Active Cation Transport as a Pace-maker of Respiration

INHIBITION of metabolism leads to a gain of sodium and a loss of potassium by cells, and it is widely realized that the maintenance of concentration gradients of these ions between cells and plasma depends on a supply of energy from metabolism. This holds true for red cells that derive energy from g...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature (London) 1961-08, Vol.191 (4788), p.603-604
Main Author: WHITTAM, R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cations
Cell Respiration
Humanities and Social Sciences
Humans
Ion Transport
letter
Metabolism
multidisciplinary
Old Medline
Respiration
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
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Summary:INHIBITION of metabolism leads to a gain of sodium and a loss of potassium by cells, and it is widely realized that the maintenance of concentration gradients of these ions between cells and plasma depends on a supply of energy from metabolism. This holds true for red cells that derive energy from glycolysis, for the majority of tissues that depend on respiration and for the few cells and tissues that actively transport cations with energy derived from either metabolic pathway. Cells appear to transport cations actively only when adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is being produced in situ or is supplied from an exogenous source, such as by injection into poisoned squid giant axons 1 or by introduction into red cells ghosts by the technique of ‘reversible hæmolysis’ 2 . ATP is necessary, therefore, and its rate of production either by substrate or oxidative phosphorylation is one of the factors that determines the rate at which active transport occurs.
ISSN:0028-0836
1476-4687
DOI:10.1038/191603a0