pH gradient-dependent increased Na+-H+ antiport capacity of the rabbit remnant kidney.

The adaptative response of the renal proximal tubule to a reduction of renal mass was studied in brush border membrane vesicles prepared from the solitary remnant kidney (RK) of subtotally nephrectomized rabbits. The in vivo acid-base status of RK and sham-operated controls (SK) was similar. In the absence of organic solutes, Na+ flux across the membrane demonstrated features of Na+-H+ antiport, i.e., stimulation by a transmembrane pH gradient and inhibition by amiloride. Kinetic parameters for Na+-H+ antiport were derived with different experimental protocols. In the presence of an opposing H+ gradient and over a limited range of Na+ concentration, JNamax was enhanced 65% in RK vesicles compared with SK vesicles and KtNa was unchanged. The enhanced JNamax was not apparent under H+ equilibrium conditions, Comparable values for JNamax and KtNa were obtained by studying RK vesicles at external Na+ concentrations of 0-200 mM and resolving uptake into a substrate component, representing Na+-H+ antiport, and a...