LYMPHOCYTE MONOVALENT CATION METABOLISM:CELL VOLUME, CATION CONTENT AND CATION TRANSPORT

摘要

Mechanisms which determine sodium and potassium content and volume of rat thymic and human CLL lymphocytes have been studied. The deleterious effect of cell isolation on monovalent cation content was proven by comparing thymus sodium and potassium concentration to that of thymocytes prepared from auto¬logous hemithymus. In vivo distribution ratios of sodium-24 and potassium-42 between thymus water and plasma water were very similar to the distribution ratios of non-radioactive isotopes (sodium-23 and potassium-39). The similar lymphocyte:thymocyte ratio of a) cell volume (1.48), b) cell sodium plus potassium (1.47) and c) cell water (1.50) demonstrated the close correlation of lymphocyte volume with monovalent cation content and water content. Steady-state CLL lymphocyte sodium (32 ± 1.9 mM) and potassium (131 ± 5.1 mM) and thymocyte sodium (31 ±1.2 mM) and potassium (136 ± 3.9 mM) were similar;however, these steady-state levels were maintained by quantitatively different membrane functions. Radiopotassium and radiosodium uptake by thymocytes was more rapid than in CLL lymphocytes.