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Potassium‐sodium distribution in human lymphocytes: Description by the association‐induction hypothesis
Author(s) -
Negendank William,
Shaller Calvin
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
journal of cellular physiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.529
H-Index - 174
eISSN - 1097-4652
pISSN - 0021-9541
DOI - 10.1002/jcp.1040980111
Subject(s) - potassium , sodium , distribution (mathematics) , association (psychology) , biology , chemistry , mathematics , psychology , mathematical analysis , organic chemistry , psychotherapist
Abstract Human lymphocytes were equilibrated for 48 hours over a wide range of external potassium levels, and their contents of potassium, sodium, and water determined. As external potassium rose from zero, cell potassium rose steeply in a sigmoidal fashion, reached half‐saturation at 0.4 mM external potassium, and then saturated at 129 mmoles/kg cells. The saturable cell potassium exchanged mole‐for‐mole with sodium. Analysis of the saturable components by a statistical‐mechanical adsorption model demonstrated a cooperative interaction between sites determining equilibrium potassium‐sodium distribution. Superimposed upon the saturable fraction of cell potassium was a smaller one that was non‐saturable with increasing external potassium to at least 64 mM, and that, when expressed as mmoles/liter cell water, existed in a ratio to external potassium of 0.6. The results strongly support the association‐induction hypothesis, which predicts a small non‐saturable component of ions determined by exclusion from oriented cell water and a cooperative interaction between sites throughout the cell that associate with potassium or sodium.