Abstract
The pathway by which L-lactate (Lac) crosses the plasma membrane of isolated human neutrophils was investigated. The influx of [14C]Lac from a 2 mM Lac, 145 mM Cl-, 5.6 mM glucose medium was approximately 1.5 meq/liter of cell water.min and was sensitive to the organomercurial agent mersalyl (apparent Ki approximately 20 microM), to alpha-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamate (CHC), the classical inhibitor of monocarboxylate transport in mitochondria, and to UK-5099 (apparent Ki approximately 40 microM), a more potent analogue of CHC. Transport was also strongly blocked (greater than 80%) by 1 mM of either 3,5- diiodosalicylic acid, MK-473 (an indanyloxyacetate derivative), or diphenyl-amine-2-carboxylate, and by 0.4 mM pentachlorophenol, but not by 1 mM ethacrynic acid, furosemide, or the disulfonic stilbenes SITS or H2DIDS. One-way [14C]Lac efflux from steady-state cells amounted to approximately 6 meq/liter.min and was likewise affected by the agents listed above. Influx, which was membrane potential insensitive and Na+ independent, displayed a strong pH dependence: extracellular acidification enhanced uptake while alkalinization inhibited the process (pK' approximately 5.7 at 2 mM external Lac). The rate of [14C]Lac influx was a saturable function of external Lac, the Km being approximately 7 mM. Steady-state cells exhibited an intracellular Lac content of approximately 5 mM and secreted lactic acid into the bathing medium a a rate of approximately 4 meq/liter.min. Secretion was completely suppressed by 1 mM mersalyl which inactivates the carrier, leading to an internal accumulation of Lac. That the Lac carrier truly mediates an H+ + Lac- cotransport (or formally equivalent Lac-/OH- exchange) was documented by pH-stat techniques wherein an alkalinization of poorly buffered medium could be detected upon the addition of Lac; these pH changes were sensitive to mersalyl. Thus, the Lac carrier of neutrophils possesses several features in common with other monocarboxylate transport systems in erythrocytes and epithelia.
Full Text
The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (1.5 MB).