Cation transport in Escherichia coli. III. Potassium fluxes in the steadystate.

The present study is concerned with the measurement of the unidirectional K flux in E. coli. Methods are described by means of which a fairly dense suspension of cells may be maintained in a well defined steady-state with respect to the intracellular K concentration and the pH of the medium. The kinetics of K(42) exchange under these conditions are consistent with the presence of a single intracellular K compartment with a unidirectional K flux of 1 pmol/(cm(2) sec.). This rate is independent of the extracellular K concentration over the range studied. The simultaneous rate of H secretion averages 16 pmols/(cm(2) sec.) indicating that in the steady-state the efflux of metabolically produced H is not linked mole for mole to K movement.