Electrogenic sodium-bicarbonate symport in cultured corneal endothelial cells

Intracellular potential measurements on confluent monolayers of cultured bovine corneal endothelial cells were used to define passive ion transport processes in these cells. Previous studies [11, 12] have provided the experimental basis for a cellular model, is which bicarbonate entry across the basolateral membrane in indirectly driven by a Na+/H+-exchanger, which is inhibitable by amiloride (1 mmol/l). Na+ and HCO3- leave the cell via an electrogenic bicarbonate sodium cotransport, which is inhibitable by the disulfonic stilbene derivates SITS or DIDS. This model is also compatible with transepithelial work from other groups. In this paper, we briefly review the evidence we have obtained for this model.