Extracellular carbonic anhydrase of skeletal muscle associated with the sarcolemma.

We report here 1) the synthesis and properties of a new macromolecular carbonic anhydrase inhibitor, Prontosil-dextran, 2) its application to determine the localization of a previously described extracellular carbonic anhydrase in skeletal muscle, and 3) the application of a recently published histochemical technique using dansylsulfonamide to the same problem. Stable macromolecular inhibitors of molecular weights of 5,000, 100,000 and 1,000,000 were produced by covalently coupling the sulfonamide Prontosil to dextrans. Their inhibition constants towards bovine carbonic anhydrase II are 1-2 X 10(-7) M. The Prontosil-dextrans, PD 5,000, PD 100,000, and PD 1,000,000, were used in studies of the washout of H14CO3-) from the perfused rabbit hindlimb. This washout is slow due to the presence of an extracellular carbonic anhydrase and can be markedly accelerated by PD 5,000 but not by PD 100,000 and PD 1,000,000. Since PD 5,000 is accessible to the entire extracellular space and PD 100,000 and PD 1,000,000 are confined to the intravascular space, we conclude that the extracellular carbonic anhydrase of skeletal muscle is located in the interstitium. The histochemical studies show a strong staining of the sarcolemma of the muscle fibers with high oxidative capacity. It appears likely, therefore, that the extracellular carbonic anhydrase of skeletal muscle is associated with muscle plasma membranes with its active site directed toward the interstitial space.