The efflux of sorbitol from the rabbit papillary epithelial cell line PAP-HT25 occurs through a specific transport pathway, which we denote the "sorbitol permease." The permease was studied by measuring cell volume changes that accompanied osmotic swelling and by determination of the sorbitol efflux from plasma membrane vesicles. The cell volume studies showed that sorbitol efflux in response to hypotonicity occurred only across the apical membrane of the cells and that loss of sorbitol was the primary mechanism for regulatory volume decrease (RVD) by these cells. Quinidine, a permeant inhibitor of the sorbitol permease, was shown to prevent RVD when added to either apical or basolateral bathing solution. Cell volume experiments also showed that the permease was present only on the apical membrane of cells that had been grown in isotonic medium and did not accumulate sorbitol. The permease could be demonstrated in membrane vesicles obtained from cells exposed to a hypotonic environment before being homogenized. Quinidine blocked the sorbitol efflux from vesicles indicating that it either directly inhibited the permease or a membrane-associated activation step.