A B S T R A C T Addition of HCOi-to the serosal side (S) of the isolated turtle bladder results in a HCO0-flow from S to the mucosal side (M) which markedly reduces the net rate of acid secretion. To characterize the driving forces for this downhill HCO3-flow, the effects of metabolic inhibitors and substrates were examined. In short-circuited bladders with the M pH lowered to the point of zero net H+ secretion, the rate of HCO-entry into M in response to a 20-mM HCO3-gradient was measured by pH stat titration. Deoxygenation reduced the HC03-flux from 1.24±0.1 gM/h/8 cm2 (SEM) to 0.50±0.1 tM/h with glucose (2 X 10' M) and from 1.32±0.1 to 0.47±0.1 iAM/h without glucose.A similar reduction (61%) was observed in the presence of 1% C02. Dinitrophenol (10' M), cyanide (10' M), and deoxyglucose (10-' M) inhibited the HCO3-flux by 39%, 37%, and 38%, respectively. The combination of any of these inhibitors with N2 caused the same inhibition as Ns alone. In bladders depleted of substrate, pyruvate (5 X 10-' M) increased the HCOs-flux from 0.36 ±0.05 to 0.58±0.01 ,M/h (P < 0.005); the increment was abolished by deoxygenation.The results indicate that the bulk of the downhill HCOi-flow in this system is dependent on metabolic energy derived primarily from oxidative sources, and that this energy-dependent flow approximates the electroneutral component of HCO3-secretion that is coupled to Cl-absorption.