Low pH enhances expression of carbonic anhydrase II by cultured rat inner medullary collecting duct cells.

Carbonic anhydrase (CA) facilitates the secretion of protons from renal epithelia by catalyzing the buffering of hydroxyl ions by CO2. We have previously found that inner medullary collecting duct (IMCD) cells cultured from rat kidney secrete protons and express CA II. Incubation of IMCD cells in acidic medium for 48 h has been shown to stimulate the secretion of protons by a protein synthesis-dependent process. To establish whether CA II might be involved in this process, IMCD cells were exposed to incubation media supplemented with 10(-7) M deoxycorticosterone acetate, pH 7.0 (acid) or pH 7.7 (control) for 48 h, and CA II mRNA and protein were quantitated. Part of the CA II cDNA was obtained by reverse transcription of total RNA from rat kidney followed by amplification using oligonucleotide primers derived from conserved areas in the coding regions of human, mouse, and chick CA II cDNAs in a polymerase chain reaction. By Northern analysis, steady-state levels of CA II mRNA from acid-incubated cells showed an increase of 80% compared with controls and 70% when expressed relative to a housekeeping mRNA, beta-actin. Western blot analysis using a human antibody to CA II showed an approximate doubling of CA II protein after acid incubation. By immunofluorescence microscopy, the domes of acid-incubated IMCD cells contained considerably more CA II-stained cells than found in control cultures. Thus incubation of IMCD cells in acid medium stimulates the expression of CA II mRNA and protein.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)