K+ and Na+ influxes in Nitella modified by pH and electric current |
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Authors: | E. J. Williams N. Dale L. F. Trites D. S. Fensom |
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Affiliation: | Dept of Physics, Univ. of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JZ Scotland;Dept of Zoology, Univ. of Bristol, Bristol, England;Biology Dept, Mount Allison Univ., Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada E0A 3C0. |
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Abstract: | K+ and Na+ influxes into Nitella translucens Agardh in buffered artificial pond water have been measured in the pH range 5.7 to 8.1 with and without sub-threshold electric current. For pH levels below 7 the results confirm previous observations that neither ion is a major carrier of membrance current. At pH levels greater than 7 the effect of applied current is generally to depress cation influx. It is argued that this is evidence in favour of OH− being the principal charge carrier under these conditions. Observations of the effects of OH− gradients on K+ influx tend to support this hypothesis. |
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