Rubidium uptake in single cells.

Rubidium uptake was measured in single erythroid and myeloid cells of rabbit by means of X-ray microanalysis. It was found in the nucleated bone marrow cells that after incubation in rubidium the sums of potassium and rubidium concentrations were similar to the original potassium concentrations, indicating that there was one-to-one replacement of potassium by rubidium. Although the nuclear potassium and rubidium concentrations were higher than those in the cytoplasm, the nuclear and cytoplasmic ratios of K/Rb were similar. This implies that the potassium in both compartments exchanged freely with rubidium. In the erythroid line of cells there was a continuous reduction of potassium transport activity during the maturation process as indicated by the decrease in rubidium uptake rates. The uptake was measured in seven groups of cell types that could be distinguished on the basis of morphology and chemical composition. The order of the groups from high to low rubidium uptake were: esosinophilic myelocyte greater than early erythroblast and thin-rimmed erythroblast greater than late erythroblast greater than early bone marrow red cell greater than late bone marrow red cell greater than peripheral blood red cell. Thus, there is a continuous decrease in rubidium transport as the erythroid cells mature.