Accumulation of rubidium-86 by the rabbit lens.

Rabbit lenses incubated in vitro in potassium-free Tyrode's solution for 4 hours accinnulated trace amounts of Rb-86 to a concentration averaging 18 times that of the incubation medium. The uptake of Rb-86 was temperature dependent and required calcium. In the presence of glucose it was inhibited by iodoacetate, ouabain, or digoxin, but not by dinitrophenol, fluoroacetate, or anaerobiosis. The accumulation ivas inhibited competitively by potassium ion, and saturation kinetics with nonlabeled rubidium could be demonstrated. In the absence of glucose the accumulation was reduced, required oxygen, and was much more sensitive to cyanide, dinitrophenol, and fluoroacetate.