Origin of transport inhibition after omission of serosal sodium.

The omission of sodium from the serosal incubation fluid in isolated frog skins inhibits transcellular Na transport. By the use of intracellular recording with microelectrodes, it has been demonstrated that this inhibition is associated with an increase of the basolateral membrane resistance, resulting in a depolarization of the short-circuited cells. This depolarization in turn accounts for the reduction of Na entry across the apical border. The resistance changes across the outer (apical) border are small in magnitude and unrelated to the inhibition of transcellular transport. The origin of the increase in basolateral membrane resistance, presumably due to decrease of K permeability, is unclear. These data do not support the hypothesis that intracellular Ca regulates the resistance of the apical and basolateral membranes.