• Applied Microscopy
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.119-137
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• 1989

It has been shown in this and earlier investigation that the turtle bladder mucosa has three main cell types on their mucosal surface. They are the granular cells, ${\alpha}$ CA cells, and ${\beta}$ CA cells. The three major transport mechanisms that occurs in the turtle bladder are sodium reabsorption, proton secretion, and bicarbonate secretion. In the present work the trans-port mechanisms by bladder epithelial cells of freshwater turtle, Pseudemys scripta, are summarized as follows. 1. The granular cells play an important role in sodium transport, while the ${\alpha}$ and ${\beta}$ CA cells do not appear to play a determining role in sodium transport. 2. It appears that the active sodium transport in the granular cells occurs in two-step process, implying that first, sodium diffuses into the cells, followed by an energy-dependent efflux step, which is catalyzed by the ouabain-sensitive Na-K ATPase. 3. The ${\alpha}$ type of CA cells are responsible for the proton secretion using the proton pump on the apical plasma membrane, while the ${\beta}$ type of CA cells are believed to be responsible for bicarbonate secretion. 4. When looked at under freeze-fracture electron microscopy, the apical plasma membrane of ${\alpha}$ cells have a characteristic population of rod-shaped intramembranous particles which are believed to be components of the proton pumps. Conversely, ${\beta}$ type of CA cells show rod-shaped particles in their basolateral plasma membranes, which is consistent with the proton absorptive, bicarbonate secretory mechanism. 5. In the turtle bladder, the ${\alpha}$ and ${\beta}$ type of cells are believed to be both responsible for proton transport, but in opposite directions.