Sodium transport and chloride transport by the renal distal tubule of rats were studied by in vivo continuous microperfusion to determine the effects of separately altering luminal sodium and chloride concentrations. Results showed that sodium absorption depends on luminal sodium concentration and chloride absorption depends on luminal chloride concentration; both relations are linear between approximately 10 and 100 mM and have slopes of approximately 2.5 pmol X min-1 X mM-1. Sodium absorption is also a saturable function of luminal chloride concentration, and chloride absorption is a saturable function of luminal sodium concentration; the half-maximal chloride and sodium concentrations are approximately 10 mM. Furosemide, 10(-4) M, when added to the fluid used to perfuse this segment inhibited sodium absorption and chloride absorption to a similar extent. Removal of chloride from luminal fluid (replaced with sulfate) and addition of furosemide to the perfusion fluid had little or no effect on the measured transepithelial voltage. The results are consistent with the presence of a mechanism in the luminal membrane of distal tubule cells that couples the absorptive transport of sodium and chloride.