Role of Na+ in alpha-aminoisobutyric acid uptake by membrane vesicles from mouse fibroblasts transformed by simian virus 40

Glucose-induced electrical activity in pancreatic beta-cell: modulation by pH

Studies have been undertaken to examine the influence of changes in pH on the electrical activity in mouse islet beta-cells. Extracellular acidification or the presence of the permeable weak acid glycodiazine was found to alter the cyclic nature of glucose-induced electrical activity leading to depolarization and constant spike activity. Conversely, the presence of the permeable weak base imidazole was found to transiently lead to hyperpolarization with concomitant inhibition of electrical activity. Monensin, an electroneutral Na:H antiporter, was found to inhibit glucose-induced electrical activity, even in the presence of glycodiazine. These results suggest that protons may play an important role in the regulation and/or generation of the oscillatory pattern of electrical activity in the beta-cell.

Amino acid transport in plasma-membrane vesicles from rat liver. Characterization of L-alanine transport

Plasma-membrane vesicles, isolated from rat liver, catalyze active transport of L-alanine. The transient accumulation of L-alanine requires the presence of Na+ concentration gradient (outside greater than inside). The alanine-Na+ symport is an electrogenic process, since it is stimulated under conditions that allow compensatory ion movements: both co-transported anions as well as counter-transported cations influence the rate of alanine-Na+ symport. However, no uptake is observed in the presence of a membrane potential, when no Na+ concentration gradient is present. Sodium-gradient-stimulated alanine uptake is dependent on temperature and pH, stereospecific, and is affected by the presence of other amino acids. The activity of the L-alanine transport system is influenced both by the Na+ and by the L-alanine concentration. In the presence of 100 mM Na+, an apparent Km for alanine of 2 mM is observed; lowering the Na+ concentration results in an increase in the apparent Km, and a decrease in the apparent V. The apparent Km for Na+ is 34 mM in the presence of 0.2 mM L-alanine. Increasing the L-alanine concentration also results in a lower apparent Km for Na+, and a higher V.

Effect of membrane potential on Na+-dependent sugar transport by ATP-depleted intestinal cells

The role of the membrane potential as a component of the thermodynamic driving force and as a determinant of kinetic parameters of Na+-dependent sugar transport was investigated using ATP-depleted isolated chicken intestinal cells. Inside-negative membrane potentials were established by incubating K+-loaded rotenone-inhibited cells with valinomycin in a low K+ medium. Overshoots of 3-O-methylglucose (3-OMG) accumulation as high as 10-fold were observed in the presence of valinomycin even in the absence of a Na+ chemical gradient. The magnitude of overshoot was diminished by decreasing the magnitude of the imposed K+ gradient and abolished altogether when nigericin was also included. An Eadie-Hofstee plot of initial flux data showed that the imposed membrane potential increases the Vmax of transport in the absence of a chemical gradient for Na+ from 3 to 12 nmol 3-OMG . mg protein-1 . min-1. The KT is not significantly altered. Similar kinetic results were obtained when a membrane potential as well as a Na+ gradient were imposed. These results suggest that the membrane potential is a more important contributor to alterations in the kinetics of transport than the Na+ chemical potential.

Amino acid and 22Na+ uptake in membrane vesicles from confluent simian virus 40 transformed Balb/c3T3 and Balb/c3T3

The studies reported here were carried out to characterize further previously described changes in membrane localized amino acid transport associated with simian virus 40 transformation of the mammalian cell line, Balb/c3T3. Membrane vesicles were prepared from confluent cultures of both simian virus 40 transformed Balb/c3T3 (SV3T3) and the untransformed parent line, Balb/c3T3 (3T3). An initial, externally imposed out greater than in, 100 mM a+ gradient produces acceleration of early ingress of alpha-aminoisobutyric acid (AlB) in vesicles from both cell lines, but transient, concentrative uptake (overshooting) only in SV3T3 vesicles. Early ingress of L-leucine is also accelerated in SV3T3 vesicles by a Na+ gradient, and overshooting is also demonstrable. Na+-gradient independent AIB permeability of SV3T3 and 3T3 membranes was estimated using uptake data, a first order rate equation and measurements of vesicle size derived from quasi-elastic light-scattering studies. AIB permeability of SV3T3 membranes is greater than that of 3T3 membranes (113 A/min and 43 A/min, respectively), suggesting that overshooting in 3T3 vesicles is not attenuated by a Na+-independent AIB "leak". Na+ permeability of the two membranes is similar, ruling out the possibility that a slower rate of Na+ equilibration across the SV3T3 membrane allows development of the overshoot. In SV3T3 vesicles the height of a Na+-gradient dependent overshoot varies with the initial [Na+]o/[Na+]i ratio, and ln[Na+]o/[Na+]i is linearly related to ln AIB uptake at overshoot peak/AIB uptake at equilibrium, consistent with the possibility that for [Na+]o/[Na+]i ratios in the range studied, AIB overshoot is energized by a constant proportion of the energy available from the initial electrochemical gradient for Na+. These results are consistent with the possibility that Na+-gradient dependent overshooting in SV3T3 vesicles is produced by Na+-amino acid carrier interactions resulting in either an increase in maximum transport velocity or an increase in carrier affinity for AIB.

Stereospecific hexose transport by membrane vesicles from mouse fibroblasts: membrane vesicles retain increased hexose transport associated with viral transformation

Membrane vesicles isolated from nontransformed BALB/c 3T3 mouse fibroblasts (3T3) and from those cells transformed by simian virus 40 (SV3T3) displayed carrier-mediated and stereospecific uptake of hexose as measured by the difference between D-[(14)C]glucose or its analogues and L-[(3)H]glucose uptake. Stereospecific uptake appeared to be linear for 5 sec and reached a maximum at 5-10 min. Stereospecific D-[(14)C]glucose uptake, osmotically sensitive and temperature dependent, was inhibited by unlabeled D-glucose or its analogues and was stimulated by the countertransport of accumulated unlabeled D-glucose. As with whole cells, the initial rate of stereospecific uptake by SV3T3 membrane vesicles was approximately 2.5-fold greater than that by 3T3 vesicles. Efflux of preloaded D-[(14)C]glucose was also faster from SV3T3 than from 3T3 membrane vesicles. The K(m) value was 5 mM for both the 3T3 and the SV3T3 membrane vesicles, but the V(max) values were 36 and 86 nmol/mg of protein per min, respectively, suggesting an increase in the number or availability of hexose carriers in transformed cell membranes. Cytochalasin B competitively inhibited stereospecific hexose uptake in both types of membrane vesicles. The binding of cytochalasin B to the SV3T3 membrane vesicles was significantly greater than that to 3T3 vesicles. Thus, the membrane vesicles retained many of the features of the altered hexose transport observed in whole cells in association with viral transformation.

Sodium-dependent amino acid transport by cultured hamster cells: membrane vesicles retain transport changes due to glucose starvation and cycloheximide

Enhanced alpha-aminoisobutyric acid transport by hamster cells cultured in the absence of D-glucose has been demonstrated in isolated membrane vesicles. The observed enhancement was seen in the presence but not in the absence of Na+. Kinetic analysis of transport using both the intact cells and the membrane vesicles showed that the overall enhancement was associated with an increase in Vmax. Decreases in transport activity by intact cells resulting from extended exposure of the cells to inhibitors of protein synthesis, such as cycloheximide, were also evident in membrane vesicles. The use of metabolically inactive membrane vesicles demonstrated that amino acid uptake by intact cells is a transport property of the plasma membrane. In addition, this study shows that membrane vesicle preparations can be exploited for the purpose of studying the regulation of amino acid transport. Taken together, the data suggest that carrier turnover is involved in the regulation of amino acid transport in animal cells.

Sodium-stimulated active transport of aminoisobutyric acid by reconstituted vesicles from partially purified plasma membranes of mouse fibroblasts transformed by simian virus 40

Plasma membrane fractions isolated from mouse fibroblast BALB/c 3T3 cells transformed by simian virus 40 were partially purified by treatment with dimethylmaleic anhydride followed by extraction with 2% cholate. The extracted proteins were combined with exogenous phospholipids and eluted through a Sephadex G50 column. Reconstituted vesicles thus obtained were shown to possess the ability of Na+-stimulated transport of alpha-aminoisobutyric acid. The simultaneous addition of NaSCN and alpha-aminoisobutyric acid to these vesicles produced a transient accumulation above the equilibrium level (overshoot, active transport). The Na+-stimulated transport of alpha-aminoisobutyric acid was sensitive to the accompanying anion and to the temperature of incubation. The results demonstrate that partially purified membrane proteins of mouse fibroblast cells can be incorporated into the liposomes that have the characteristics of Na+-stimulated and electrochemically sensitive active transport of alpha-aminoisobutyric acid.