Duck red cells in hypertonic media experience rapid osmotic shrinkage followed by gradual reswelling back toward their original volume. This uptake of salt and water is self limiting and demands a specific ionic composition of the external solution. Although ouabain (10(-4)M) alters the pattern of cation accumulation from predominantly potassium to sodium, it does not affect the rate of the reaction, or the total amount of salt or water taken up. To study the response without the complications of active Na-K transport, ouabain was added to most incubations. All water accumulated by the cells can be accounted for by net salt uptake. Specific external cation requirements for reswelling include: sufficient sodium (more than 23 mM), and elevated potassium (more than 7 mM). In the absence of external potassium cells lose potassium without gaining sodium and continue to shrink instead of reswelling. Adding rubidium to the potassium- free solution promotes an even greater loss of cell potassium, yet causes swelling due to a net uptake of sodium and rubidium followed by chloride. The diuretic furosemide (10(-3)M) inhibits net sodium uptake which depends on potassium (or rubidium), as well as inhibits net sodium uptake which depends on sodium. As a result, cell volume is stabilized in the presence of this drug by inhibition of shrinkage, at low, and of swelling at high external potassium. The response has a high apparent energy of activation (15-20 kcal/mol). We propose that net salt and water movements in hypertonic solutions containing ouabain are mediated by direct coupling or cis-interaction, between sodium and potassium so that the uphill movement of one is driven by the downhill movement of the other in the same direction.
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