Aldosterone-stimulated sodium uptake by apical membrane vesicles from A6 cells

Sodium fluxes in plasma membrane vesicles prepared from the cultured toad kidney epithelial cell line A6 are studied. The vesicles are enriched 7-10 times in apical membrane markers. Sodium uptake is osmotically sensitive and inhibited by low concentrations of amiloride (K0.5 = 7 X 10(-8) M at 1 mM NaCl). Vesicles prepared from aldosterone-treated cells (4.5 h at 10(-7) M aldosterone) show a 2-fold enhancement of amiloride-sensitive sodium flux relative to appropriate controls. The above observations are in good agreement with studies of sodium transport across the apical membrane of intact A6 epithelia. Thus, the amiloride-sensitive sodium transporter in the apical membrane of these cells is preserved in the vesicle preparation, making it possible to study the effects of aldosterone in the absence of nonmembrane-related phenomena.