We studied the role of basolateral HCO3- transport in the regulation of intracellular pH (pHi) in the isolated perfused S3 segment of the rabbit proximal tubule. pHi was calculated from absorbance spectra of the pH-sensitive dye dimethylcarboxyfluorescein. Solutions were normally buffered to pH 7.4 at 37 degrees C with 25 mM HCO3- 5% CO2. pHi fell by approximately 0.17 when luminal [HCO3-] was lowered to 5 mM at fixed PCO2 (i.e., reducing pH to 6.8) but by approximately 0.42 when [HCO3-] in the bath (i.e., basolateral solution) was lowered to 5 mM. The pHi decrease elicited by reducing bath [HCO3-] was substantially reduced by removal of Cl- or Na+, suggesting that components of basolateral HCO3- transport are Cl- and/or Na+ dependent. We tested for the presence of basolateral Cl-HCO3 exchange by removing bath Cl-. This caused pHi to increase by approximately 0.23, with an initial rate of approximately 100 X 10(-4) pH/s. Although the initial rate of this pHi increase was not reduced by removing Na+ bilaterally, it was substantially lowered by the nominal removal of HCO3- from bath and lumen or by the addition of 0.1 mM 4,4'-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonate (DIDS) to the bath. The results thus suggest that a Na-independent Cl-HCO3 exchanger is present at the basolateral membrane. We tested for the presence of basolateral Na-HCO3 cotransport by removing bath Na+. This caused pHi to fall reversibly by approximately 0.26 with initial rates of pHi decline and recovery being approximately 30 and approximately 41 X 10(-4) pH/s, respectively. Although the bilateral removal of Cl- had no effect on these rates, the nominal removal of HCO3- or the presence of DIDS substantially slowed the pHi changes. Thus, in addition to a Cl-HCO3 exchanger, the basolateral membrane of the S3 proximal tubule also appears to possess a Na-HCO3 cotransport mechanism. The data do not rule out the possibility of other basolateral HCO3- transporters.