Effects of potassium and chloride on the membrane potentials of P815 mastocytoma tumor cells.

Abstract

The steady-state transmembrane potentials of P815 mastocytoma cells were recorded when the cells were bathed in salines of different compositions. In the normal growth medium (RPMI 1640 with added fetal calf serum) the mean membrane potential was -8.7 mV (SEM +/- 0.4, n = 22). A family of Tris-buffered salines (TBS), modeled from Dulbecco's modified PBS (289 mosmol, 169 milliionic strength units, pH 7.5), having different K+ and different C1- concentrations, were designed and used to bathe the tumor cells. All of the TBS solutions had constant, but reduced levels of ionized Ca2+. In the absence of external C1-, an increase of external K+ from 2 to 20 mM results in a 5.7 mV depolarization. In the presence of external C1- the same increase in external K+ results in a 2.1 mV depolarization. The presence of 145 mM C1- resulted in a steady-state depolarization (for either level of K) of about 50%. One explanation for these results would be the presence of an inward-going active C1- transport.