Risk factors for campylobacteriosis: an epidemiological surveillance study of patients and retail poultry.

Isolates from Campylobacter jejuni-infected patients were collected and fresh poultry meat from retail sources was sampled during the same time period and within the same geographical area. The patients were interviewed about exposure to known risk factors, and a significant correlation between the presence of a poultry subtype in patients and the consumption of fresh poultry meat was observed.

A case-cohort study to investigate concomitant waterborne outbreaks of Campylobacter and gastroenteritis in Söderhamn, Sweden, 2002-3.

Increased domestic, laboratory confirmed, Campylobacter notifications were reported in Siderhamn municipality, December 2002 and January 2003. Concurrently, during preliminary investigations a large outbreak of acute gastroenteritis was detected. Simultaneously, two studies were completed to identify risk factors for infection with Campylobacter and acute gastrointestinal infection (AGI): (1) a case-cohort study using Campylobacter cases (N = 101) with a large random sample from the municipal population as referents (N = 1000) and (2) a retrospective cohort study for the outcome AGI using the same sample. A postal questionnaire was used to collect demographic, clinical, water and food consumption data. Measures of association (risk ratio (RR), odds ratio (OR)) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. Stool, environmental and water samples were tested by standard methods at Gävle Hospital and SMI laboratories respectively. In the case-cohort study, Camplylobacter cases were more likely than referents to consume communal water (OR = 12.6 (95% CI 1.7-92.3)). In the cohort study, risk of gastroenteritis was 2.3 times higher in those who consumed water (AR = 27.3%) than others (AR = 12%). Risk of illness was associated with the amount of water consumed in both studies. Campylobacter was detected in stools and Escherichia coli (E. coli) from routine communal water (CW) samples. Results suggest both Söderhamn outbreaks of Campylobacter and AGI were associated with consumption of CW. The method used strengthened epidemiological evidence and was efficient in the use of time and resources.

Fibroblast growth factor receptor 1-induced differentiation of endothelial cell line established from tsA58 large T transgenic mice.

Angiogenesis of capillary endothelial cells includes at least four sequential cellular responses: digestion of basement membrane, migration, proliferation, and differentiation. To study differentiation of endothelial cells, we established a brain capillary endothelial cell line from H-2Kb-tsA58 transgenic mice. These cells are stable at 33 degrees C and display endothelial cell-specific characters, such as expression of von Willebrand factor and binding sites for the lectin Bandeiraea simplifolia, and uptake of acetylated-low density lipoprotein. We measured the effects of a panel of growth factors on cellular responses. A number of factors, such as hepatocyte growth factor, vascular endothelial growth factor, and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-AA failed to induce biological responses. PDGF-BB, epidermal growth factor, and acidic and basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF) induced proliferation of the cells. Of all the factors tested, only acidic FGF and basic FGF induced differentiation of the cells, visualized as the formation of tube-like structures of cells grown in three-dimensional collagen gels. All factors were also analyzed for their effects on plasminogen activator (PA)-induction and migration of the cells. Transfected cells, expressing a chimeric receptor, composed of the extracellular part from the PDGF alpha-receptor and the intracellular part from FGF receptor-1, responded to PDGF-AA treatment with plasminogen activator induction, migration, proliferation, and tube formation in collagen. These results indicate that FGF receptor-1 coupled to signal transduction pathways, leading to differentiation. This novel cell model offers the potential of detailed dissection of signal transduction pathways involved in the differentiation of endothelial cells.

The anti-inflammatory agent alpha-trinositol exerts its edema-preventing effects through modulation of beta 1 integrin function.

Edema formation in acute inflammation can be induced through lowering of interstitial fluid pressure (Pif) and seems to involve dynamic beta 1 integrin-mediated interactions between dermal cells and extracellular matrix fibers. The present experiments investigate the role of beta 1 integrins in the control of Pif. The anti-inflammatory drug alpha-trinositol (1,2,6-D-myo-inositol trisphosphate) stabilizes Pif in acute inflammation. Pretreatment with 5 mg IV alpha-trinositol in pentobarbital-anesthetized rats inhibited the lowering in Pif and the edema formation induced by subdermal injection of anti-beta 1 integrin IgG. This stabilization of the beta 1 integrin function in vivo was paralleled by effects of alpha-trinositol on contraction of fibroblast-populated three-dimensional collagen lattices in vitro. alpha-Trinositol was additive to the known stimulatory effect of platelet-derived growth factor-BB on the final gel size in the collagen gel contraction assay. Furthermore, alpha-trinositol counteracted the inhibitory effect of anti-beta 1 integrin Fab fragments on collagen gel contraction. Finally, subdermal injection of dibutyryl-cAMP (db-cAMP) induced increased negativity of Pif to the same extent as did anti-beta 1 integrin antibodies, and in vitro db-cAMP reduced the ability of fibroblasts to contract collagen gels. The latter effect was opposed by alpha-trinositol. The data demonstrate that alpha-trinositol modulates beta 1 integrin function and may do so via intracellular pathways in turn affecting the function and/or cell surface expression of beta 1 integrins and suggest that alpha-trinositol can serve as a tool to study integrin function. Furthermore, the data indicate that the collagen contraction assays may provide important information of the control of Pif in vivo.

Microvascular pericytes express platelet-derived growth factor-beta receptors in human healing wounds and colorectal adenocarcinoma.

The expression of platelet-derived growth factor- beta (PDGF-beta) receptors in the microvasculature of human healing wounds and colorectal adenocarcinoma was investigated. Frozen sections were subjected to double immunofluorescence staining using monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) specific for pericytes (MAb 225.28 recognizing the high-molecular weight-melanoma-associated antigen, expressed by activated pericytes during angiogenesis), endothelial cells (MAb PAL-E), laminin, as well as PDGF-beta receptors (MAb PDGFR-B2) and its ligand PDGF-B chain (MAb PDGF 007). Stained sections were analyzed by computer-aided imaging processing that allowed for a numerical quantification of the degree of colocalization of the investigated antigens. An apparent background colocalization, varying between 23 and 35%, between markers for cells not expected to co-localize was recorded. This background could be due to limitations of camera resolution, to out-of-focus fluorescence, and to interdigitations of the investigated structures. In all six tumor specimens, co-localization of PDGF-beta receptors and PAL-E was not different from the background co-localization, whereas that of PDGF-beta receptors and high-molecular weight-melanoma-associated antigen was significantly higher with mean values between 57 and 71%. Qualitatively, the same pattern was obtained in the two investigated healing wounds. PDGF-B chain did not co-localize with either PAL-E or high-molecular weight-melanoma-associated antigen, but PDGF-B chain-expressing cells were, however, frequently found juxtaposed to the microvasculature. The expression of PDGF-beta receptors on pericytes in activated microvessels and the presence of PDGF-B chain-expressing cells in close proximity to the microvasculature of healing wounds and colorectal adenocarcinoma is compatible with a role for PDGF in the physiology of the microvasculature in these conditions.

Proximal duodenal enterocyte transport: evidence for Na(+)-H+ and Cl(-)-HCO3- exchange and NaHCO3 cotransport.

The duodenum, in contrast to the jejunum, actively secretes HCO3- at a high rate, a process that protects the mucosa from acid/peptic injury. Our purpose was to define the mechanisms involved in HCO3- transport by studying the acid-base transport processes in isolated duodenal enterocytes. Individual rat duodenocytes, isolated by a combination of Ca2+ chelation and collagenase, attached to a collagen matrix were loaded with the pH-sensitive fluoroprobe 2',7'-bis(2-carboxyethyl)-5(6)-carboxyfluorescein acetoxymethyl ester (BCECF-AM), and intracellular pH was monitored by microfluorospectrophotometry. To identify Na(+)-H+ transport, cells in N-2-hydroxyethylpiperazine-N'-2-ethanesulfonic acid 1) were pulsed with NH4Cl (40 mM) in the absence and presence of amiloride and 2) were removed of Na+. To examine Cl(-)-HCO3- exchange, Cl- was removed from Ringer-HCO3- superfusate in the presence and absence of dihydro-4,4'-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid (H2DIDS). The NaHCO3 cotransporter was studied by addition and subtraction of Na+ to amiloride-treated and Cl(-)-depleted enterocytes perfused with Na(+)- and Cl(-)-free Ringer-HCO3- buffer with and without H2DIDS. Mammalian duodenocytes contain at least three acid-base transporters: an amiloride-sensitive Na(+)-H+ exchanger that extrudes acid, a DIDS-sensitive Cl(-)-HCO3- exchanger that extrudes base, and a NaHCO3 cotransporter, also DIDS sensitive, that functions as a base loader. These acid-base transporters likely play a key role in duodenal mucosal HCO3- secretion.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Calcium signaling mechanisms in the gastric parietal cell.

Gastric hydrochloric acid (HCl) secretion is stimulated in vivo by histamine, acetylcholine, and gastrin. In vitro studies have shown that histamine acts mainly via a cAMP-dependent pathway, and acetylcholine acts via a calcium-dependent pathway. Histamine also elevates intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) in parietal cells. Both gastrin and acetylcholine release histamine from histamine-containing cells. In humans, rats, and rabbits, there is considerable controversy as to whether or not gastrin receptors are also present on the parietal cell. We utilized digitized video image analysis techniques in this study to demonstrate gastrin-induced changes in intracellular calcium in single parietal cells from rabbit in primary culture. Gastrin also stimulated a small increase in [14C]-aminopyrine (AP) accumulation, an index of acid secretory responsiveness in cultured parietal cells. In contrast to histamine and the cholinergic agonist, carbachol, stimulation of parietal cells with gastrin led to rapid loss of the calcium signaling response, an event that is presumed to be closely related to gastrin receptor activation. Moreover, different calcium signaling patterns were observed for histamine, carbachol, and gastrin, Previous observations coupled with present studies using manganese, caffeine, and ryanodine suggest that agonist-stimulated increases in calcium influx into parietal cells do not occur via voltage-sensitive calcium channels or nonspecific divalent cation channels. It also appears to be unlikely that release of intracellular calcium is mediated by a muscle or neuronal-type ryanodine receptor. We hypothesize that calcium influx may be mediated by either a calcium exchange mechanism or by an unidentified calcium channel subtype that possesses different molecular characteristics as compared to muscle, nerve, and certain secretory cell types such as, for example, the adrenal chromaffin cell. Release of intracellular calcium may be mediated via both InsP3-sensitive and -insensitive mechanisms. The InsP3-insensitive calcium pools, if present, do not appear, however, to possess ryanodine receptors capable of modulating calcium efflux from these storage sites.

Calcium oscillations and morphological transformations in single cultured gastric parietal cells.

Calcium is an important regulator of cellular activities including HCl secretion by parietal cells. With cholinergic agonists, a role for calcium is established; however, with histamine, at least two signaling pathways may be involved including calcium and adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP). Because chelation of medium and/or cellular calcium has pronounced inhibitory effects on cholinergic but lesser effects on histamine-stimulated acid secretory responses in cell populations, the calcium pathway may not be of central importance for HCl secretion regulated by histamine. We have used digitized video imaging of fura-2 fluorescence ratios and cellular morphology to determine more precisely the relationship between cellular calcium signaling mechanisms and acid secretion in single cultured rabbit parietal cells. Calcium signaling patterns were found to exhibit striking differences with histamine as compared with the cholinergic agonist carbachol. Maximal doses of histamine initiated repetitive oscillations in intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) in approximately 50% of cells, whereas the maximal carbachol response was characterized by a typical initial spike followed by a sustained elevation in [Ca2+]i. Oscillations in response to carbachol were detected only at doses below the half-maximal concentration for initiation of acid secretion. Correlation of gradual expansion of acidic vacuoles with increases in [Ca2+]i in the same cells indicated that approximately 20% of cells increased acid secretory-related activities in response to histamine with no detectable rise in [Ca2+]i. These data suggest two possibilities: 1) a rise in [Ca2+]i is not necessary for histamine-stimulated HCl secretion, or 2) heterogeneous receptor-coupling mechanisms exist in parietal cell populations with either calcium or cAMP mechanisms predominating in different subpopulations. The ability to assess simultaneously acid secretory-related responses and calcium signaling patterns allows, for the first time, correlation of "physiological" and biochemical responses in single parietal cells. This methodology is expected to provide new insight into second messenger control mechanisms that are not possible either in cell populations or acutely isolated parietal cells that do not exhibit morphological transformations detectable at the light microscope level.

HCl secretion and [Ca2+]i in cultured parietal cells.

Gastric parietal cells in primary culture have been tested to determine their utility as a model for the study of the role of intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) in the control of HCl secretion. Changes in [Ca2+]i were measured in single cells on a microscope stage using the cell-permeant form of the fluorescent calcium probe, fura-2. Simultaneous images of cell fluorescence and morphology were acquired using a digitized video image analysis system and two video cameras, one for low-light level fluorescence detection and one for high resolution DIC/transmitted light images. Both histamine and carbachol, which are known stimulants of HCl secretion, increased [Ca2+]i and stimulated dramatic changes in morphology in these cultured cells. Changes in morphology were accompanied by an increased uptake of the weak base, [14C]-aminopyrine (AP), and a shift from green to red fluorescence of another weak base, acridine orange. These results indicate that cultured parietal cells, maintained under controlled conditions on a microscope stage, retain viability and secretagogue responsiveness. Thus, this cellular model appears to be suitable for correlation of changes in [Ca2+]i and activation of HCl secretion.

Primary culture of secretagogue-responsive parietal cells from rabbit gastric mucosa.

A new procedure for isolation and primary culture of gastric parietal cells is described. Parietal cells from rabbit gastric mucosa are enriched to greater than 95% purity by combining a Nycodenz gradient separation with centrifugal elutriation. Cells are plated on the basement membrane matrix, Matrigel, and maintained in culture for at least 1 wk. Parietal cells cultured in this manner remain differentiated, cross-react with monoclonal H+-K+-ATPase antibodies, and respond to histamine, gastrin, and cholinergic stimulation with increased acid production as measured by accumulation of the weak base, [14C]aminopyrine. When stimulated, cultured cells undergo ultrastructural changes in which intracellular canaliculi expand and numerous microvilli are observed. These ultrastructural changes are similar to those previously found to occur in vivo and in acutely isolated parietal cells. Morphological transformations in living cells can also be observed with differential interference contrast optics in the light microscope. After histamine stimulation, intracellular canaliculi gradually expand to form large vacuolar spaces. When the H2 receptor antagonist, cimetidine, is added to histamine-stimulated cells, these vacuoles gradually disappear. The ability to maintain hormonally responsive parietal cells in primary culture should make it possible to study direct, long-term effects of a variety of agonists and antagonists on parietal cell secretory-related activity. These cultured cells should also prove to be useful for the study of calcium transients, ion fluxes, and intracellular pH as related to acid secretion in single cells, particularly since morphological transformations can be used to monitor "physiological" responses at the same time within the same cell.

Effects of verapamil on gastric acid secretion in vitro and in vivo.

The activity of H,K-ATPase, the gastric acid producing enzyme, was concentration dependently inhibited by verapamil in the mM range. Verapamil concentration dependently inhibited acid formation in gastric glands, measured as [14C]aminopyrine accumulation or oxygen consumption. The IC50 values were in the microM range. No inhibition of acid secretion by verapamil was observed in Heidenhain-pouch dogs and stomach-lumen-perfused rats. However, in pylorus-ligated rats an inhibition was observed, this effect is related to its cardiovascular effectiveness. To understand the action of verapamil, its physicochemical properties were considered. Verapamil is a highly lipophilic base with a pKa of 8.7. It accumulates in membranes and in the acidic spaces of the parietal cell. We suggest that the inhibition of vesicular bound H,K-ATPase is dependent on a non-specific accumulation of verapamil in the membrane (detergent effect) and that inhibition of acid production in vitro is due to an additional accumulation of the drug in acidic compartments, leading to an impaired function of the proton pump. Verapamil does not decrease acid secretion in vivo by this mechanism as the required dose would be higher than the dose that causes a strong depression of the cardiovascular system.

Inhibition of 14C-aminopyrine accumulation in isolated rabbit gastric glands by the H2-receptor antagonist HOE 760 (TZU-0460).

Acid secretion in isolated rabbit gastric glands was measured by means of the 14C-aminopyrine accumulation technique. Hoe 760 (TZU-0460) and Hoe 062, the desacetylated compound of Hoe 760, caused a concentration-dependent reduction of histamine (100 microM) induced aminopyrine-accumulation. The IC50-values were 3.16 +/- 0.84 microM (n = 5) and 1.58 +/- 0.6 microM (n = 6) for Hoe 760 and Hoe 062, respectively. In comparison an IC50 of 9.0 +/- 0.72 microM (n = 6) was obtained for cimetidine and 3.3 +/- 1.4 microM (n = 5) for ranitidine. The IC50-values of ranitidine, Hoe 760 and Hoe 062 were significantly different (p less than 0.05) from cimetidine. The addition of increasing concentrations of Hoe 760 to the histamine concentration-response curve caused a parallel rightward shift. The transformation of these concentration-response curves according to Arunlakshana and Schild indicated that this inhibition was caused by a competitive antagonism of the histamine receptor on the parietal cell. In agreement with these findings the dbc-AMP stimulated aminopyrine accumulation remained unaffected by the H2-receptor antagonists.

Stimulation of acid formation by histamine, carbachol and pentagastrin in isolated pig parietal cells.

Free cells were obtained by sequential incubations of pig gastric mucosa with pronase and collagenase. Approximately 10-15% of the cell population represented parietal cells. Accumulation of aminopyrine (AP) in the acid compartments of parietal cells was used as an index of their acid production. Histamine, carbachol and pentagastrin each independently stimulated aminopyrine accumulation. The initial rate of aminopyrine accumulation, observed after addition of 10(-4) M carbachol or 10(-6) M pentagastrin, were 32% and 10%, respectively, of that observed with 10(-4) M histamine. Steady-state aminopyrine accumulation in the presence of 10(-4) M histamine, 10(-4) M carbachol or 10(-6) M pentagastrin were 6.2 +/- 3.3, 2.6 +/- 0.6 and 3.0 +/- 1.5 pmol AP per 10(4) parietal cells, respectively (mean +/- SD, n = 5). The EC50 value for histamine was 3.4 +/- 1.4 X 10(-7) M, and for pentagastrin 5.9 +/- 4.2 X 10(-8) M (mean +/- SD, n = 5). The dose-response curve for carbachol was biphasic. A plateau was reached at 10(-5)-10(-4) M carbachol, and for this phase an apparent EC50 of 2.1 +/- 1.4 X 10(-6) M carbachol was calculated (mean +/- SD, n = 5). A further increase to 10(-3) M carbachol increased the aminopyrine accumulation. Atropine (10(-6) M) inhibited the response to concentrations up to 10(-4) M carbachol, but was without effect on the histamine- and pentagastrin-stimulation. The H2-receptor antagonist, cimetidine, right-shifted the dose--response curve for histamine. Also, the pentagastrin-stimulated aminopyrine accumulation was inhibited by cimetidine.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Kinetics of the acid pump in the stomach. Proton transport and hydrolysis of ATP and p-nitrophenyl phosphate by the gastric H,K-ATPase.

Hydrolysis of adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) and p-nitrophenyl phosphate by the hydrogen ion-transporting potassium-stimulated adenosine triphosphatase (H,K-ATPase) was investigated. Hydrolysis of ATP was studied at pH 7.4 in vesicles treated with the ionophore nigericin. The kinetic analysis showed negative cooperativity with one high affinity (Km1 = 3 microM) and one low affinity (Km2 = 208 microM) site for ATP. The rate of hydrolysis decreased at 2000 microM ATP indicating a third site for ATP. When the pH was decreased to 6.5 the experimental results followed Michaelis-Menten enzyme kinetics with one low affinity site (Km = 116 microM). Higher concentrations than 750 microM ATP were inhibitory. Proton transport was measured as accumulation of acridine orange in vesicles equilibrated with 150 mM KCl. The transport at various concentrations of ATP in the pH interval from 6.0 to 8.0 correlated well with the Hill equation with a Hill coefficient between 1.5-1.9. The concentration of ATP resulting in half-maximal transport rate (S0.5) increased from 5 microM at pH 6.0 to 420 microM at pH 8.0. At acidic pH the rate of proton transport decreased at 1000 microM ATP. The K+-stimulated p-nitrophenylphosphatase (pNPPase) activity resulted in a Hill coefficient close to 2 indicating cooperative binding of substrate. The pNPPase was noncompetitively inhibited by ATP and ADP; half-maximal inhibition was obtained at 2 and 100 microM, respectively. Phospholipase C-treated vesicles lost 80% of the pNPPase activity, but the Hill coefficient did not change. These kinetic results are used for a further development of the reaction scheme of the H,K-ATPase.

A method for in vitro studies on acid formation in human parietal cells. Stimulation by histamine, pentagastrin and carbachol.

Cells were isolated from human gastric mucosa on a large scale from gastric resection specimens and on a microscale from endoscopic biopsies by sequential incubations with pronase and collagenase. The accumulation of aminopyrine (AP) was used as an index of acid production in the parietal cells. Basal accumulation was about 0.2 pmol AP/10(4) parietal cells. Addition of histamine, db-cAMP, pentagastrin and carbachol increased the aminopyrine accumulation. Maximal accumulation was of the order of 1000-2800% of the control and was obtained after stimulation by 10(-4) M histamine and by 10(-3) M db-cAMP. Stimulation by pentagastrin and by carbachol reached 200 to 350% of the control. EC50 was 2 X 10(-6) M for histamine, 10(-8) M for pentagastrin, and 4 X 10(-6) M for carbachol. Human parietal cells were enriched from a mixture of gastric mucosal cells by isopycnic centrifugation on density gradients of Percoll. A parietal cell fraction with a purity of 83% was obtained. The density of human parietal cells was estimated to 1.06 g . ml-1.

Preparation of cells from pig gastric mucosa. Isolation of parietal cells by isopycnic centrifugation on linear density gradients of Percoll.

Cells were isolated from pig gastric mucosa by a combination of mechanical and enzymatic treatment. Isopycnic centrifugation on linear density gradients of Percoll provided a simple and rapid procedure for obtaining highly enriched parietal cells and chief cells. Their densities were 1.06 and 1.10 g/ml, respectively. Isolated mucosal cells attached to Petri dishes coated with fibronectin or collagen. Both parietal cells and chief cells adhered more readily to fibronectin than collagen. Mucosal cells and cells from the Percoll gradients were maintained for up to one week as primary cell cultures. The ability of free parietal cells to produce acid was tested by the 14C-aminopyrine accumulation technique. Maximal accumulation was 2.5 pmol aminopyrine per 10(4) parietal cells after incubation for 45 min at 10(-4) M histamine. The EC50 for histamine was 5 X 10(-6) M. The accumulation of aminopyrine at 10(-6) M carbachol and 10(-7) M pentagastrin were for both secretagogues about 0.9 pmol per 10(4) parietal cells.

Characterization of proton-transporting membranes from resting pig gastric mucosa.

Membrane vesicles were purified from resting corpus mucosa of pig stomachs by velocity-sedimentation on a sucrose-Ficoll step gradient. Two vesicular fractions containing the (H+ + K+)-ATPase were obtained. One fraction was tight towards KCl, the other was leaky. At 21 degrees C maximal (H+ + K+)-ATPase activities of 0.8 and 0.4 mumol X mg-1 X min-1, respectively, were observed in lyophilized vesicles. The vesicles contained a membrane-associated carbonic anhydrase, the activity of which was in 100-fold excess of the maximal ATPase activity. Both vesicular fractions were rich in phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, sphingomyelin and cholesterol. The characteristics of ion permeability and transport in the tight vesicles were in agreement with corresponding data for vesicles of a tubulovesicular origin in the parietal cell. Measurement of the rate of K+ uptake into the vesicles was based on the ability of K+ to promote H+ transport. The uptake was slow and dependent on the type of anion present. The effectiveness in promoting uptake of K+ by anions was SCN- greater than NO3- greater than Cl- much greater than HCO3- greater than SO4(2-). Uptake of K+ was much more rapid at alkaline pH than at neutral or at acidic pH. Addition of CO2 at alkaline pH strongly stimulated the rate of H+ accumulation in the vesicles. The initial part of this stimulation was sensitive to acetazolamide, an inhibitor of carbonic anhydrase. A model how the (H+ + K+)-ATPase and the carbonic anhydrase may co-operate is presented. It is concluded that membrane vesicles of a tubulovesicular origin can produce acid.

Effects of pH on the interaction of ligands with the (H+ + K+)-ATPase purified from pig gastric mucosa.

The effects of K+, Na+ and ATP on the gastric (H+ + K+)-ATPase were investigated at various pH. The enzyme was phosphorylated by ATP with a pseudo-first-order rate constant of 3650 min-1 at pH 7.4. This rate constant increased to a maximal value of about 7900 min-1 when pH was decreased to 6.0. Alkalinization decreased the rate constant. At pH 8.0 it was 1290 min-1. Additions of 5 mM K+ or Na+, did not change the rate constant at acidic pH, while at neutral or alkaline pH a decrease was observed. Dephosphorylation of phosphoenzyme in lyophilized vesicles was dependent on K+, but not on Na+. Alkaline pH increased the rate of dephosphorylation. K+ stimulated the ATPase and p-nitrophenylphosphatase activities. At high concentrations K+ was inhibitory. Below pH 7.0 Na+ had little or no effect on the ATPase and p-nitrophenylphosphatase, while at alkaline pH, Na+ inhibited both activities. The effect of extravesicular pH on transport of H+ was investigated. At pH 6.5 the apparent Km for ATP was 2.7 microM and increased little when K+ was added extravesicularly. At pH 7.5, millimolar concentrations of K+ increased the apparent Km for ATP. Extravesicular K+ and Na+ inhibited the transport of H+. The inhibition was strongest at alkaline pH and only slight at neutral or acidic pH, suggesting a competition between the alkali metal ions and hydrogen ions at a common binding site on the cytoplasmic side of the membrane. Two H+-producing reactions as possible candidates as physiological regulators of (H+ + K+)-ATPase were investigated. Firstly, the hydrolysis of ATP per se, and secondly, the hydration of CO2 and the subsequent formation of H+ and HCO3-. The amount of hydrogen ions formed in the ATPase reaction was highest at alkaline pH. The H+/ATP ratio was about 1 at pH 8.0. When CO2 was added to the reaction medium there was no change in the rate of hydrogen ion transport at pH 7.0, but at pH 8.0 the rate increased 4-times upon the addition of 0.4 mM CO2. The results indicate a possible co-operation in the production of acid between the H+ + K+-ATPase and a carbonic anhydrase associated with the vesicular membrane.