Isolated perfused salamander proximal tubule. II. Monovalent ion replacement and rheogenic transport.

Early proximal tubules of the salamander kidney (Ambystoma tigrinum) were isolated and perfused in vitro. Transepithelial and basolateral electrical potential differences, transepithelial resistances, and intracellular ionic activities were measured during removal of Na+, K+, or Cl- from the lumen, the bath, or both lumen and bath. The effects of these external ionic replacements are interpreted in terms of an equivalent circuit that represents the renal epithelium as a network of passive ionic resistances, ionic diffusion potentials, and active transport current sources. Results indicate that rheogenic transport across the basolateral membrane is substantially diminished by removal of Na+ from either lumen or bath or by removal of K+ from the bath. On the other hand, bilateral chloride removal produces an increase in transepithelial resistance but almost no change in the calculated rate of basolateral rheogenic transport. This suggests that the source of the basolateral rheogenic ion flux ia a Na-K-ATPae that actively transports an excess of outward Na+ over inward K+.