Sodium Is Not Required for Chloride Efflux via Chloride/Bicarbonate Exchanger from Rat Thymic Lymphocytes

Figure 1

Schematic representation of a thymocyte contained in chloride-free and either sodium containing or sodium-free medium and pathways and mechanisms of chloride fluxes. Only the pathways and mechanisms of the main concern considered relevant for the present investigation are depicted here. The continuous arrows symbolize the controlled ion flux and the broken one, the uncontrolled flux (leakage), of the ions from the cell. Chloride fluxes (and its efflux) are believed to depend on sodium presence in the medium, that is, on the exchangers of both types (Na⁺-dependent and Na⁺-independent) depicted on both sides of the cell. No contribution of the sodium-dependent exchanger to chloride efflux from rat thymocytes could be observed in this investigation.