Sodium and potassium exchange in chicken erythrocytes

✍ Scribed by Hunter, F. R. ;Chalfin, David ;Finamore, Frank J. ;Sweetland, Margaret L.

• Publisher: Wiley (John Wiley & Sons)
• Year: 1956
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 829 KB
• Volume: 47
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0095-9898
• DOI: 10.1002/jcp.1030470104

✦ Synopsis

A basic characteristic of living cells is that they maintain a n internal environment which differs from that of their surroundings. One aspect of this general problem ~h i c h has been studied extensively is the maintenance of the cation imbalance between cells and their environment. Most cells have a high potassium and low sodium content when normally surrounded by a medium high in sodium and low in potassium. Many review articles have been written on this subject included: Teorell, '49 ; Ussing, '49, '32 ; Steinbach, '21 and Sheppard, '51.

The distribution of Xa and K between the mammalian erythrocyte and its environment has been studied extensively. It was originally believed that the red cell membrane was impermeable to cations (see, for example, Davson and Danielli, '36)' but experiments using isotopes showed that both sodium and potassium could penetrate the cell membrane (Mullins et al., '41 ; Harris and Maizels, '51 ; Sheppard ct al., '51). It is now believed that a dynamic, steady state rather than an impermeable barrier accounts for the maintenance of