The intracellular distribution of ions and water in rat liver and heart muscle

Abstract

Local dry mass concentrations of intracellular compartments in rat heart muscle and liver cells were estimated by quantitative electron microscopy and X‐ray microanalysis of ultrathin frozen‐dried cryosections. The results were used to calculate elemental concentrations per litre of compartment water from the X‐ray microanalytical data. Water fractions were between 80.3 ± 1.3% of wet weight in the decondensed chromatin and only 45.1 ± 1.7% in mitochondria of liver cells. The lowest water fraction in heart muscle cells was also found in mitochondria. The ionic concentrations found in the cytoplasm of liver cells and in the myofibrils are in accord with the electroneutrality rule and in osmotic equilibrium with the extracellular concentrations. The concentrations of Na, K, Cl and P both in the cytoplasm and in the regions of decondensed chromatin within the nuclei were found to be equal. However, in regions of condensed chromatin K⁺ concentrations were found to be much higher than expected for a Donnan distribution of ions free in solution. Most probably the activity coefficient for K⁺ is lower in the condensed chromatin than in the decondensed or in the cytoplasm. The same holds true for the A‐band as compared to the I‐band in heart muscle cells. A sequestration of K⁺ was measured also in the rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) of hepatocytes. The Cl⁻ concentration in mitochondria both in heart muscle and liver cells has been measured far in excess of what might be expected from a Nernstian distribution. A coupled inward Cl⁻ transport in mitochondria must, therefore, be assumed.