Cation and anion transport pathways in volume regulatory response of human lymphocytes to hyposmotic media.

The regulatory volume decrease of osmotically swollen human peripheral blood lymphocytes can be inhibited by agents acting on volume-activated K+- or Cl--transport pathways. Quinine, cetiedil, and 3,3'-dipropylthiadicarbocyanine were found to block the volume-induced K+ transport by interaction with sites on the outside face of the membrane, perhaps by competition with external K+. Drugs known to influence calmodulin action inhibit both volume-induced K+ and Cl- transport to varying degrees. Those inhibitors, particularly of K+ transport, are correlated with their calmodulin-antagonist activity. Penetrating sulfhydryl (SH) reagents (in contrast to nonpenetrating ones) are potent inhibitors of both volume-induced K+ and Cl- movements, indicating the presence of functionally important SH groups located within the membrane or at the cytoplasmic face. A number of agents, such as dipyridamole and oligomycin C, are specific inhibitors of the volume-activated anion pathway. In all respects studied, the inhibition characteristics of the volume-activated K+ pathway of lymphocytes resemble those of the Ca2+-activated K+ channel of red cells. In contrast, the volume-induced anion permeability differs from the primary anion-transport pathway of red cells.