Kinetics of ionic transport across frog skin: two concentration-dependent processes.

Sodium and chloride influxes across the nonshort-circuited isolated skin of Rana esculenta were measured at widely varying external ionic concentrations. The curve describing sodium transport has two Michaelis-Menten components linked at an inflection point occurring at an external sodium concentration of about 7 meq. Chloride transport can also be represented by two saturating components. A possible explanation of these kinetics is discussed. At sodium concentrations lower than 4 meq it is possible to define a component of the sodium transport mechanism as having a high affinity for sodium and which is independent of the nature of the external anion. A high affinity for chloride of the chloride transport system functioning at low external concentrations is also found but is significantly different from that of sodium. These systems show the physiological characteristics of the countertransports (Na est(+)/H int(+); Cl ext(-)/HCO 3int(-)) functioning at low external concentrations. At external concentrations higher than 4 meq a low affinity transporting system in which chloride and sodium are linked superimpose on the high affinity compoents. The physiological significance of these results is discussed.