Comparison of K-Cl Cotransport Expression in High and Low K Dog Erythrocytes

Abstract

K-Cl cotransport plays a crucial role in regulatory volume decrease of erythrocytes. K-Cl cotransport activities in dog erythrocytes with an inherited high Na-K pump activity (HK) and normal erythrocytes (LK) were compared. Nitrite (NO₂) stimulated K-Cl cotransport activity in HK cells around 14-fold at 2.4 mM, and it also increased the K_m value of this cotransporter. Real-time PCR and western blot analysis revealed that K-Cl cotransporter 1 was dominant, and that the quantity of K-Cl cotransporter 1 protein was comparable between HK and LK erythrocytes. These results suggest that the difference in cotransport activity was not caused by the amount of K-Cl cotransport protein but by a difference in the regulation system, which is susceptible to oxidant.