AJP - Cell Physiology, Vol 253, Issue 1 C60-C65, Copyright © 1987 by American Physiological Society

ARTICLES

Interactions of sodium-proton exchange mechanism in dog red blood cells with N-phenylmaleimide

J. C. Parker and P. S. Glosson

Dog red blood cells (RBC) have a Na-H exchanger that is reversibly activated by cell shrinkage. The Na-H exchanger can be fixed in the on or off mode by treating the cells with N-phenylmaleimide. This action depends on the volume of the cells at the time of exposure to N-phenylmaleimide and also on the concentration of the reagent per number of cells. If the cells are swollen in hypotonic media during N-phenylmaleimide exposure, the Na-H exchanger becomes irreversibly inactivated, so that on subsequent shrinkage of the cells, no amiloride-sensitive Na flux is seen. This effect is maximal at N-phenylmaleimide concentrations of greater than 20 mumol/g hemoglobin. If the cells are shrunken in hypertonic media during N-phenylmaleimide exposure, the response of the Na-H exchanger depends critically on the concentration of the reagent. At N-phenylmaleimide concentrations of less than 20 mumol/g hemoglobin, the Na-H exchanger is fixed in the activated state, so that even when the volume stimulus is removed by subsequent cell swelling, an amiloride-sensitive flux is seen. Higher concentrations of N-phenylmaleimide applied to shrunken cells inhibit the Na-H exchanger. The results are accounted for in a model that envisions a volume-responsive switching mechanism for Na-H exchange that has two functional groups capable of reacting with N-phenylmaleimide. The accessibility of these groups is determined by cell volume.