Cl--HCO3--ATPase in gills of the rainbow trout: evidence for its microsomal localization.

The intracellular localization of a Cl--HCO3--ATPase, which is inhibited by SCN-, was studied in the gills of the rainbow trout, Salmo gairdneri. This activity can be measured in the absence of contamination by mitochondria (i.e., in the absence of succinate dehydrogenase or cytochrome c oxidase activities). The distribution of the 5'-nucleotidase and of the ATPase stimulated by Cl- and HCO3- after sucrose density gradient centrifugation of the microsomal fraction was compared. Because those activities cannot be separated, it is postulated that the anion-stimulated ATPase is located in the plasma membrane. The activation of this microsomal anion ATPase by chloride has been studied extensively. The possible role of the Cl--HCO3--ATPase of trout gills in the Cl-/HCO3- exchange and in the regulation of the internal acid-base balance is discussed.