Chloride movements in human neutrophils. Diffusion, exchange, and active transport

Chloride content and fluxes were measured in isolated resting human peripheral polymorphonuclear leukocytes. The intracellular Cl concentration of cells kept at 37 degrees C in 148 mM Cl media was approximately 80 meq/liter cell water, fourfold higher than expected for passive distribution at the cell's estimated membrane potential (approximately -53 mV). All intracellular Cl was rapidly exchangeable with external 36Cl. Cells lost Cl exponentially into Cl-free media, and reaccumulated it when Cl was restored to the bath; this reuptake was dependent on metabolism. One-way 36Cl fluxes in steady state cells were approximately 1.4 meq/liter X min. The bulk (approximately 70%) of these represented electrically silent Cl/Cl exchange mediated by a carrier insensitive to disulfonic stilbenes but blocked by the anion carrier inhibitor alpha-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamate (CHC). The remaining fluxes were characterized in some detail. About 20% of 36Cl influx behaved as active transport: it moved thermodynamically uphill and was absent in cells treated with 2-deoxy-D-glucose, displayed Michaelis-Menten kinetics with Km(Cl) congruent to 5 mM, Vmax congruent to 0.25 meq/liter X min, and was inhibited by CHC (Ki congruent to 1.7 mM), ethacrynate (Ki congruent to 50 microM), and furosemide (Ki congruent to 50 microM). About 30% of Cl efflux and approximately 8% of Cl influx behaved as electrodiffusion through a low-permeability pathway (PCl congruent to 4 X 10(-9) cm/s; gCl congruent to 1 microsecond/cm2; PK/PNa/PCl congruent to to 10:1:1); these fluxes were linear with concentration and strongly voltage sensitive. The putative Cl channel does not appear to be voltage gated, and gives evidence of single filing.