Dependence of the electrogenic pump current of Xenopus oocytes on external potassium

The membrane potential of Xenopus oocytes showed a variable response to an increase of the K+ concentration in the bathing solution, [K+]e, from 2.5 mM to 20 mM. In 54% of the cases (n = 52) the cells hyperpolarized (by max. 70 mV). In the presence of 10(-5) M ouabain, all cells depolarized suggesting that the hyperpolarization was caused by an electrogenic Na+/K+ pump. In cells stored overnight in a Na+-free solution the transition from 2.5 to 20 mM [K+]e always caused depolarization indicating that the stimulation of the pump requires high internal sodium, [Na+]i. Cells stored overnight in a Na+-rich solution had a [Na+]i of 30.7 +/- 7 mM, i.e. the Na+/K+ pump was saturated with sodium (Lafaire and Schwarz 1986). With 9 such cells we determined the K+ activation of the Na+/K+ pump. The activation follows Hill kinetics with Imax = 90.5 nA, Ks = 2.3 mM, and n = 1.68.