Cyclic AMP-stimulated chloride fluxes in dialyzed barnacle muscle fibers

Unidirectional chloride efflux and influx were studied in giant barnacle muscle fibers that were internally dialyzed. When cyclic 3'5'-adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) was included in the dialysis fluid, both unidirectional fluxes were stimulated by about the same amount. This stimulation was not associated with measurable changes either in membrane electrical conductance or with net movements of chloride. The stimulation required the trans-side presence of chloride. The stimulated flux was inhibited by the sulfonic acid stilbene derivatives 4-acetamido-4'-isothiocyanostilbene-2',2'-disulfonate (SITS) and 4,4'-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonate (DIDS) or by furosemide. When cAMP was presented in high concentrations (10-5 M), the effect on chloride fluxes was characterized by a desensitization phenomenon. This desensitization was not the result of an increased amount of phosphodiesterase activity, but may be related to ATP and/or intracellular calcium levels. These results further support the hypothesis that the barnacle sarcolemma possesses a specialized chloride transport mechanism that largely engages in Cl-Cl exchange under conditions of normal intracellular pH.