A trail of research on potassium

A complex pump-leak system involving both active and passive transport mechanisms is responsible for the appropriate distribution of potassium (K) between the intra- and extracellular fluid compartments. In addition, the kidneys, and to a lesser extent the colon, safeguard maintenance of the narrow range of low K concentrations in the extracellular fluid. Early renal clearance studies showed that K is normally both reabsorbed and secreted by renal tubules, and that regulated secretion is the major source of K excretion. Studies at the tubule and cell level have localized secretion and reabsorption of K to principal and intercalated cells in the collecting ducts. Measurements of the electrochemical driving forces across individual cell membranes have permitted the characterization of specific ATPases, K channels and K cotransporters and also provided insights into the molecular structure of individual transporters that regulate K excretion.