Demonstration of a probenecid-inhibitable anion exchanger involved in the release of cortisol and cAMP and in the uptake of p-aminohippurate in bovine adrenocortical cells.

Recently we provided evidence for the involvement of a probenecid-inhibitable anion exchanger in cortisol release from primary cultures of bovine adrenocortical cells. In the present study, we further characterized this exchange transporter. Adrenocorticotropic hormone stimulated 3H-p-aminohippurate (3H-PAH) uptake into as well as cortisol release from the cells about two- and tenfold, respectively. Probenecid inhibited both 3H-PAH uptake and cortisol release by about 55 and 63%. Preincubation of the cells with 1 mM PAH trans-stimulated 3H-PAH uptake by 30%, whereas cortisol release was inhibited by 30%. 3H-PAH uptake was cis-inhibited by 1 mM glutarate or by 1 mM cortisol in the medium, while cortisol release was trans-stimulated by glutarate. PAH in the incubation medium showed saturable cis-inhibition of 3H-PAH uptake. The release of cyclic adenosine monophosphate, a substrate of the renal PAH exchanger, was also inhibited by probenecid and trans-stimulated by glutarate. In summary, the trans-stimulation and cis-inhibition experiments support the concept of an anion exchanger involved in cortisol and cyclic adenosine monophosphate release from and PAH uptake into adrenocortical cells.