchange transporter is latent in HK cells under physiological conditions. Moreover, the exchange transporter could restore the cell volume in swollen and Na-loaded HK cells. However, the volume in HK cells was still larger than that in LK cells, while the Na-Ca exchange transporter was working.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)