Ouabain binding and potassium transport in young and old populations of human red cells.

Human red blood cells were separated according to density by centrifugation through mixtures of phthalate esters. The densest 20% of the erythrocyte population (old cells) had reduced volume and water content compared to the lightest 20% of the cells (young cells). Corpuscular hemoglobin content was unchanged. Young cells had 50% more potassium (K+) than old cells, but their total intracellular concentration was only slightly higher, old cells had a small increase in sodium (Na+) concentration. Active K+ transport of young cells was 37% higher than that of old cells. [3H] + Ouabain binding revealed that this difference was the result of more K+ pump sites on young cells, which bound 530 ouabain molecules per cell at 100% K+ pump inhibition, as compared to 400 for old cells; unseparated cells bound 450-500 molecules. The relative rates of ouabain binding were identical for the two cell types. Old cells exhibited a greater passive permeability to K+, having a rate coefficient for ouabain-insensitive K+ influx 1.8 times that of young cells. There is evidence to suggest that in the face of reduced pump activity this augmented K+ "leak" might enhance the osmotic stability of the old cells and function to lengthen their life span.