MODULATION OF ILEAL CALCIUM-TRANSPORT BY PHOSPHATE-EXCHANGING COMPOUNDS

Calcium transport in the ileal-ligated loop was studied in the adult rat in the presence of either phosphate alone or phosphate-binding compounds, namely either hydroxylated or aminated substances. Sorbitol or creatine (50 mM) added to a 10-mM CaCl2 solution, which was instilled into ileal loop, markedly enhanced calcium transport, as determined by Ca-45 radioactivity appearing in plasma and from Ca-45 radioactivity disappearing from the loop. The presence of both compounds maintained Ca soluble in an instilled solution at a constant concentration, whereas with a control solution the Ca concentration progressively decreased towards zero after an incubation period of 60 min. Phosphate, which was either simultaneously added with sorbitol or creatine or which was present as sorbitol or creatine phosphate, led to an equally marked decrease in calcium transport. Calcium transfer was even more reduced when phosphate alone was present with calcium in the ileal loop, in the absence of sorbitol. Similar to the above phosphate-binding compounds, adenosine and its constitutive component, ribose, increased calcium transfer, whereas adenine, the other constitutive component of adenosine, was ineffective. Guanosine was twice more active than adenosine in stimulating ileal calcium transport. Interestingly, the structure of guanosine allows the binding of two phosphates, with one binding site being on the ribose and the other on the guanine base moiety. Thus guanosine is capable of binding a greater amount of phosphate than the two other aminated compounds examined, namely adenosine and alanine, when transphosphorylation from ATP is studied with intestinal microvilli preparations. In conclusion, the present observations suggest that phosphate exchange with its underlying phosphatase and transphosphorylase processes plays an important part in the mechanism of ileal calcium transport.