The involvement of H+-ATPase and carbonic anhydrase in intestinal HCO3– secretion in seawater-acclimated rainbow trout

SUMMARY Pyloric caeca and anterior intestine epithelia from seawater-acclimated rainbow trout exhibit different electrophysiological parameters with lower transepithelial potential and higher epithelial conductance in the pyloric caeca than the anterior intestine. Both pyloric caeca and the anterior intestine secrete HCO3– at high rates in the absence of serosal HCO3–/CO2, demonstrating that endogenous CO2 is the principal source of HCO3– under resting control conditions. Apical, bafilomycin-sensitive, H+ extrusion occurs in the anterior intestine and probably acts to control luminal osmotic pressure while enhancing apical anion exchange; both processes with implications for water absorption. Cytosolic carbonic anhydrase (CAc) activity facilitates CO2 hydration to fuel apical anion exchange while membrane-associated, luminal CA activity probably facilitates the conversion of HCO3– to CO2. The significance of membrane-bound, luminal CA may be in part to reduce HCO3– gradients across the apical membrane to further enhance anion exchange and thus Cl– absorption and to facilitate the substantial CaCO3 precipitation occurring in the lumen of marine teleosts. In this way, membrane-bound, luminal CA thus promotes the absorption of osmolytes and reduction on luminal osmotic pressure, both of which will serve to enhance osmotic gradients to promote intestinal water absorption.