Abstract

Aim: Aim of this research was to investigate the functioning of chloride/bicarbonate exchanger in thymic lymphocytes in view of better understanding the mechanisms involved in chloride fluxes. Materials and methods: Experiments were performed using a suspension of freshly isolated thymocytes representing a homogeneous population of thymic lymphocytes. Thymic lymphocytes were isolated from Wistar male rats’ gl. thymus, 6 – 7 weeks of age. The cells were incubated with the MQAE chloride dye. Cl^– concentration in the cytoplasm of lymphocytes was measured spectrophotometrically. A model of exchanger activation has been suggested based on the analysis of experimental data. Results and conclusion: It has been shown that: (a) involvement and activity of chloride transport mechanisms depend on where chloride concentration is made zero: in the medium or cytoplasm; (b) under certain experimental conditions, the activity of the exchanger proceeds in two steps: switching on and off; (c) in the absence of HCO₃^–, the relative rates of the exchanger transitions decline considerably, its efficacy remaining the same. Chloride/bicarbonate exchanger merits further research under conditions closer to physiological.

Author Details

Authors

• Alfonsas Juška¹,²
• Donatas Stakišaitis²,³

Departments

• ¹ Vilniaus Gedimino technikos universitetas,
• ² Onkologijos institutas, Vilniaus universitetas, and
• ³ Mykolo Romerio universitetas, Vilnius, Lithuania

Address

Dr. Alfonsas Juška
Onkologijos institutas, Vilniaus universitetas
Baublio g. 3b, 08406 Vilnius, Lithuania
Email: [email protected]

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