A reduction in the activity of the Na+, K+-pump in dimethylsulfoxide-treated Friend erythroleukemia cells is not due to partial inactivation of the Na+, K+-ATPase.

Treatment of Friend-erythroleukemia cells with 1.5% dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) caused a decrease in ouabain sensitive 86Rb+-uptake beginning six to seven hours after DMSO addition indicating a reduced function of the Na+, K+-pump. However, analysis of the ouabain sensitive 86Rb+-uptake after Na+-preloading of the cells as well as measurements on the Na+, K+-ATPase activity in isolated membrane fragments revealed that no inhibition of the Na+, K+-ATPase occurred during the first 12 hours. On the contrary the Na+, K+-ATPase activity was initially enhanced and then returned to control levels during the early phase of induction by DMSO. On the other hand, 22Na+-transport into DMSO-treated cells was reduced similar to the ouabain sensitive 86Rb+ uptake in cells without Na+ preloading. The piretanide sensitive 86Rb+-uptake, due to the Na+, K+, 2Cl - cotransport system was inhibited after seven hours exposure to DMSO. Some three hours after DMSO addition the incorporation of 35S-methionine into proteins began to decrease, which was accompanied with or followed by a reduction in the methionine uptake of DMSO treated cells. Membrane-potential-dependent tetraphenylphosphonium cation uptake was not altered relative to the controls in the first 12 hours following DMSO addition. These results suggest that the reduced activity of the Na+, K+-pump in Friend cells after DMSO exposure is not due to inhibition of the Na+, K+-ATPase, but most probably due to a smaller Na+-influx, which results from inhibition of Na+-cotransport processes (amino acid uptake, Na+, K+, 2Cl - cotransport system).