The alleged effect of acid phosphate on the anion permeability of erythrocytes

Abstract

A method is described for studying the water shift accompanying the bicarbonate-chloride exchange in horse erythrocytes. Methemoglobin cells treated with phosphate buffer, pH 6, exhibit normal permeability to bicarbonate and chloride ions as far as can be observed by this method. The apparent destruction of the anion permeability of methemoglobin cells by acid phosphate buffer (Keilin and Mann, Nature 148: 493. 1941; Keilin and Hartee, ibid. 148: 493. 1946) was shown to be due instead to a phosphate-chloride exchange across the cell boundary. The apparent irreversibility of the effect of acid phosphate buffer on methemoglobin cells (Keilin and Hartee, 1946) is probably due to the slowness with which phosphate leaves the cells compared to the rate at which it enters them.