Cl Tracer Research Articles

Influence of Multiple Environmental Factors on Organic Matter Chlorination in Podsol Soil.

Natural chlorination of organic matter is common in soils. The abundance of chlorinated organic compounds frequently exceeds chloride in surface soils, and the ability to chlorinate soil organic matter (SOM) appears widespread among microorganisms. Yet, the environmental control of chlorination is unclear. Laboratory incubations with 36Cl as a Cl tracer were performed to test how combinations of environmental factors, including levels of soil moisture, nitrate, chloride, and labile organic carbon, influenced chlorination of SOM from a boreal forest. Total chlorination was hampered by addition of nitrate or by nitrate in combination with water but enhanced by addition of chloride or most additions including labile organic matter (glucose and maltose). The greatest chlorination was observed after 15 days when nitrate and water were added together with labile organic matter. The effect that labile organic matter strongly stimulated the chlorination rates was confirmed by a second independent experiment showing higher stimulation at increased availability of labile organic matter. Our results highlight cause-effect links between chlorination and the studied environmental variables in podsol soil-with consistent stimulation by labile organic matter that did overrule the negative effects of nitrate.

Solute dynamics and the Ontario nitrogen index: II. Nitrate leaching

Nitrogen (N) leaching from soil into surface and ground waters is a concern in humid areas of Canada. As a result, N management protocols, including the Ontario N Index, are widely used to identify N leaching risk, although field assessment remains limited. Nitrogen fertilizer and chloride (Cl) tracer were fall-applied to five agricultural soils in Ontario with different textures and hydrologic soil groups (HSG) to assess the Ontario N Index and characterize inorganic N movement over 1 yr. The treatments included three N rates (0, 100, and 200 kg N ha−1) plus Cl tracer and 200 kg N ha−1 rate without Cl. After spring thaw, N loss from the crop root zone (top 60 cm) ranged from 68% for Brookston clay loam to 99% for Harrow sandy loam. A strong linear relationship between apparent N recovery and apparent Cl recovery indicated that N loss from the root zone occurred primarily by downward leaching. Leaching was controlled by the minimum measured saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat), and good estimates of N leaching were obtained using a quasi-theoretical relationship between N loss and Ksat. We concluded that Ontario N Index estimates of N leaching risk might be improved by including site-specific measurements of Ksat.

Excitation-induced exchange of Na+, K+, and Cl- in rat EDL muscle in vitro and in vivo: physiology and pathophysiology.

In skeletal muscle, excitation leads to increased [Na+]i, loss of K+, increased [K+]o, depolarization, and Cl− influx. This study quantifies these changes in rat extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles in vitro and in vivo using flame photometric determination of Na+ and K+ and 36Cl as a tracer for Cl−. In vitro, 5-Hz stimulation for 300 s increased intracellular Na+ content by 4.6 ± 1.2 µmol/g wet wt (P < 0.002) and decreased intracellular K+ content by 5.5 ± 2.3 µmol/g wet wt (P < 0.03). This would increase [K+]o by 28 ± 12 mM, sufficient to cause severe loss of excitability as the result of inactivation of Na+ channels. In rat EDL, in vivo stimulation at 5 Hz for 300 s or 60 Hz for 60 s induced significant loss of K+ (P < 0.01), sufficient to increase [K+]o by 71 ± 22 mM and 73 ± 15 mM, respectively. In spite of this, excitability may be maintained by the rapid and marked stimulation of the electrogenic Na+,K+ pumps already documented. This may require full utilization of the transport capacity of Na+,K+ pumps, which then becomes a limiting factor for physical performance. In buffer containing 36Cl, depolarization induced by increasing [K+]o to 40–80 mM augmented intracellular 36Cl by 120–399% (P < 0.001). Stimulation for 120–300 s at 5–20 Hz increased intracellular 36Cl by 100–188% (P < 0.001). In rats, Cl− transport in vivo was examined by injecting 36Cl, where electrical stimulation at 5 Hz for 300 s or 60 Hz for 60 s increased 36Cl uptake by 81% (P < 0.001) and 84% (P < 0.001), respectively, indicating excitation-induced depolarization. Cl− influx favors repolarization, improving K+ clearance and maintenance of excitability. In conclusion, excitation-induced fluxes of Na+, K+, and Cl− can be quantified in vivo, providing new evidence that in working muscles, extracellular accumulation of K+ is considerably higher than previously observed and the resulting depression of membrane excitability may be a major cause of muscle fatigue.

Organic Matter Chlorination Rates in Different Boreal Soils: The Role of Soil Organic Matter Content

Transformation of chloride (Cl(-)) to organic chlorine (Cl(org)) occurs naturally in soil but it is poorly understood how and why transformation rates vary among environments. There are still few measurements of chlorination rates in soils, even though formation of Cl(org) has been known for two decades. In the present study, we compare organic matter (OM) chlorination rates, measured by (36)Cl tracer experiments, in soils from eleven different locations (coniferous forest soils, pasture soils and agricultural soils) and discuss how various environmental factors effect chlorination. Chlorination rates were highest in the forest soils and strong correlations were seen with environmental variables such as soil OM content and Cl(-) concentration. Data presented support the hypothesis that OM levels give the framework for the soil chlorine cycling and that chlorination in more organic soils over time leads to a larger Cl(org) pool and in turn to a high internal supply of Cl(-) upon dechlorination. This provides unexpected indications that pore water Cl(-) levels may be controlled by supply from dechlorination processes and can explain why soil Cl(-) locally can be more closely related to soil OM content and the amount organically bound chlorine than to Cl(-) deposition.

Recarga de aguas subterráneas en sistemas de dunas naturales y ecosistemas agrícolas en la región del desierto de Thar, Rajasthan, India

Water and nutrient availability for crop production are critical issues in (semi)arid regions. Unsaturated-zone Cl tracer data and nutrient (NO3 and PO4) concentrations were used to quantify recharge rates using the Cl mass balance approach and nutrient availability in the Thar Desert, Rajasthan, India. Soil cores were collected in dune/interdune settings in the arid Thar Desert (near Jaisalmer) and in rain-fed (nonirrigated) and irrigated cropland in the semiarid desert margin (near Jaipur). Recharge rates were also simulated using unsaturated zone modeling. Recharge rates in sparsely vegetated dune/interdune settings in the Jaisalmer study area are 2.7–5.6 mm/year (2–3% of precipitation, 165 mm/year). In contrast, recharge rates in rain-fed agriculture in the Jaipur study area are 61–94 mm/year (10–16% of precipitation, 600 mm/year). Minimum recharge rates under current freshwater irrigated sites are 50–120 mm/year (8–20% of precipitation). Nitrate concentrations are low at most sites. Similarity in recharge rates based on SO4 with those based on Cl is attributed to a meteoric origin of SO4 and generally conservative chemical behavior in these sandy soils. Modeling results increased confidence in tracer-based recharge estimates. Recharge rates under rain-fed agriculture indicate that irrigation of 20–40% of cultivated land with 300 mm/year should be sustainable.

Study of plasma heating induced by fast electrons

We studied the induced plasma heating in three different kinds of targets: mass limited, foam targets, and large mass targets. The experiment was performed at Alisé Laser Facility of CEA/CESTA. The laser system emitted a ∼1 ps pulse with ∼10 J energy at a wavelength of ∼1 μm. Mass limited targets had three layers with thicknesses of 10 μm C8H8, 1 μm C8H7Cl, and 10 μm C8H8 with size of 100×100 μm2. Detailed spectroscopic analysis of x rays emitted from the Cl tracer showed that it was possible to heat up the plasma from mass limited targets to a temperature of ∼250 eV with density of ∼1021 cm−3. The plasma heating is only produced by fast electron transport in the target, being the 10 μm C8H8 overcoating thick enough to prevent any possible direct irradiation of the tracer layer even taking into account mass-ablation due to the prepulse. These results demonstrate that with mass limited targets, it is possible to generate a plasma heated up to several hundreds eV. It is also very important for research concerning high energy density phenomena and for fast ignition (in particular for the study of fast electrons transport and induced heating).

Receptor Regulation of the Volume-Sensitive Efflux of Taurine and Iodide from Human SH-SY5Y Neuroblastoma Cells: Differential Requirements for Ca2+ and Protein Kinase C

The basal (swelling-induced) and receptor-stimulated effluxes of (125)I(-) and taurine have been monitored to determine whether these two osmolytes are released from human SH-SY5Y cells under hypotonic conditions via common or distinct mechanisms. Under basal conditions, both (125)I(-) (used as a tracer for Cl(-)) and taurine were released from the cells in a volume-dependent manner. The addition of thrombin, mediated via the proteinase-activated receptor-1 (PAR-1) subtype, significantly enhanced the release of both (125)I(-) and taurine (3-6-fold) and also increased the threshold osmolarity for efflux of these osmolytes ("set-point") from 200 to 290 mOsM. Inclusion of a variety of broad-spectrum anion channel blockers and of 4-[(2-butyl-6,7-dichloro-2-cyclopentyl-2,3-dihydro-1-oxo-1H-inden-5-yl)oxy]butanoic acid attenuated the release of both (125)I(-) and taurine under basal and receptor-stimulated conditions. Basal release of (125)I(-) and taurine was independent of Ca(2+) or the activity of protein kinase C (PKC). However, although PAR-1-stimulated taurine efflux was attenuated by either a depletion of intracellular Ca(2+) or inhibition of PKC by chelerythrine, the enhanced release of (125)I(-) was independent of both parameters. Stimulated efflux of (125)I(-) after activation of muscarinic cholinergic receptors was also markedly less dependent on Ca(2+) availability and PKC activity than that observed for taurine release. These results indicate that, although the osmosensitive release of these two osmolytes from SH-SY5Y cells may occur via pharmacologically similar membrane channels, the receptor-mediated release of (125)I(-) and taurine is differentially regulated by PKC activity and Ca(2+) availability.

Preferential Flow and Transport of Cryptosporidium parvum Oocysts through the Vadose Zone: Experiments and Modeling

in the form of 4- to 6-m-long ovoid-shaped oocysts, with a double wall that is resistant to most oxidation As a result of Cryptosporidium parvum in drinking water, several processes such as ozonation and chlorination (Current, outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis have occurred in the last 10 yr. Al1986; Atwill et al., 1997). though it is generally believed that movement of pathogens through the soil is minimal, recent research has shown that appreciable num- During the past two decades, the presence of C. parbers of C. parvum oocysts may be transported via preferential or vum in surface- and groundwaters in the United States fingered flow to groundwater. The objective of the present research and Great Britain (Galbraith et al., 1987; Rose et al., was to further investigate and model the transport of oocysts through 1991; Craun et al., 1998) has been associated with several preferential flow paths in the vadose zone under a “worst-case” sce- major outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis (Hayes et al., 1989; nario. This was studied by adding calves feces containing C. parvum MacKenzie et al., 1994). Among the different pathways oocysts with a Cl tracer to undisturbed silt loam columns and disfor the transport of oocysts to drinking water sources, turbed sand columns during a simulated steady-state rain. The sand columns exhibited preferential flow in the form of fingers whereas downward percolation is usually considered to be insigmacropore flow occurred in the undisturbed cores. In the columns nificant, because soils are generally assumed to be an with fingered flow, oocysts and Cl were transported rapidly with the effective filter for a wide range of pathogens. Studies same velocity through the columns. Although only 14 to 86% of the of packed columns with saturated flow by Brush et al. amount applied, the number of oocysts transported across the columns (1999) and Harter et al. (2000) and undisturbed columns was several orders of magnitude above an infective dose. The macwith unsaturated flow (Mawdsley et al., 1996), however, ropore columns had only a very limited breakthrough of oocysts, showed that C. parvum oocysts could be transported which appeared several pore volumes after the Cl broke through initially. A simulation model for the transport of oocysts via preferen- rapidly downward through the soil. Although transport tial flow was developed on the basis of an existing preferential flow of C. parvum oocysts in saturated flow has been studied model for nonadsorbing solutes, with addition of a first-order sink experimentally and described mathematically (Brush et term for adsorbance of the C. parvum to the air–water–solid (AWS) al., 1999; Harter et al., 2000), detailed observations of interfaces, and with velocity and dispersivity parameters derived from the transport and persistence of C. parvum oocysts in Cl transport. The breakthrough of C. parvum oocysts could be de- unsaturated soils with preferential flow are still lacking, scribed realistically for the sand columns. However, the model could particularly in the presence of preferential flow pronot describe oocyst transport in the columns with macropores. cesses.

Inorganic N and P dynamics of Antarctic glacial meltwater streams as controlled by hyporheic exchange and benthic autotrophic communities

The McMurdo Dry Valleys of South Victoria Land, Antarctica, contain numerous glacial meltwater streams that drain into lakes on the valley floors. Many of the streams have abundant perennial mats of filamentous cyanobacteria. The algal mats grow during streamflow in the austral summer and are in a dormant freeze-dried state during the rest of the year. NO3 and soluble reactive P (SRP) concentrations were lower in streams with abundant algal mats than in streams with sparse algal mats. NO3 and SRP concentrations were higher in the hyporheic zone of a stream with abundant algal mats than in the stream itself. An experimental injection of LiCl, NaNO3, and K3PO4 was conducted in Green Creek, which has abundant algal mats. Substantial hyporheic exchange occurred. The NO3 and PO4 concentrations at 50 m below the injection were 55 μM and 18 μM, respectively, during the experiment. NO3 and PO4 concentrations were below the detection limit of 1 to 2 μM at a site 497 m below the injection during the Cl tracer arrival, indicating a high capacity for nutrient uptake by algal communities. NO2 and NH4 were present at sites 226 and 327 m below the injection, indicating that, in addition to denitrification and algal uptake, dissimilatory NO3 reduction to NO2 and NH4 may be a NO3 sink during transport. Transport modelling with nutrient uptake represented as a 1st-order process yielded reach-scale parameters of 4.3 × 10−5 to 3.9 × 10−4/s and 1.4 × 10−4 to 3.8 × 10−4/s for uptake of NO3 and PO4, respectively. The best match with the observed data was a model in which PO4 uptake occurred only in the main channel and NO3 uptake occurred in the main channel and in the hyporheic zone. Hyporheic NO3 uptake was 7 to 16% of the total uptake for the different stream reaches. These results demonstrate that nutrient flux to the lakes is controlled by hyporheic exchange and nutrient uptake by algal mats in dry valley streams. Streams without algal mats contribute more nutrients to the lakes than streams with algal mats.

Long‐term Movement of a Chloride Tracer under Transient, Semi‐Arid Conditions

Understanding the magnitude and variability of water and solute fluxes in the vadose zone is required to assess the risk of potential contamination of ground water resources. In this study, the long‐term (&gt;30 yr) movement of a Cl tracer applied to the soil surface is quantified. In 1966, granular KCl was applied to the surface of nine 6 by 90 m plots at a field site near Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Additional KCl was applied to two of the plots in 1970. Application rates varied between 0.11 to 2.24 kg KCl m−2 Moment analysis was used to calculate the mean travel depth (E[z]) and variance (V[z]) of depth breakthrough curves compiled from soil samples taken 1, 2, 3, 4, 28, and 34 yr after the initial KCl application from the 2.24‐kg KCl m−2 plot. Spatial variability of Cl transport was assessed on 51 cores taken along a 10‐m transect, 34 yr after application. Initial movement of the tracer through the root zone was relatively quick (E[z] = 1.34 m, 4 yr after application), followed by slow movement (E[z] = 1.68 m, 34 yr after application). The change in E[z] between 4 and 34 yr after application was used to calculate a velocity below the root zone of 11 mm yr−1 and a deep drainage estimate of 3 mm yr−1 (θ = 0.3) which is within the range of other estimates for the Canadian Prairies. Variability in E[z] along the 10‐m transect, after 34 yr of transport was low (coefficient of variation [CV] = 4%), suggesting relatively uniform deep drainage. This contrasts sharply with the high variation in convective fluxes measured in other steady‐state high‐flow field‐tracer experiments.

Incorporation of urea and ammonia nitrogen into ileal and fecal microbial proteins and plasma free amino acids in normal men and ileostomates

The importance of urea nitrogen reutilization in the amino acid economy of the host remains to be clarified. The objective was to explore the transfer of (15)N from orally administered [(15)N(2)]urea or (15)NH(4)Cl to plasma free and intestinal microbial amino acids. Six men received an L-amino acid diet (167 mg N*kg(-)(1)*d(-)(1); 186 kJ*kg(-)(1)*d(-)(1)) for 11 d each on 2 different occasions. For the last 6 d they ingested [(15)N(2)]urea or, in random order, (15)NH(4)Cl (3.45 mg (15)N*kg(-)(1)*d(-)(1)). On day 10, a 24-h tracer protocol (12 h fasted/12 h fed) was conducted with subjects receiving the (15)N tracer hourly. In a similar experiment, (15)NH(4)Cl (3.9 mg (15)N*kg(-)(1)*d(-)(1)) was given to 7 ileostomates. (15)N Enrichments of urinary urea and plasma free and fecal or ileal microbial protein amino acids were analyzed. (15)N Retention was significantly higher with (15)NH(4)Cl (47.7%; P < 0.01) than with [(15)N(2)]urea (29.6%). Plasma dispensable amino acids after the (15)NH(4)Cl tracer were enriched up to 20 times (0. 2-0.6 (15)N atom% excess) that achieved with [(15)N(2)]urea. The (15)N-labeling pattern of plasma, ileal, and fecal microbial amino acids (0.05-0.45 (15)N atom% excess) was similar. Appearance of microbial threonine in plasma was similar for normal subjects (0.14) and ileostomates (0.17). The fate of (15)N from urea and NH(4)Cl differs in terms of endogenous amino acid metabolism, but is similar in relation to microbial protein metabolism. Microbial threonine of normal and ileostomy subjects appears in the blood plasma but the net contribution to the body threonine economy cannot be estimated reliably from the present data.

Separate taurine and chloride efflux pathways activated during regulatory volume decrease.

Organic osmolyte and halide permeability pathways activated in epithelial HeLa cells by cell swelling were studied by radiotracer efflux techniques and single-cell volume measurements. The replacement of extracellular Cl- by anions that are more permeant through the volume-activated Cl- channel, as indicated by electrophysiological measurements, significantly decreased taurine efflux. In the presence of less-permeant anions, an increase in taurine efflux was observed. Simultaneous measurement of the 125I, used as a tracer for Cl-, and [3H]taurine efflux showed that the time courses for the two effluxes differed. In Cl--rich medium the increase in I- efflux was transient, whereas that for taurine was sustained. Osmosensitive Cl- conductance, assessed by measuring changes in cell volume, increased rapidly after hypotonic shock. The influx of taurine was able to counteract Cl- conductance-dependent cell shrinkage but only approximately 4 min after triggering cell swelling. This taurine-induced effect was blocked by DIDS. Differences in anion sensitivity, the time course of activation, and sensitivity to DIDS suggest that the main cell swelling-activated permeability pathways for taurine and Cl- are separate.

Volume regulation in NIH/3T3 cells not expressing P-glycoprotein. II. Chloride and amino acid fluxes.

The osmolyte function of amino acids and Cl in native NIH/3T3 cells not expressing the P-glycoprotein was examined by investigating the free amino acid concentration and the swelling-activated efflux of [3H]taurine, as representative of amino acids, and of 125I, as a tracer for Cl. Taurine and 125I efflux was activated by 20 and 30% hyposmotic solutions. At 50% hyposmotic solutions, the osmolyte pool was essentially depleted. The Cl channel blockers 5-nitro-2-(3-phenylpropyl-amino)benzoic acid, 1,9-dideoxyforskolin, dipyridamole, and niflumic acid inhibited the release of the two osmolytes by 80-95%. 4,4'-Diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid (400 microM) decreased the efflux of taurine 80% without affecting that of 125I. Linolenic and arachidonic acids (5-20 microM) showed a concentration-dependent inhibitory effect on taurine and 125I fluxes. Omission of Ca decreased osmolyte fluxes by 16%. Verapamil inhibited the osmolyte release only at 500 microM. Nimodipine at 25 and 50 microM decreased the release of [3H]taurine and 125I by approximately 60 and 80%, respectively, but this effect was independent of the presence of extracellular Ca. These results indicate that amino acids and Cl function as osmolytes during regulatory volume decrease in native NIH/ 3T3 cells.

Mechanism of isotonic water transport in glands

Since water and electrolytes pass cell membranes via separate channels, there can be no interactions in the membranes, and osmotic interactions between water and solutes can be expressed as the product of solute flux, frictional coefficient of solute, and length of pathway. It becomes clear that isotonic transport via a cell is impossible. In glands, where cation-selective junctions impede anion flux between the cells, isotonic water transport is only possible if sodium, after having passed the junction, is reabsorbed in the acinus and returned to the serosal side. Thus it can be recycled via the cation-selective junction and exert its drag on water more than once. This hypothesis was tested on frog skin glands. Skins were mounted in flux chambers with identical Ringer solutions on both sides. Na channels of the principal cells were closed with amiloride in the outside solution, and secretion stimulated with noradrenaline in the inside solution. Influx and efflux of Na, K and Br (used as tracer for Cl) were measured on paired half-skins during the constant-secretion phase. Flux ratios for both Na and K were higher than expected for electrodiffusion, indicating outgoing solvent drag. Flux ratios for K were much higher than those for Na. This is an agreement with the concept that Na is reabsorbed in the acinus and K is not. Two independent expressions for the degree of sodium recycling are developed. Under all experimental conditions these expressions give values for the recycling which are in good agreement.

Absence of transepithelial anion exchange by rabbit OMCD: evidence against reversal of cell polarity.

In the rabbit cortical collecting duct (CCD), Cl tracer crosses the epithelium predominantly via an anion exchange system that operates in either a Cl-Cl or Cl-HCO3 exchange mode. In the present study, we used the 36Cl lumen-to-bath rate coefficient (KCl, nm/s), a sensitive measurement of CCD transepithelial anion transport, to investigate the nature of Cl transport in the medullary collecting duct dissected from inner stripe, outer medulla (OMCD). The KCl in OMCD perfused and bathed in HCO3-Ringer solution was low (46.2 +/- 8.5 nm/s) and similar to that value observed in the CCD when anion exchange is inhibited and Cl permeates the epithelium by diffusion. Unlike KCl in CCD, KCl in OMCD was not stimulated by adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP). OMCD KCl was not altered by bath Cl and/or HCO3 removal, demonstrating the absence of transepithelial Cl-Cl and Cl-HCO3 exchange. To test the hypothesis that metabolic alkalosis could reverse the polarity of intercalated cells and thus induce an apical Cl-HCO3 exchanger in H+-secreting OMCD cells, we measured KCl in OMCD from rabbits made alkalotic by deoxycorticosterone and furosemide. Although the base-line KCl was slightly higher than in OMCD from control rabbits, the value was still far lower than the KCl under comparable conditions in CCD. Moreover, KCl in OMCD from alkalotic rabbits was unchanged by cAMP, or by sequential removal of bath HCO3 and Cl. Immunocytochemistry using peanut lectin and a monoclonal antibody to-erythrocyte band 3 failed to reveal any evidence for alkalosis-induced reversal of either CCD or OMCD intercalated cell polarity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Effects of inhibitors of Cl conductance on Cl self-exchange in rabbit cortical collecting tubule.

Electroneutral vs. conductive pathways of Cl transport were examined by measuring transepithelial conductance (GT) and the lumen-to-bath 36Cl rate coefficient (KCl). Experimental conditions minimized both Cl-HCO3 exchange [HCO3/CO2-free, N-2-hydroxyethylpiperazine-N'-2-ethane-sulfonic acid (HEPES)-buffered solutions] and the electrical driving force for paracellular Cl diffusion (amiloride in the perfusate, transepithelial voltage near zero). Two agents known to inhibit Cl conductances in other epithelia, anthracene-9-carboxylate (9AC, 1 mM) and diphenylamine carboxylate (DPC, 0.1-0.5 mM) reversibly reduced GT and KCl when added to the bath. Both reduced KCl to values consistent with paracellular diffusion. Bath DPC had no effect on GT in the presence of 4 mM lumen Ba2+, suggesting that the DPC-sensitive conductance is in series with an apical K conductance, i.e., resides on the basolateral membrane. Lumen DPC also reduced GT and KCl, but was less potent than bath DPC. Because the lumen DPC effect on GT was also blocked by lumen Ba2+, lumen DPC probably inhibits a basolateral Cl conductance. K removal and ouabain (0.5 mM) had no effect on KCl, suggesting that Cl tracer movement is not predominantly through the principal cell. We assume that these agents are inhibiting Cl conductive pathways and propose a model in which transcellular Cl movement through the intercalated cell occurs via an apical electroneutral entry step in series with a basolateral conductive pathway.

Chloride/formate exchange with formic acid recycling: a mechanism of active chloride transport across epithelial membranes.

The pathways for transport of Cl- and formate in microvillus membrane vesicles isolated from rabbit renal cortex were evaluated. An outward formate gradient stimulated the uptake of Cl-, and an outward Cl- gradient stimulated the uptake of formate, indicating Cl-/formate exchange. In addition, an inside alkaline pH gradient induced the accumulation of formate, consistent with nonionic diffusion of formic acid. Although an inward Na+ gradient also stimulated uphill formate accumulation, suggesting Na+/formate cotransport, this effect was abolished when ionophores were used to prevent the generation of a transmembrane pH gradient, indicating an indirect coupling of formic acid transport to Na+/H+ exchange. An inside alkaline pH gradient only minimally stimulated the uptake of 82Br-, used as tracer for Cl-, confirming the absence of appreciable Cl-/OH- exchange. However, the same pH gradient in the presence of a physiologic formate concentration (0.2 mM) markedly stimulated 82Br- influx. These data suggest that Cl-/formate exchange with recycling of formic acid by nonionic diffusion is a potential mechanism for active Cl- absorption across the luminal membrane in the proximal tubule and perhaps in other epithelia.

Determination of Chlorine-Containing Organics in Chlorinated Sewage Effluents by Coupled36Cl Tracer—High-Resolution Chromatography

Abstract A method has been developed to study the effects of chlorination on sewage and the effluents from sewage treatment plants. This method combines radioactive tracer (36Cl) chlorination with high-resolution chromatography. The need for such methodology follows from the lack of data about chlorination effects and from the concern that chlorination will yield environmentally harmful substances. Utilizing this experimental technique, over 40 chlorine-containing organic constituents were detected in the effluent from the primary stage of a domestic sanitary sewage treatment plant.