Regulation of Na+/H+ exchange and pH in erythrocytes of fish.

1. The function of trout RBC Na+/H+ antiport is unrelated to cell volume or cell pH regulation. Its role is to improve oxygen transport capacity when the supply of oxygen becomes limited. 2. Antiport activation, mediated by cAMP, promotes complex changes in blood pH which have been analyzed in vivo and in vitro. 3. The regulation of antiport (activation, desensitization, control by molecular oxygen and by a newly discovered cytosolic protein, arrestin) is presented. 4. Molecular cloning of the antiport shows that two typical site motifs of phosphorylation by cAMP-dependent protein kinase are localized on the cytoplasmic region.