title: Regulation of the epithelial Na(+) channel by intracellular Na(+).
abstract: The hypothesis that the intracellular Na(+) concentration ([Na(+)](i)) is a regulator of the epithelial Na(+) channel (ENaC) was tested with the Xenopus oocyte expression system by utilizing a dual-electrode voltage clamp. [Na(+)](i) averaged 48.1 +/- 2.2 meq (n = 27) and was estimated from the amiloride-sensitive reversal potential. [Na(+)](i) was increased by direct injection of 27.6 nl of 0.25 or 0.5 M Na(2)SO(4). Within minutes of injection, [Na(+)](i) stabilized and remained elevated at 97.8 +/- 6.5 meq (n = 9) and 64. 9 +/- 4.4 (n = 5) meq 30 min after the initial injection of 0.5 and 0.25 M Na(2)SO(4), respectively. This increase of [Na(+)](i) caused a biphasic inhibition of ENaC currents. In oocytes injected with 0.5 M Na(2)SO(4) (n = 9), a rapid decrease of inward amiloride-sensitive slope conductance (g(Na)) to 0.681 +/- 0.030 of control within the first 3 min and a secondary, slower decrease to 0.304 +/- 0.043 of control at 30 min were observed. Similar but smaller inhibitions were also observed with the injection of 0.25 M Na(2)SO(4). Injection of isotonic K(2)SO(4) (70 mM) or isotonic K(2)SO(4) made hypertonic with sucrose (70 mM K(2)SO(4)-1.2 M sucrose) was without effect. Injection of a 0.5 M concentration of either K(2)SO(4), N-methyl-D-glucamine (NMDG) sulfate, or 0.75 M NMDG gluconate resulted in a much smaller initial inhibition (<14%) and little or no secondary decrease. Thus increases of [Na(+)](i) have multiple specific inhibitory effects on ENaC that can be temporally separated into a rapid phase that was complete within 2-3 min and a delayed slow phase that was observed between 5 and 30 min.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Department of Physiology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112, USA.
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Awayda
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D053503:Epithelial Sodium Channels; D005260:Female; D006982:Hypertonic Solutions / Q000494:pharmacology; D007425:Intracellular Membranes / Q000378:metabolism*; D007477:Ions; D009865:Oocytes; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D010539:Permeability; D012964:Sodium / Q000378:metabolism*; D026941:Sodium Channel Blockers; D015222:Sodium Channels / Q000378:metabolism*; D014981:Xenopus
chemical_list: D053503:Epithelial Sodium Channels; D006982:Hypertonic Solutions; D007477:Ions; D026941:Sodium Channel Blockers; D015222:Sodium Channels; D012964:Sodium