Volume-activated transport systems in dog red blood cells

1. When dog red blood cells are shrunken or swollen, transport pathways are activated that do not function discernibly when the cell is at normal volume. Swelling the cells turns on two pathways, a Ca-Na exchanger and a Cl-dependent K pathway. 2. Shrinking the cells activates a Na-H antiporter. 3. The passive net flow of ions through these transporters is in such a direction as to correct the perturbation of cell volume: when the cell water content has returned to normal, the transporters turn off. 4. Recently we have investigated agents that can lock or fix the volume-responsive transporters in the activated state. Na-H exchange, for example, can be fixed in the on position with either glutaraldehyde or N-phenylmaleimide. 5. Ca-Na exchange can be locked on by the sulfhydryl-oxidizing agent, diamide. We have used these effects to investigate the relationships between cell volume and the transport mechanisms. 6. It is possible, for instance, to distinguish whether certain inhibitors act on the transporters per se or on the apparatus that perceives cell volume and communicates with the transporters. 7. Furthermore, in the case of the Ca-Na exchanger some indication of the membrane polypeptides involved in volume regulation has been possible, using radioactive compounds that bind covalently to sulfhydryl groups.