Intracellular concentrations of sodium, potassium and chloride in the salt-gland of the domestic goose and their relation to the secretory mechanism.

1. The composition of the nasal salt-glands of geese was found to be Na 57 +/- 3.5 (S.E.), K 52.3 +/- 3.9 and Cl 78.3 +/- 11.0 m-equiv/kg fresh tissue. During secretion, the Na content was significantly raised to 72.4 +/- 3.4 m-equiv/kg.2. Salt-gland slices incubated in Krebs-Henseleit bicarbonate medium plus glucose (6 mM), in the presence of [(14)C]sucrose as an extracellular marker had the following composition, Na 85.3 +/- 3.1, K 37.1 +/- 3.1 and Cl 74.3 +/- 3.6 m-equiv/kg. The calculated intracellular concentrations were for Na 61.5 +/- 2.1, K 105.3 +/- 8.7 and Cl 37.8 +/- 5.0 m-equiv/l. intracellular water.3. Ouabain (10(-4)M) significantly decreased the tissue and cell K concentration and significantly increased the Na concentration.4. Acetylcholine (10(-6)M) and eserine (10(-4)M) in the incubation medium had no effect on intracellular composition.5. Raising the Na concentration of the medium to 172 m-equiv/l. and the Cl to 156 m-equiv/l. in two experiments had no effect on the calculated intracellular composition.6. These results do not support reports that the cells have a very high Na concentration (about 350 m-equiv/l. intracellular water). They are compatible with the hypothesis that the hypertonic secretion is formed across the luminal membrane of the secretory cell by an active Na(+) pump and there are no data to suggest that Na(+) is concentrated across the basal membrane by a ouabain-insensitive process.7. The data are discussed in relation to permeability studies and to electrical potential measurements within the gland by other workers.