Cl-HCO3 and Cl-OH exchanges mediate Cl uptake in apical membrane vesicles of rat distal colon

This study describes Cl-HCO3 and Cl-OH exchanges as the mechanism for Cl uptake by apical membrane vesicles (AMV) of rat distal colon. Although HCO3 gradient-stimulated 36Cl uptake was additionally stimulated by the additional presence of a pH gradient, pH gradient-stimulated 36Cl uptake was not further enhanced by a HCO3 gradient. HCO3 gradient-stimulated and OH gradient-stimulated 36Cl uptake was not inhibited by voltage clamping, with K and its ionophore valinomycin, but was inhibited by 4,4'-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid, an anion exchange inhibitor, with an apparent inhibitory constant of 7.8 and 106.0 microM, respectively. Increasing intravesicular OH concentration in the absence of HCO3 (with fixed extravesicular Cl concentration) yielded a sigmoidal curve for 36Cl uptake. In contrast, increasing intravesicular OH concentration in the presence of equimolar intra- and extravesicular HCO3 (25 mM) yielded a saturable hyperbolic curve. Increasing extravesicular Cl concentration saturated both HCO3 gradient-stimulated and OH gradient-stimulated 36Cl uptake, with a kinetic constant for Cl of approximately 11.9 and 22.6 mM, respectively. We conclude that Cl uptake in AMV of rat distal colon occurs via two separate anion (Cl-HCO3 and Cl-OH) exchange processes. We speculate that one of these two anion exchanges may be responsible for transcellular Cl movement, while the other may be important in the regulation of intracellular pH homeostasis.