Sulphate-ion/sodium-ion co-transport by brush-border membrane vesicles isolated from rat kidney cortex

Abstract

Uptake of SO42− into brush-border membrane vesicles isolated from rat kindey cortex by a Ca2+-precipitation method was investigated by using a rapid-filtration technique. Uptake of SO42− by the vesicles was osmotically sensitive and represented transport into an intra-vesicular space. Transport of SO42− by brush-border membranes was stimulated in the presence of Na+, compared with the presence of K+ or other univalent cations. A typical ‘overshoot’ phenomenon was observed in the presence of an NaCl gradient (100mm-Na+ outside/zero mm-Na+ inside). Radioactive-SO42− exchange was faster in the presence of Na+ than in the presence of K+. Addition of gramicidin-D, an ionophore for univalent cations, decreased the Na+-gradient-driven SO42− uptake. SO42− uptake was only saturable in the presence of Na+. Counter-transport of Na+-dependent SO42− transport was shown with MoO42− and S2O32−, but not with PO42−. Changing the electrical potential difference across the vesicle membrane by establishing different diffusion potentials (anion replacement; K+ gradient±valinomycin) was not able to alter Na+-dependent SO42− uptake. The experiments indicate the presence of an electroneutral Na+/SO42−-co-transport system in brush-border membrane vesicles isolated from rat kidney cortex.