Membrane potential and conductance during pinocytosis induced in Amoeba proteus with alkali metal ions.

An investigation of the relationship between the polarized state of the membrane and the onset and the intensity of pinocytosis was made in Amoeba proteus. Membrane potential and input resistance was in all instances found to decrease in approximate proportion to the number of channels when pinocytosis was induced by a variety of alkali metal ions at varying pH. Channels began to appear when the membrane was depolarized to -30 mV by the inducer of pinocytosis. With all inducers the maximum pinocytosis was encountered at membrane potentials close to zero. No positive potentials were recorded when the chloride salts of the inducing cations were used. At high concentrations of alkali ions a transient increase of the chloride permeability caused short-lasting hyperolarizations of the membrane. Inhibition of pinocytosis by Ca++ was accompanied by an increase of input resistance and membrane potential. The selectivity of the membrane to different alkali metal ions observed as changes in pinocytosis intensity, membrane potential and input resistance was found to vary with the concentration of the inducer and with the Ca++ concentration of the extracellular solution. Displacement of membrane bound Ca++ appeared to decrease the field strength of charged groups in the membrane altering its selectivity among alkali cations. The formation of pinocytotic channels is suggested to require translocation of Ca++ from the membrane into the cell and would therefore be closely related to the electrical properties of the amoeba.