Bicarbonate exporting transporters in the ovine ruminal epithelium

In order to stabilize the intraruminal pH, bicarbonate secretion by the ruminal epithelium seems to be an important prerequisite. The present study therefore focussed on the characterization of bicarbonate exporting systems in ruminal epithelial cells. Intracellular pH ( pH(i)) was measured spectrofluorometrically in primary cultured ruminal epithelial cells loaded with the pH- sensitive fluorescent dye, 2,7- bis( carboxyethyl)5( 6 )- carboxyfluorescein acetomethyl ester. Switching from CO2/ HCO3-- buffered to HEPES- buffered solution caused a rapid intracellular alkalinization followed by a counter- regulation towards initial pH(i). The recovery of pH(i) was dependent upon extracellular chloride, but independent of extracellular sodium. Adding 500 mu M H2DIDS significantly reduced the increase of pH(i). For further characterization of the bicarbonate exporting systems, we tested the ability to reverse the direction from HCO3- export to import in the absence of sodium and chloride. Under sodium and chloride- free conditions, counter- regulation after CO2- induced pH(i) decrease did not differ from pH(i) recovery in the presence of sodium and chloride. Existence of bicarbonate exporting systems in cultured ruminal epithelial cells and intact ruminal epithelium was verified by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction ( RT- PCR). Using RT- PCR and subsequent sequencing, expression of mRNA encoding for AE2, DRA and PAT1 could be found. Bicarbonate exporting systems could therefore be detected both on the functional and structural level.