Hyperactivity and altered mRNA isoform expression of the Cl¯/HCO3¯ anion-exchanger in the hypertrophied myocardium

Objective: The aim was to examine the regulation of the cardiac Na+-independent Cl¯/HCO3¯ exchanger (AE) mRNA isoform expression in association to the enhanced AE activity in the hypertrophied myocardium of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Methods: AE activity was determined by the initial rates of the pHi recovery from imposed intracellular alkalinization (forward mode of exchange) and the pHi rise induced by Cl¯ removal (reverse mode). Net HCO3¯ (JHCO3¯) efflux and influx were respectively determined. AE mRNA isoforms were analyzed by Northern blot with specific probes to detect AE1, AE2 and AE3 mRNAs. Results: Initial JHCO3¯ efflux after imposed alkaline load (pHi≅7.5) was higher in SHR than in normotensive WKY rats (3.01±0.33, n=7, vs. 0.64±0.29 mM/min, n=5, PHCO3¯ influx induced by Cl¯ deprivation was also increased in SHR, 4.24±0.56 mM/min (n=10) versus 2.31±0.26 (n=10, P<0.05) in WKY. In arbitrary units, the 4.1-kb AE1 mRNA decreased in SHR (0.15±0.01, n=7) compared to WKY (0.29±0.06, n=7, P<0.05), whereas the 3.6-kb mRNA did not change. AE2 mRNAs were similarly expressed in WKY and SHR. Cardiac specific AE3 (cAE3) mRNA decreased in SHR, 1.10±0.16 arbitrary units (n=8) versus 1.79±0.24, (n=8, P<0.05) in WKY. Full length AE3 (flAE3) mRNA increased from 0.69±0.06 (WKY, n=8) to 1.25±0.19 arbitrary units in SHR (n=8, P<0.05). Conclusions: The increase in flAE3 mRNA expression in cardiac tissue from the SHR is an adaptive change of the hypertrophied myocardium that might be in connection with the increased activity of the AE.Facultad de Ciencias MédicasCentro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculare

Hyperactivity and altered mRNA isoform expression of the Cl¯/HCO3¯ anion-exchanger in the hypertrophied myocardium

Objective: The aim was to examine the regulation of the cardiac Na+-independent Cl¯/HCO3¯ exchanger (AE) mRNA isoform expression in association to the enhanced AE activity in the hypertrophied myocardium of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Methods: AE activity was determined by the initial rates of the pHi recovery from imposed intracellular alkalinization (forward mode of exchange) and the pHi rise induced by Cl¯ removal (reverse mode). Net HCO3¯ (JHCO3¯) efflux and influx were respectively determined. AE mRNA isoforms were analyzed by Northern blot with specific probes to detect AE1, AE2 and AE3 mRNAs. Results: Initial JHCO3¯ efflux after imposed alkaline load (pHi≅7.5) was higher in SHR than in normotensive WKY rats (3.01±0.33, n=7, vs. 0.64±0.29 mM/min, n=5, PHCO3¯ influx induced by Cl¯ deprivation was also increased in SHR, 4.24±0.56 mM/min (n=10) versus 2.31±0.26 (n=10, P<0.05) in WKY. In arbitrary units, the 4.1-kb AE1 mRNA decreased in SHR (0.15±0.01, n=7) compared to WKY (0.29±0.06, n=7, P<0.05), whereas the 3.6-kb mRNA did not change. AE2 mRNAs were similarly expressed in WKY and SHR. Cardiac specific AE3 (cAE3) mRNA decreased in SHR, 1.10±0.16 arbitrary units (n=8) versus 1.79±0.24, (n=8, P<0.05) in WKY. Full length AE3 (flAE3) mRNA increased from 0.69±0.06 (WKY, n=8) to 1.25±0.19 arbitrary units in SHR (n=8, P<0.05). Conclusions: The increase in flAE3 mRNA expression in cardiac tissue from the SHR is an adaptive change of the hypertrophied myocardium that might be in connection with the increased activity of the AE.Facultad de Ciencias MédicasCentro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculare

Transport activity of chimaeric AE2-AE3 chloride/bicarbonate anion exchange proteins.

Chloride/bicarbonate anion exchangers (AEs), found in the plasma membrane of most mammalian cells, are involved in pH regulation and bicarbonate metabolism. Although AE2 and AE3 are highly similar in sequence, AE2-transport activity was 10-fold higher than AE3 (41 versus 4 mM x min(-1) respectively), when expressed by transient transfection of HEK-293 cells. AE2-AE3 chimaeras were constructed to define the region responsible for differences in transport activity. The level of AE2 expression was approx. 30% higher than that of AE3. Processing to the cell surface, studied by chemical labelling and confocal microscopy, showed that AE2 is processed to the cell surface approx. 8-fold more efficiently than AE3. The efficiency of cell-surface processing was dependent on the cytoplasmic domain, since the AE2 domain conferred efficient processing upon the AE3 membrane domain, with a predominant role for amino acids 322-677 of AE2. AE2 that was expressed in HEK-293 cells was glycosylated, but little of AE3 was. However, AE2 expressed in the presence of the glycosylation inhibitor, tunicamycin, was not glycosylated, yet retained 85 +/- 8% of anion-transport activity. Therefore glycosylation has little, if any, role in the cell-surface processing or activity of AE2 or AE3. We conclude that the low anion-transport activity of AE3 in HEK-293 cells is due to low level processing to the plasma membrane, possibly owing to protein interactions with the AE3 cytoplasmic domain