Inorganic phosphate (Pi) is a key element for the growth and mineralization of the epiphyseal cartilage. In this study, the characteristics of the transport of Pi in growth plate chondrocytes have been determined using primary cultures of chicken growth plate cartilage cells. The uptake of Pi was significantly increased in the presence of extracellular sodium. The kinetic parameters of the saturable sodium-dependent Pi transport (NaPiT) were determined. The Michaelis constant for Pi was 0.443 +/- 0.095 mM, and the concentration of sodium with which half-maximal Pi transport was observed was 48.0 +/- 8.7 mM. Stoichiometric analysis suggested that more than one sodium ion was cotransported with each Pi molecule. NaPiT was sensitive to inhibition by Pi analogues such as phosphonoformic acid and arsenate. These data strongly suggest that Pi uptake by chicken growth plate chondrocytes is a carrier-mediated process driven by the transmembrane electrochemical gradient of sodium. Two important regulators of biosynthetic activities of growth plate chondrocytes, insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) and parathyroid hormone (PTH), selectively regulated Pi transport. With IGF-I, maximal stimulation (117 +/- 7% above control) was observed at doses > 5 nM, with an half-maximal effective concentration of 0.46 +/- 0.18 nM. A significant effect was observed after 1 h of exposure and was maintained for up to 24 h. PTH increased Pi transport with a biphasic dose-response curve. The change in NaPiT was transient, being maximally observed after 8 h (58 +/- 8%) and unexpressed after 24 h.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
