Factors determining the plasma-membrane potential of lymphocytes.

1. Lymphocytes from pig mesenteric lymph node have low permeability to K+ (Rb+), Na+ and Cl-. None of these ions is in Nernst equilibrium with the plasma-membrane potential (delta psi p). 2. delta psi p can be calculated from the transmembrane distribution of the permeant cation methyltriphenylphosphonium (TPMP+) in the presence of the uncoupler carbonyl cyanide p-trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone (FCCP) to abolish uptake into intracellular mitochondria. In normal culture medium delta psi p is 56 mV. 3. A similar potential is found in T-enriched pig cells and in mouse thymocytes. 4. The contribution of electrogenic (Na+ + K+)ATPase to delta psi p is about 7 mV. 5. The remainder of the lymphocyte delta psi p is a polyionic potential set up by K+ and Cl- with a permeability coefficient for Cl- of similar magnitude to that for K+.