Transcellular and paracellular tracer chloride fluxes in Necturus proximal tubule

Necturus proximal tubule lumen was filled with solutions of Na36Cl or [36Cl]tetramethylammonium ([36Cl]TMA) and the tracer disappearance was measured. With these tracers it was possible to differentiate between chloride fluxes across the cellular and the extracellular shunt pathways. Since it was previously shown that chloride does not enter tubule cells from the lumen unless Na is also present in the lumen, the [36Cl]TMA disappearance rate gave the shunt flux of chloride while the Na36Cl disappearance rate gave the sum of the transcellular and the shunt fluxes. The transcellular tracer chloride flux was unaffected by changes in the transepithelial potential difference, and the rate constant for the chloride flux from lumen to cell was identical to that previously reported for luminal sodium entry. These observations support the conclusion that a coupled transport of NaCl, in an electrically silent form, occurs across the luminal membrane of the Necturus proximal tubule cell. Shunt chloride flux was directly proportional to the electrical driving force, indicating diffusional chloride movement out of the lumen into the shunt pathway.