Resting plasma membrane potential of rat peritoneal mast cells is set predominantly by the sodium pump

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Abstract
Changes in the plasma membrane potential of two histanmine‐releasing cells, rat peritoneal mast cells and basophilic leukemia cells 2H3 (RBL 2H3), were recorded with the potential‐sensitive dye bis‐oxonol. For mast cells, the presence of ouabain or the absence of K+ increased the fluorescence intensity of bis‐oxonol; gramicidin had no effect. For RBL 2H3 cells, the presence of ouabain and the absence of K+ also increased bis‐oxonol fluorescence but gramicidin also increased it. These results show that the plasma membrane potential of RBL 2H3 cells is set, in part, by the acitivity of the Na+ pump and in part by the K+ conductance, while that of rat mast cells is set predominantly by the Na+ pump.