Vacuolar ATPase (vâATPase) is the main proton pump that acidifies vesicles such as lysosomes. Disruption in the lysosomal localization of vâATPase leads to lysosomal dysfunction, thus contributing to the pathogenesis of lysosomal storage disorders and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. Recent studies showed that increases in cyclic AMP (cAMP) levels acidify lysosomes and consequently enhance autophagy flux. Although the upregulation of vâATPase function may be the key mechanism underlying the cAMPâmediated lysosomal acidification, it is unknown whether a mechanism independent of vâATPase may be contributing to this phenomenon. In the present study, we modeled vâATPase dysfunction in brain cells by blocking lysosomal acidification in cortical astrocytes through treatment with bafilomycin A1, a selective vâATPase inhibitor. We observed that cAMP reversed the pH changes via the activation of protein kinase A; interestingly, cAMP also increased autophagy flux even in the presence of bafilomycin A1, suggesting the presence of an alternative route of proton entry. Notably, pharmacological inhibitors and siRNAs of H+/K+âATPase markedly shifted the lysosomal pH toward more alkaline values in bafilomycin A1/cAMPâtreated astrocytes, suggesting that H+/K+âATPase may be the alternative route of proton entry for lysosomal acidification. Furthermore, the cAMPâmediated reversal of lysosomal pH was nullified in the absence of ZnT3 that interacts with H+/K+âATPase. Our results suggest that the H+/K+âATPase/ZnT3 complex is recruited to lysosomes in a cAMPâdependent manner and functions as an alternative proton pump for lysosomes when the vâATPase function is downregulated, thus providing insight into the potential development of a new class of lysosomeâtargeted therapeutics in neurodegenerative diseases.