Skip to main content
PMC home page
The Journal of General Physiology logoLink to The Journal of General Physiology
. 1983 May 1;81(5):731–748. doi: 10.1085/jgp.81.5.731

Transmembrane chloride flux in tissue-cultured chick heart cells

PMCID: PMC2216561  PMID: 6864192

Abstract

To evaluate the transmembrane movement of chloride in a preparation of cardiac muscle lacking the extracellular diffusion limitations of natural specimens, intracellular chloride concentration ( [Cl] i) and transmembrane 36Cl efflux have been determined in growth-oriented embryonic chick heart cells in tissue culture. Using the method of isotopic equilibrium, [Cl]i was 25.1 +/- 7.3 mmol x (liter cell water)- 1, comparable to the value of 24.9 +/- 5.4 mmol x (liter cell water)-1 determined by coulometric titration. Two cellular 36Cl compartments were found; one exchanged with a rate constant of 0.67 +/- 0.12 min-1 and was associated with the cardiac muscle cells; the other, attributed to the fibroblasts, exchanged with a rate constant of 0.18 +/- 0.05 min- 1. At 37 degrees C, transmembrane Cl flux of cardiac muscle under steady-state conditions was 30 pmol x cm-2 x s-1. In K-free, normal, or high-Ko solutions, the responses of the membrane potential to changes in external Cl concentration suggested that chloride conductance was low. These results indicate that Cl transport across the myocardial cell membrane is more rapid than K transport and is largely electrically silent.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (1.2 MB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Aiton J. F., Chipperfield A. R., Lamb J. F., Ogden P., Simmons N. L. Occurrence of passive furosemide-sensitive transmembrane potassium transport in cultured cells. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1981 Sep 7;646(3):389–398. doi: 10.1016/0005-2736(81)90307-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Attwell D., Eisner D., Cohen I. Voltage clamp and tracer flux data: effects of a restricted extra-cellular space. Q Rev Biophys. 1979 Aug;12(3):213–261. doi: 10.1017/s0033583500005448. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Aull F., Nachbar M. S., Oppenheim J. D. Chloride self exchange in Ehrlich ascites cells. Inhibition by furosemide and 4-acetamido-4'-isothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1977 Dec 15;471(3):341–347. doi: 10.1016/0005-2736(77)90040-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Blondel B., Roijen I., Cheneval J. P. Heart cells in culture: a simple method for increasing the proportion of myoblasts. Experientia. 1971 Mar 15;27(3):356–358. doi: 10.1007/BF02138197. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. CARMELIET E. E. Chloride ions and the membrane potential of Purkinje fibres. J Physiol. 1961 Apr;156:375–388. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1961.sp006682. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Caille J. P., Ruiz-Ceretti E., Schanne O. F. Intracellular chloride activity in rabbit papillary muscle: effect of ouabain. Am J Physiol. 1981 May;240(5):C183–C188. doi: 10.1152/ajpcell.1981.240.5.C183. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Carmeliet E., Verdonck F. Reduction of potassium permeability by chloride substitution in cardiac cells. J Physiol. 1977 Feb;265(1):193–206. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1977.sp011712. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Fong C. N., Hinke J. A. Intracellular Cl activity, Cl binding, and 36Cl efflux in rabbit papillary muscle. Can J Physiol Pharmacol. 1981 May;59(5):479–484. doi: 10.1139/y81-071. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Fozzard H. A., Lee C. O. Influence of changes in external potassium and chloride ions on membrane potential and intracellular potassium ion activity in rabbit ventricular muscle. J Physiol. 1976 Apr;256(3):663–689. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1976.sp011345. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Grinvald A., Steinberg I. Z. On the analysis of fluorescence decay kinetics by the method of least-squares. Anal Biochem. 1974 Jun;59(2):583–598. doi: 10.1016/0003-2697(74)90312-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Horres C. R., Aiton J. F., Lieberman M. Potassium permeability of embryonic avian heart cells in tissue culture. Am J Physiol. 1979 Mar;236(3):C163–C170. doi: 10.1152/ajpcell.1979.236.3.C163. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Horres C. R., Lieberman M. Compartmental analysis of potassium efflux from growth-oriented heart cells. J Membr Biol. 1977 Jun 15;34(4):331–350. doi: 10.1007/BF01870307. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Horres C. R., Lieberman M., Purdy J. E. Growth orientation of heart cells on nylon monofilament. Determination of the volume-to-surface area ratio and intracellular potassium concentration. J Membr Biol. 1977 Jun 15;34(4):313–329. doi: 10.1007/BF01870306. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. KEYNES R. D., LEWIS P. R. The resting exchange of radioactive potassium in crab nerve. J Physiol. 1951 Mar;113(1):73–98. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1951.sp004557. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. KEYNES R. D. The ionic fluxes in frog muscle. Proc R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 1954 May 27;142(908):359–382. doi: 10.1098/rspb.1954.0030. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Kenyon J. L., Gibbons W. R. Effects of low-chloride solutions on action potentials of sheep cardiac Purkinje fibers. J Gen Physiol. 1977 Nov;70(5):635–660. doi: 10.1085/jgp.70.5.635. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. LAMB J. F. The chloride content of rat auricle. J Physiol. 1961 Aug;157:415–425. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1961.sp006733. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Ladle R. O., Walker J. L. Intracellular chloride activity in frog heart. J Physiol. 1975 Oct;251(2):549–559. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1975.sp011107. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Lamb J. F., McCall D. Effect of prolonged ouabain treatment of Na, K, Cl and Ca concentration and fluxes in cultured human cells. J Physiol. 1972 Sep;225(3):599–617. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1972.sp009959. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Macdonald R. L., Mann J. E., Jr, Sperelakis N. Derivation of general equations describing tracer diffusion in any two-compartment tissue with application to ionic diffusion in cylindrical muscle bundles. J Theor Biol. 1974 May;45(1):107–130. doi: 10.1016/0022-5193(74)90046-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Noma A., Irisawa H. Contribution of an electrogenic sodium pump to the membrane potential in rabbit sinoatrial node cells. Pflugers Arch. 1975 Aug 12;358(4):289–301. doi: 10.1007/BF00580527. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. PAGE E. Cat heart muscle in vitro. III. The extracellular space. J Gen Physiol. 1962 Nov;46:201–213. doi: 10.1085/jgp.46.2.201. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Page E., Page E. G. Distribution of ions and water between tissue compartments in the perfused left ventricle of the rat heart. Circ Res. 1968 Mar;22(3):435–446. doi: 10.1161/01.res.22.3.435. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Polimeni P. I., Page E. Chloride distribution and exchange in rat ventricle. Am J Physiol. 1980 May;238(5):C169–C176. doi: 10.1152/ajpcell.1980.238.5.C169. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Spitzer K. W., Walker J. L. Changes in liquid-junction potential following chloride replacement in cat papillary muscle. Pflugers Arch. 1979 Nov;382(3):281–284. doi: 10.1007/BF00583715. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Vaughan-Jones R. D. Non-passive chloride distribution in mammalian heart muscle: micro-electrode measurement of the intracellular chloride activity. J Physiol. 1979 Oct;295:83–109. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1979.sp012956. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Vaughan-Jones R. D. Regulation of chloride in quiescent sheep-heart Purkinje fibres studied using intracellular chloride and pH-sensitive micro-electrodes. J Physiol. 1979 Oct;295:111–137. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1979.sp012957. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Wallenstein S., Zucker C. L., Fleiss J. L. Some statistical methods useful in circulation research. Circ Res. 1980 Jul;47(1):1–9. doi: 10.1161/01.res.47.1.1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The Journal of General Physiology are provided here courtesy of The Rockefeller University Press

RESOURCES