Active transport of potassium by insect midgut.

Midguts isolated from fifth-instar larvae of the insert Hyalophora cecropia actively transport potassium in the hemolymph to lumen direction. No specific co- or counter-ion is required and other alkali ions are actively transported in the same direction as potassium. No specific inhibitor of K+ active transport has been found although most metabolic inhibitors reduce the net K+ flux, potential difference, and short-circuit current to zero. The site of the epithelial active transport of potassium has been identified by microelectrode measurements of intracellular resistance as the goblet cell, one of the two major cell types in the single-layered midgut. Under certain external conditions, the neighboring columnar cells are added to the goblet cell transport route through intercellular electrical coupling that occurs after application of external depolarizing current. Tracer influx kinetics were used to establish that the fraction of exchangeable K involved in the transport route under open-circuit conditions is small, corresponding to a goblet cell pathway. Under depolarizing current conditions, virtually all of the exchangeable midgut K is involved in the transport route, corresponding to a goblet and columnar cell pathway. These results and others are used to construct a model for rheogenic active transport of potassium in insect midgut.