Intracellular pH-temperature interactions of hepatocytes from American eels

The effects of acclimation temperature and acute temperature changes on the intracellular pH (pHi) of hepatocytes isolated from the American eel, Anguilla rostrata, were studied by the measurement of the distribution ratio of dimethyloxizolidinedione (DMO). Varying the concentration of DMO (10(-7) to 10(-4) M) did not affect estimates of pHi, indicating that DMO acts as an ideal pHi probe in eel hepatocytes. In vitro studies yielded values of liver cell pHi identical to those previously measured in vivo (in vitro pHi = 7.556 +/- 0.010; in vivo pHi = 7.570 +/- 0.049 at 20 degrees C); hepatocyte pHi varied inversely with acclimation temperature (5-20 degrees C) in a manner consistent with alphastat regulation (delta pH/delta T = -0.0182 +/- 0.021). During acute temperature increases (5-20 degrees C) and decreases (20-5 degrees C) hepatocytes regulated pHi to the appropriate (acclimated) value within 30-45 min posttransfer under conditions of constant medium pH (pHe). The effects of medium pH were also studied, and although patterns of pHi regulation differed between 5 and 20 degrees C cells, a pHi difference consistent with alphastat regulation was maintained between 5 and 20 degrees C cells over the pHe range 7.8-8.3.