Abstract

Anion exchanger 2 (AE2, SLC4A2) is a ubiquitously expressed membrane solute carrier that regulates intracellular pH (pH(i)) by exchanging cytosolic bicarbonate for extracellular chloride. We used fibroblasts from Ae2-deficient (Ae2(a,b)(-/-)) mice to study the effects of an alkaline shift in resting intracellular pH (pH(i)) on the activation of cAMP signaling and gene expression. Ae2(a,b)(-/-) fibroblasts show increased pH(i) (by 0.22 +/- 0.03 unit) compared with wild type cells at extracellular pH (pH(o)) 7.4 and 37 degrees C. This shift in resting pH(i) is associated with an up-regulation of bicarbonate-activated soluble adenylyl cyclase expression, increased cAMP production, Creb phosphorylation, inducible cAMP early repressor 1 mRNA expression, and impaired activation of c-Fos transcription by forskolin. These results highlight the importance of bicarbonate transport via Ae2 in maintaining pH(i) homeostasis in cultured mouse fibroblasts and unveil the role of cAMP in the cellular response to chronic alkalization, which putatively includes an inducible cAMP early repressor 1-mediated attenuation of phosphorylated Creb activity.