Low potassium-type but not high potassium-type sheep red blood cells show passive K+ transport induced by low ionic strength

Abstract

Low potassium-type (LK) sheep red blood cells show a significant increase of the residual (i.e., ouabain-insensitive) K+ influx when the ionic strength of the solution is decreased. This effect is absent from high potassium-type (HK) sheep red blood cells. The KCl cotransport system is not involved since three different manoeuvres to suppress the KCl cotransport (replacement of Cl- by NO3-, volume-decrease, inhibition by anti-L1 antibodies) have no effect on the low ionic strength-stimulated K+ influx.