V-type H+-ATPase in the human eccrine sweat duct: immunolocalization and functional demonstration

Abstract

We investigated for the presence of a vacuolar-type H+-ATPase (V-ATPase) in the human eccrine sweat duct (SD). With the use of immunocytochemistry, an anti-V- ATPase antibody showed a strong staining at the apical membrane and a weaker one in the cytoplasm. Cold preservation followed by rewarming did not alter this staining pattern. With the use of the pH-sensitive dye 2′,7′-bis(2-carboxyethyl)-5(6)-carboxyfluorescein on isolated and perfused straight SD under HCO[Formula: see text]-free conditions and in the absence of Na+, proton extrusion was determined from the recovery rate of intracellular pH (dpHi/d t) following an acid load. Oligomycin (25 μM), an inhibitor of F-type ATPases, decreased dpHi/d t by 88 ± 6%, suggesting a role for an ATP-dependent process involved in pHi recovery. Moreover, dpHi/d t was inhibited at 95 ± 3% by 100 nM luminal concanamycin A, a specific inhibitor of V-ATPases, whereas 10 μM bafilomycin A1, another specific inhibitor of V-ATPases, was required to decrease dpHi/d t by 73%. These results strongly suggest that a V-ATPase is involved in proton secretion in the human eccrine SD.