Regulation of intracellular pH in alveolar epithelial cells

R. L. Lubman and E. D. Crandall Will Rogers Institute Pulmonary Research Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles 90033. Alveolar type II epithelial cells in adult mammalian lungs actively transport salt and water, secrete surfactant, and differentiate into type I cells under normal conditions and following lung injury. It has become increasingly apparent that, like all epithelial cells, alveolar pneumocytes have evolved specialized ion transport mechanisms by which they regulate their intracellular pH (pHi). pHi is an important biological parameter in all living cells whose regulation is necessary for normal cellular homeostasis. pHi, and the ion transport mechanisms by which it is regulated, may contribute to many cellular processes, including transcellular transport, cell volume and osmolarity regulation, and intracellular transport, cell volume and osmolarity regulation, and intracellular electrolyte composition. Moreover, changes in pHi may serve as intracellular signals for biological processes such as cell growth, proliferation, and differentiation. We review herein the general principles of pHi regulation in epithelia and describe the mechanisms and effects of pHi regulation in alveolar pneumocytes. Many of the critical issues in current pulmonary research involve processes that pHi is most likely to affect, including maintenance of alveolar epithelial barrier integrity, development and maintenance of epithelial polarity, epithelial proliferation and differentiation, and regulation of transepithelial transport with respect to alveolar fluid balance in normal individuals and in those with excess alveolar fluid (i.e., pulmonary edema). Investigations into the regulation of pHi in alveolar pneumocytes and the regulatory effects of pHi in turn on other cellular processes are likely to yield information important to the understanding of lung biology and pulmonary disease.