The cytoplasmic carboxyl-terminal domain of AE1, the plasma membrane chloride/bicarbonate exchanger of erythrocytes, contains a binding site for carbonic anhydrase II (CAII). To examine the physiological role of the AE1/CAII interaction, anion exchange activity of transfected HEK293 cells was monitored by following the changes in intracellular pH associated with AE1-mediated bicarbonate transport. AE1-mediated chloride/bicarbonate exchange was reduced 50 -60% by inhibition of endogenous carbonic anhydrase with acetazolamide, which indicates that CAII activity is required for full anion transport activity. AE1 mutants, unable to bind CAII, had significantly lower transport activity than wild-type AE1 (10% of wild-type activity), suggesting that a direct interaction was required. To determine the effect of displacement of endogenous wild-type CAII from its binding site on AE1, AE1-transfected HEK293 cells were co-transfected with cDNA for a functionally inactive CAII mutant, V143Y. AE1 activity was maximally inhibited 61 ؎ 4% in the presence of V143Y CAII. A similar effect of V143Y CAII was found for AE2 and AE3cardiac anion exchanger isoforms. We conclude that the binding of CAII to the AE1 carboxyl-terminus potentiates anion transport activity and allows for maximal transport. The interaction of CAII with AE1 forms a transport metabolon, a membrane protein complex involved in regulation of bicarbonate metabolism and transport.Carbon dioxide, the metabolic end product of oxidative respiration, must be effectively cleared from the human body. CO 2 diffuses out of cells into the blood stream and into erythrocytes, where it is hydrated by cytosolic carbonic anhydrase (CA). 1 The resulting membrane-impermeant HCO 3 Ϫ is exported into the plasma by the plasma membrane Cl Ϫ /HCO 3 Ϫ anion exchanger (AE1), thus increasing the blood capacity for carrying CO 2 . Upon returning to the lungs the process is reversed; HCO 3 Ϫ is transported into the erythrocyte in exchange for Cl Ϫ by AE1 and dehydrated by CA, and the resulting CO 2 diffuses across the erythrocyte and alveolar membranes to be expired from the body. The 5 ϫ 10 4 s Ϫ1 turnover rate of AE1 (1) and the high content of AE1 in the membrane (2) facilitate completion of bicarbonate transport within 50 ms during passage of an erythrocyte through a capillary (3).AE1 is a 911-amino acid polytopic glycoprotein that facilitates the one for one electroneutral exchange of Cl Ϫ for HCO 3

Plasma membrane Cl(-)/HCO(3)(-) anion-exchange (AE) proteins contribute to regulation of intracellular pH (pH(i)). We characterized the transport activity and regulation by pH(i) of full-length AE3 and the cardiac isoform, AE3c, both of which are expressed in the heart. AE3c is an N-terminal variant of AE3. We also characterized AE1, AE2 and a deletion construct (AE3tr) coding for the common region of AE3 and AE3c. AE proteins were expressed by transient transfection of HEK-293 cells, and transport activity was monitored by following changes of intracellular pH or intracellular chloride concentration associated with anion exchange. Transport activities, measured as proton flux (mM H(+).min(-1)), were as follows: AE1, 24; AE2, 32; full-length AE3, 9; AE3c, 4 and AE3tr, 4. The wide range of transport activities is not explained by variation of cell surface processing since approx. 30% of each isoform was expressed on the cell surface. pH(i) was clamped at a range of values from 6.0-9.0 to examine regulation of AE proteins by pH(i). Whereas AE2 was steeply inhibited by acid pH(i), AE1, AE3 and AE3c were essentially insensitive to changes of pH(i). We conclude that AE3 and AE3c can contribute to pH(i) recovery after cellular-acid loading.

AE1 is the chloride/bicarbonate anion exchanger of the erythrocyte plasma membrane. We have used scanning cysteine mutagenesis and sulfhydryl-specific chemistry to identify pore-lining residues in the Ser 643 -Ser 690 region of the protein. The Ser 643 -Ser 690 region spans transmembrane segment 8 of AE1 and surrounds Glu 681 , which may reside at the transmembrane permeability barrier. Glu 681 also directly interacts with some anions during anion transport. The introduced cysteine mutants were expressed by transient transfection of HEK293 cells. Anion exchange activity was assessed by measurement of changes of intracellular pH, which follow transmembrane bicarbonate movement mediated by AE1. To identify residues that might form part of an aqueous transmembrane pore, we measured anion exchange activity of each introduced cysteine mutant before and after incubation with the sulfhydryl reagents para-chloromercuribenzene sulfonate and 2-(aminoethyl)methanethiosulfonate hydrobromide. Our data identified transmembrane mutants A666C, S667C, L669C, L673C, L677C, and L680C and intracellular mutants I684C and I688C that could be inhibited by sulfhydryl reagents and may therefore form a part of a transmembrane pore. These residues map to one face of a helical wheel plot. The ability to inhibit two intracellular mutants suggests that transmembrane helix 8 extends at least two helical turns beyond the intracellular membrane surface. The identified hydrophobic pore-lining residues (leucine, isoleucine, and alanine) may limit interactions with substrate anions.

terminal cytoplasmic tails of chloride/bicarbonate anion exchangers (AE) bind cytosolic carbonic anhydrase II (CAII) to form a bicarbonate transport metabolon, a membrane protein complex that accelerates transmembrane bicarbonate flux. To determine whether interaction with CAII affects the downregulated in adenoma (DRA) chloride/bicarbonate exchanger, anion exchange activity of DRA-transfected HEK-293 cells was monitored by following changes in intracellular pH associated with bicarbonate transport. DRA-mediated bicarbonate transport activity of 18 Ϯ 1 mM H ϩ equivalents/min was inhibited 53 Ϯ 2% by 100 mM of the CAII inhibitor, acetazolamide, but was unaffected by the membrane-impermeant carbonic anhydrase inhibitor, 1-[5-sulfamoyl-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl-(aminosulfonyl-4-phenyl)]-2,6-dimethyl-4-phenyl-pyridinium perchlorate. Compared with AE1, the COOH-terminal tail of DRA interacted weakly with CAII. Overexpression of a functionally inactive CAII mutant, V143Y, reduced AE1 transport activity by 61 Ϯ 4% without effect on DRA transport activity (105 Ϯ 7% transport activity relative to DRA alone). We conclude that cytosolic CAII is required for full DRA-mediated bicarbonate transport. However, DRA differs from other bicarbonate transport proteins because its transport activity is not stimulated by direct interaction with CAII. metabolon; chloride/bicarbonate exchanger; downregulated in adenoma BICARBONATE METABOLISM is essential in humans, because carbon dioxide is the metabolic end product of respiratory oxidation and CO 2 /HCO 3 Ϫ is the body's primary pH buffer system. The bicarbonate transport superfamily of genes (SLC4 and SLC26 gene families), responsible for transmembrane movement of membrane-impermeant HCO 3 Ϫ , comprises the Cl Ϫ /HCO 3 Ϫ anion exchanger (AE) family (1,19,20), the Na ϩ /HCO 3 Ϫ cotransporter proteins (NBC) (3, 4), and the recently identified proteins pendrin (9, 32, 37) and downregulated in adenoma (DRA) (23, 27, 48).Several lines of evidence have demonstrated an interaction between cytosolic carbonic anhydrase II (CAII) and the AE1, AE2, and AE3 anion exchanger isoforms. Binding of erythrocyte membranes to CAII increased CAII enzymatic activity (25), which suggests an interaction between these two proteins. CAII can be coimmunoprecipitated with solubilized AE1 and incubation with an extracellular lectin-caused agglutination of AE1 and a similar redistribution of CAII on the cytosolic surface of the erythrocyte membrane (45). A sensitive microtiter binding assay, using truncation and point mutation of the AE1 COOH terminus, led to the identification of the binding site of CAII in AE1 as LDADD (amino acids 886-890) (46) and the basic amino-terminal region of CAII as the binding site for AE1 (44).The functional consequences of the AE/CAII interaction have been studied (42). Using HEK-293 cells transiently transfected with AE1 cDNA, we determined that inhibition of endogenous CAII activity with acetazolamide resulted in a decrease of AE1 transport activity. Mutation of the AE1, LDADD, and CA...