The Coupling of Solute Fluxes in Membranes

J Gen Physiol. 1970 February 1; 55(2): 220–242.

PMCID: PMC2202996

William R. Galey and J. T. Van Bruggen

From the Department of Biochemistry, University of Oregon Medical School, Portland, Oregon 97201.

Dr. Galey's present address is the Biophysical Laboratory, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115. Requests for reprints should be sent to J. T. Van Bruggen in Portland.

Received July 25, 1969.

This article has been cited by other articles in PMC.

Abstract

Our previous description of solute drag on a synthetic membrane has been extended to include the solutes mannitol, sucrose, raffinose, inulin, and dextran. Labeled and nonlabeled forms of these solutes were used in pairs to quantitate solute flux interaction. Three membranes with pore sizes of 350, 80, and 20 A, respectively, have been utilized. It is shown that solute flux interaction occurs with all the solutes and that the extent of interaction is related directly to solute permeability, concentration, and molecular size. The magnitude of solute interaction is reciprocally related to the radii of the membrane pores, greater interaction occurring with small pored membranes. Solute drag is seen as an increased flux of tracer solute in the direction of the diffusion gradient of a second solute as well as a decreased tracer flux into the diffusion gradient. Values are given for self-diffusion and interaction coefficients as well as for a new coefficient, the "effectiveness coefficient."

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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