Effect of aldosterone on the coupling between H+ transport and glucose oxidation.

The mode of action of aldosterone on the energetics of H+ transport in the turtle bladder was examined with the rate of glucose oxidation as an index of the metabolic activity of the epithelium (we show that H+ transport is not coupled to fatty acid oxidation). Within 6 h of addition of aldosterone H+, transport increased; so did glucose oxidation. The amount of H+ transport per mole of 14CO2 produced from glucose oxidation was 15.6 eq-mol-1 in the control hemi-bladder, while in the aldosterone-treated bladder it was 13.6, delta = 2.0+/-4.0 (n = 6). However, in bladders exposed to aldosterone for 20 h, the relation of transport to glucose oxidation was significantly altered: control 10.8, aldosterone 16.4, delta = 4.5+/-2.5, P less than 0.02, n = 7. The slope of H+ transport on the applied electrochemical gradient was steeper during both short- and long-term incubations. However, the maximum gradient necessary to nullify the net rate of secretion was unaltered in both experiments. Evidence is presented that aldosterone does not alter the passive backflux into the cell. In five additional experiments where aldosterone produced no significant stimulation of H+ transport, no change was noted in any of the metabolic or transport characteristics measured, suggesting that the alterations discussed above are dependent on the stimulation of H+ transport by the hormone. These results, along with some thermodynamic considerations, suggest that the effect of aldosterone is primarily exerted on the transport process rather than on metabolism. Further, it appears that prolonged stimulation of transport work leads to secondary alterations in the metabolic pathways reminiscent of the changes that occur in skeletal muscles of athletes undergoing physical conditioning.