Characterization of essential arginine residues implicated in the renal transport of phosphate and glucose

Abstract We have characterized the reaction of arginine-specific reagents with the phosphate and glucose carriers of the kidney brush-border membrane. The inhibition of phosphate and glucose transport by phenylglyoxal follows pseudo-first-order kinetics. The rate of inactivation of phosphate transport by 50 mM phenylglyoxal was about 3-fold higher than that for glucose transport ( k app was 0.052 s −1 for the uptake of phosphate and 0.019 s −1 for the uptake of glucose). The order of the reaction, n , with respect to phenylglyoxal was 1.25 and 1.31 for the inactivation of phosphate and glucose transport, respectively. The inactivation of phosphate flux by p -hydroxyphenylglyoxal also follows pseudo-first-order kinetics, but the inhibition rate ( k app = 0.0012 s −1 ) was slower than with phenylglyoxal. The inactivation increased with the alkalinity of the preincubation medium for both phosphate and glucose fluxes and was maximal at pH 9.0. The inactivation of phosphate flux by phenylglyoxal depends upon the presence of an alkaline intravesicular pH. Extravesicular pH does not affect the reaction. Phenylglyoxal does not interfere with the recycling of the protonated carrier since phosphate uptake is inhibited independently of the pH used for transport measurements. Moreover, phenylglyoxal completely abolished trans stimulation by phosphate. Trans sodium inhibited phosphate uptake and abolished the pH profile of phosphate uptake.