Estimation of cellular pH gradients with 31P-NMR in intact rabbit renal tubular cells

To determine intracellular pH gradients rabbit renal cortical tubular cells were prepared by collagenase separation, suspended in a Krebs-Ringer buffer solution, and gassed with 95% O2-5% CO2 in a special nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) probe. Renal tubular cellular pH was determined simultaneously from the distribution of 14C-dimethadione (DMO) (pHDMO) or the chemical shift of inorganic phosphate (pHNMR). Experiments were performed at different external pH values (pHe) ranging between 6.52 and 7.20. pHNMR, a measure of cytoplasmic pH, changed by an amount equal to the change in pHe. pHDMO, however, a measure of cytoplasmic plus mitochondrial pH, changed less than pHe as the latter increased. pHDMO, higher than pHNMR at low pHe, became equal to pHNMR at higher pHe values. By use of assumed mitochondrial volumes of 30-40% mitochondrial pH was calculated from pHDMO and pHNMR. Mitochondrial pH remained relatively constant over the entire pHe range studied. Since cytoplasmic pH fell as pHe was lowered, the transmitochondrial pH gradient increased at low pHE values. These findings suggest that the transmitochondrial pH gradient may be important in regulating metabolism.