We studied total exchangeable sodium, ion transport activity at maximal rate, and erythrocyte Na+ content in response to angiotensin converting enzyme inhibition in mild-to-moderate essential hypertensive patients with normal renal function. Twenty-five patients (mean age 56 years, range 40-62 years) who had abnormal red blood cell Na(+)-K(+)-Cl- cotransport or red blood cell Li(+)-Na+ countert...

Voltage-activated H(+)-selective currents were studied in cultured adult rat alveolar epithelial cells and in human neutrophils using the whole-cell configuration of the patch-clamp technique. The H+ conductance, gH, although highly selective for protons, was modulated by monovalent cations. In Na+ and to a smaller extent in Li+ solutions, H+ currents were depressed substantially and the voltag...

In extreme alkaliphiles, Na(+)/H(+) antiporters play a central role in the Na(+) cycle that supports pH homeostasis, Na(+) resistance, solute uptake, and motility. Properties of individual antiporters have only been examined in extremely alkaliphilic soil Bacillus spp., whereas the most alkaline natural habitats usually couple high pH with high salinity. Here, studies were conducted on a Na(+)(...

The porous mixed oxide SiO2/TiO2/Sb2O5 obtained by the sol-gel processing method presented a good ion exchange property and a high exchange capacity towards the Li+, Na+ and K+ ions. In the H+/ M+ ion exchange process, the H+ / Na+ could be described as presenting an ideal character. The ion exchange equilibria of Li+ and K+ were quantitatively described with the help of the model of fixed tetr...

First-ascent red giants with strong and very strong Li lines have just been discovered in globular clusters. Using the stellar internal prompt (7)Li enrichment-mass-loss scenario, we explore the possibility of (7)Li enrichment in the interstellar matter of the globular cluster M3 produced by these Li-rich giants. We found that enrichment as large as 70% or more compared to the initial (7)Li con...

Bovine chromaffin secretory vesicle ghosts loaded with Na+ were found to take up Ca2+ when incubated in K+ media or in sucrose media containing micromolar concentrations of free Ca2+. Li+- or choline+-loaded ghosts did not take up Ca2+. The Ca2+ accumulated by Na+-loaded ghosts could be released by the Ca2+ ionophore A23187, but not by EGTA. Ca2+ uptake was inhibited by external Sr2+, Na+, Li+,...

The melibiose carrier of Escherichia coli couples sugar transport to H+, Na+, and Li+, while that of Klebsiella pneumoniae utilizes only H+ and Li+. We made five chimeric carriers derived from the two carriers to identify the region(s) involved in Na+ recognition. The chimeric carriers E2K10, E4K8, E6K6, E8K4, and E10K2 have the amino-terminal 77, 144, 197, 298, and 349 amino acid residues deri...

Na(+)-Ca2+ exchange has been identified as a mechanism for regulation of intracellular Ca ion concentration ([Ca2+]i) in neurons of invertebrates and vertebrates, but for mammalian central neurons its role in restoration of resting [Ca2+]i after transient increases induced by stimulation has been less clear. We have examined the recovery of [Ca2+]i following K+ depolarization and glutamate rece...

Ghrelin is a 28-amino acid peptide hormone that exerts powerful orexigenic effects. Ghrelin receptor expression has been reported in the kidney, but the role of ghrelin in the kidney is unknown. The present studies confirmed ghrelin receptor mRNA expression in the kidneys of normal Sprague Dawley rats (n=6) using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing of the 588-bp...

In salt-tolerant Chara longifolia, enhanced Na+ efflux plays an important role in maintaining low cytoplasmic Na+. When it is cultured in fresh water (FW), C. longifolia has a higher Na+ efflux than the obligate FW Chara corallina, although pH dependence and inhibitor profiles are similar for both species (1. Whittington and M.A. Bisson 119941 j Exp Bot 45: 657-665). When it is cultured in salt...