The mechanism of Na+-dependent D-glucose transport

A mathematical model of rat proximal tubule and loop of Henle

Proximal tubule and loop of Henle function are coupled, with proximal transport determining loop fluid composition, and loop transport modulating glomerular filtration via tubuloglomerular feedback (TGF). To examine this interaction, we begin with published models of the superficial rat proximal convoluted tubule (PCT; including flow-dependent transport in a compliant tubule), and the rat thick ascending Henle limb (AHL). Transport parameters for this PCT are scaled down to represent the proximal straight tubule (PST), which is connected to the thick AHL via a short descending limb. Transport parameters for superficial PCT and PST are scaled up for a juxtamedullary nephron, and connected to AHL via outer and inner medullary descending limbs, and inner medullary thin AHL. Medullary interstitial solute concentrations are specified. End-AHL hydrostatic pressure is determined by distal nephron flow resistance, and the TGF signal is represented as a linear function of end-AHL cytosolic Cl concentration. These two distal conditions required iterative solution of the model. Model calculations capture inner medullary countercurrent flux of urea, and also suggest the presence of an outer medullary countercurrent flux of ammonia, with reabsorption in AHL and secretion in PST. For a realistically strong TGF signal, there is the expected homeostatic impact on distal flows, and in addition, a homeostatic effect on proximal tubule pressure. The model glycosuria threshold is compatible with rat data, and predicted glucose excretion with selective 1Na(+):1glucose cotransporter (SGLT2) inhibition comports with observations in the mouse. Model calculations suggest that enhanced proximal tubule Na(+) reabsorption during hyperglycemia is sufficient to activate TGF and contribute to diabetic hyperfiltration.

Gastrointestinal Function

This chapter describes the normal biochemical processes of intestinal secretion, digestion, and absorption. The digestive system is composed of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, or the alimentary canal, salivary glands, the liver, and the exocrine pancreas. The principal functions of the gastrointestinal tract are to digest and absorb ingested nutrients, and to excrete waste products of digestion. Most nutrients are ingested in a form that is either too complex for absorption or insoluble, and therefore, indigestible or incapable of being digested. Within the GI tract, much of these substances are solubilized and further degraded enzymatically to simple molecules, sufficiently small in size, and in a form that permits absorption across the mucosal epithelium. This chapter explains in detail the mechanisms of salivary secretions, compositions of saliva, and the functions of saliva. The chapter also elaborates properties of bile as well as the synthesis of bile acids. The chapter explores the pathogenesis of the important gastrointestinal diseases of domestic animals, and the biochemical basis for their diagnosis and treatment. The chapter concludes with a discussion on disturbances of gastrointestinal function such as vomition, acute diarrheas, malabsorption, bacterial overgrowth, and ulcerative colitis.

Upregulation of Slc39a10 gene expression in response to thyroid hormones in intestine and kidney

A novel zinc transporter has been purified and cloned from rat renal brush border membrane. This transporter was designated as Zip10 encoded by Slc39a10 gene and characterized as zinc importer. Present study documents the impact of thyroid hormones on the expression of Zip10 encoded by Slc39a10 gene in rat model of hypo and hyperthyroidism. Serum T(3) and T(4) levels were reduced significantly in hypothyroid rats whereas these levels were significantly elevated in hyperthyroid rats as compared to euthyroid rats thereby confirming the validity of the model. Kinetic studies revealed a significant increase in the initial and equilibrium uptake of Zn(++) in both intestinal and renal BBMV of hyperthyroid rats in comparison to hypothyroid and euthyroid rats. By RT-PCR, Slc39a10 mRNA expression was found to be significantly decreased in hypothyroid and increased in hyperthyroid as compared to euthyroid rats. These findings are in conformity with the immunofluorescence studies that revealed markedly higher fluorescence intensity at periphery of both intestinal and renal cells isolated from hyperthyroid rats as compared to hypothyroid and euthyroid rats. Higher expression of Zip10 protein in hyperthyroid group was also confirmed by western blot. These findings suggest that expression of zinc transporter protein Zip10 (Slc39a10) in intestine and kidney is positively regulated by thyroid hormones.

Sucrose transport into plasma membrane vesicles from tobacco leaves by H+ symport or counter exchange does not display a linear component

Uptake of [14C]sucrose by plasma membrane vesicles from leaves of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) was measured after the imposition of an inwardly directed proton gradient (delta pH = 2) and an electrical gradient (delta psi = -68 mV, inside negative) across the vesicle membrane. The vesicles were isolated from a microsomal fraction by two-phase partitioning using media that contained 330 mM of either sorbitol or sucrose. Sucrose transport into vesicles isolated using the sorbitol-containing media showed the hallmarks of electrogenic H+-symport, as it was highly dependent on delta pH, could be increased three- to four-fold by delta psi, and was abolished by carbonylcyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP). Transport of [14C]sucrose into vesicles that were isolated using the sucrose-containing media apparently occurred by counter exchange. Its initial influx also depended on a low external pH, but it was insensitive to CCCP and hardly stimulated by delta psi. Both symport and counter exchange obeyed simple Michaelis-Menten kinetics. Transport that depends linearly on the external sucrose concentration could not be detected, indicating that the 'linear' component that has been observed in sucrose uptake by leaf tissues does not represent a transport route that is provided by the sucrose symporter. The potential role of H+/sucrose-symporters in phloem unloading is briefly discussed.

Vitamin K uptake in hepatocytes and hepatoma cells

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) or hepatoma cells have impaired ability to perform vitamin K-dependent carboxylation reactions. Vitamin K can also inhibit growth of HCC cells in vitro. Both carboxylation and growth inhibition are vitamin K dose dependent. We used rat hepatocytes, a vitamin K-growth sensitive (MH7777) and a vitamin K-growth resistant (H4IIE) rat hepatoma cell line to examine vitamin K uptake and vitamin K-mediated microsomal carboxylation. We found that vitamin K is taken up by normal rat hepatocytes against a saturable concentration gradient. The relative rates of uptake by rat hepatocytes and the two rat cell lines MH7777 and H4IIE correlated with their sensitivity to vitamin K-mediated cell growth inhibition. Pooled hepatocytes from liver nodules from rats treated with the hepatocarcinogen diethylnitrosamine (DEN) also had a reduced rate of vitamin K uptake. However, using a cell-free system, microsomes from both normal rat hepatocytes and the two rat hepatoma cell lines had a similar ability to support carboxylation mediated by exogenously added vitamin K. The results support the hypothesis that different sensitivity of hepatoma cells to vitamin K may be due to differences in vitamin K uptake and may be unrelated to the actions of vitamin K on carboxylation.

Thyroid hormones modulate zinc transport activity of rat intestinal and renal brush-border membrane

Thyroid hormone status influences the Zn2+ and metallothionein levels in intestine, liver, and kidney. To evaluate the impact of thyroid hormones on Zn2+ metabolism, Zn2+ uptake studies were carried out in intestinal and renal brush-border membrane vesicles (BBMV). Steady-state Zn2+ transport in intestinal and renal cortical BBMV was increased in hyperthyroid (Hyper-T) rats and decreased in the hypothyroid (Hypo-T) rats relative to euthyroid (Eu-T) rats. In both the intestinal and renal BBMV, Hyper-T rats showed a significant increase in maximal velocity compared with Eu-T and Hypo-T rats. Apparent Michaelis constant was unaltered in intestinal and renal BBMV prepared from the three groups. Fluorescence anisotropy of diphenyl hexatriene was decreased significantly in intestinal and renal brush-border membrane (BBM) isolated from Hyper-T rats compared with Hypo-T and Eu-T rats. A significant reduction in the microviscosity and transition temperature for Zn2+ uptake in intestinal and renal BBM from Hyper-T rats is in accordance with the increased fluidity of these BBMs. These findings suggest that the increased rate of Zn2+ transport in response to thyroid hormone status could be associated with either an increase in the number of Zn2+ transporters or an increase in the active transporters due to alteration in the membrane fluidity. Thus the thyroid hormone-mediated change in membrane fluidity might play an important role in modulating Zn2+ transport activity of intestinal and renal BBM.

Voltage and cosubstrate dependence of the Na-HCO3 cotransporter kinetics in renal proximal tubule cells

The voltage dependence of the kinetics of the sodium bicarbonate cotransporter was studied in proximal tubule cells. This electrogenic cotransporter transports one Na+, three HCO3-, and two negative charges. Cells were grown to confluence on a permeable support, mounted on a Ussing-type chamber, and permeabilized apically to small monovalent ions with amphotericin B. The steady-state, di-nitro-stilbene-di-sulfonate-sensitive current was shown to be sodium and bicarbonate dependent and therefore was taken as flux through the cotransporter. Voltage-current relations were measured as a function of Na+ and HCO3- concentrations between -160 and +160 mV under zero-trans and symmetrical conditions. The kinetics could be described by a Michaelis-Menten behavior with a Hill coefficient of 3 for HCO3- and 1 for Na+. The data were fitted to six-state ordered binding models without restrictions with respect to the rate-limiting step. All ordered models could quantitatively account for the observed current-voltage relationships and the transinhibition by high bicarbonate concentration. The models indicate that 1) the unloaded transporter carries a positive charge; 2) the binding of cytosolic bicarbonate to the transporter "senses" 12% of the electric field in the membrane, whereas its translocation across the membrane "senses" 88% of the field; 3) the binding of Na+ to the cotransporter is voltage independent.

Reduction of an eight-state mechanism of cotransport to a six-state model using a new computer program

A computer program was developed to allow easy derivation of steady-state velocity and binding equations for multireactant mechanisms including or without rapid equilibrium segments. Its usefulness is illustrated by deriving the rate equation of the most general sequential iso ordered ter ter mechanism of cotransport in which two Na+ ions bind first to the carrier and mirror symmetry is assumed. It is demonstrated that this mechanism cannot be easily reduced to a previously proposed six-state model of Na+-D-glucose cotransport, which also includes a number of implicit assumptions. In fact, the latter model may only be valid over a restricted range of Na+ concentrations or when assuming very strong positive cooperativity for Na+ binding to the glucose symporter within a rapid equilibrium segment. We thus propose an equivalent eight-state model in which the concept of positive cooperativity is best explained within the framework of a polymeric structure of the transport protein involving a minimum number of two transport-competent and identical subunits. This model also includes an obligatory slow isomerization step between the Na+ and glucose-binding sequences, the nature of which might reflect the presence of functionally asymmetrical subunits.

Effect of cadmium on Na-Pi cotransport kinetics in rabbit renal brush-border membrane vesicles

Chronic exposure to cadmium impairs various renal functions, including phosphate (Pi) transport. To further investigate the mechanism of cadmium-induced alterations in renal Pi transport, kinetics of Na+-dependent Pi uptake were studied in renal cortical brush-border membrane vesicles (BBMV) exposed to CdCl2 in vitro. BBMVs isolated from rabbit renal outer cortex were preincubated in a buffer containing CdCl2 (50 microM in most cases) for 60 min at 37 degrees C and then tested for Pi uptake at 25 degrees C. CdCl2 treatment resulted in a marked attenuation of Na+-dependent Pi uptake with no changes in Na+-independent Pi uptake and membrane permeability to Na+. CdMt treatment induced no changes in Pi transport. The inhibition required preincubation of vesicles with CdCl2 for more than 30 min and was not reversed by extravesicular EDTA, suggesting that cadmium affects the transport system at the internal side of the membrane. Kinetic analysis indicated that two sodium ions and one phosphate ion interact with a carrier, and this stoichiometry was not altered by cadmium treatment. Cadmium treatment did not change the apparent Km for Na+ (K(Na)) and that for phosphate (K(Pi)), but it markedly reduced the Vmax of the Na+-dependent Pi transport. These results indicate that exposure of proximal tubular brush border membranes to cadmium impairs the Pi transport capacity, probably by reducing the effective number of Na-Pi cotransporter units without altering substrate affinities of the carrier.

Ligand binding to the serotonin transporter: equilibria, kinetics, and ion dependence

The effects of Na+ and Cl- on the binding of [3H]imipramine and the cocaine analog [125I]-beta-carbomethoxy-3 beta-(4-iodophenyl)tropane([125I]-beta-CIT) to the human platelet serotonin transporter have been measured. The ion dependence of beta-CIT binding is consistent with binding beta-CIT together with one Na+ ion, but not in an ordered sequence. Imipramine affinity, like beta-CIT affinity, is increased by Na+, but imipramine binding involves at least two Na+ ions. This conclusion is based on the observation that both imipramine association rate constants and equilibrium affinity constants show a sigmoidal Na+ dependence. As with beta-CIT, the imipramine and Na+ binding sequence is not strictly ordered. Cl- increases imipramine affinity, apparently by slowing dissociation. beta-CIT binding occurs even in the absence of Na+ and Cl-. This provided a means to measure substrate and inhibitor affinity in both the presence and absence of cotransported ions. Nontransported inhibitors, such as imipramine and citalopram, as well as the transport substrates serotonin and 3,4-(methylenedioxy)methamphetamine all displaced beta-CIT binding in the absence of NaCl. In the absence of Cl-, Na+ increased the affinity of nontransported inhibitors but not of substrates. The results suggest that Na+ and Cl- induce independent changes in the transporter binding site and that binding of substrates and inhibitors is affected differently by these changes.

Interpreting the effects of site-directed mutagenesis on active transport systems

Single amino acid substitutions in the lactose permease of Escherichia coli are known to elicit behaviour, such as the transformation of an active into a passive system, not explained by current co-transport models. The behaviour, it is shown, can be explained by an expanded reaction scheme that takes account of the required alternation of the carrier, in the course of the coupled reaction, between mobile and immobile conformations or between conformations that bind either only one substrate or both substrates. The extended model links such behaviour to altered conformational equilibria or binding regions. Thus, mutations that affect the equilibrium between a mobile one-site conformation of the free carrier and an immobile conformation having sites for both substrates allow passive transport of the second substrate in an ordered mechanism, and mutations in a secondary substrate binding region that affects this conformational change allow passive transport of the first substrate. Mutations in regions interacting with a substrate in the transition state in carrier movement, as well as in the initial binding sites, can also be distinguished. The analysis applies to both primary and secondary active transport.

Coupling mechanisms in ATP-driven pumps

Because the kinetic reaction schemes for primary and secondary active transport can be identical, the same fundamental relationship holds among rate and equilibrium constants: the ratio of coupled to uncoupled flux is no greater than the ratio of substrate dissociation constants in an initial complex and a conformationally altered state. Further, the role played by each substrate in coupling depends in the same way on its order of addition to the carrier. It follows that the structural principles governing the design and operation of the carrier proteins are fundamentally alike. In either system, the strict control of the mobility and specificity of the carrier, a prerequisite for active transport, depends on the utilization of substrate binding forces to alter the protein conformation; and whether the driving substrate is transported or not and whether reversibly bound or covalently bound (like the phosphate group derived from ATP), the force producing the conformational change is derived from non-covalent interactions between the substrate (held at the substrate site) and other sections of the protein. The protein probably encloses the substrate, with a resulting increase in the binding force; the favourable energy of interaction balances the unfavourable energy involved in distorting the protein structure. The postulated complex can account for the 'occluded state' of transported cations and for the favourable reaction of inorganic phosphate with the calcium pump.

Coupling mechanisms in active transport

In primary and secondary active transport, the mobility and specificity of the carrier are controlled, over the course of the transport reaction, in accordance with a set of 'rules'. The rules are shown to depend on two mechanisms: a substrate--either the driving substrate (a transported ion or ATP) or the driven substrate--may shift a conformational equilibrium or accelerate a rate-limiting conformational change. From an analysis of coupling mechanisms the following conclusions emerge. (i) The ratio of coupled to uncoupled flux, which should be large, cannot be greater than the ratio of substrate dissociation constants in an initial complex and a conformationally altered state. A minimum value for the increased binding force can be estimated from steady-state constants. (ii) In an ordered mechanism, slippage is expected at high concentrations of the substrate adding to the carrier second, while slippage of the first substrate should remain low. (iii) Slippage in coupled transport is minimized if the driven substrate is last on in loading the carrier and last off in unloading, while the reverse order makes the affinity high in loading and low in unloading, as required for efficient transfer from one compartment to another; hence the preferred mechanism may depend on prevailing physiological conditions. (iv) A coupled transport system can be transformed into a facilitated system for one substrate or both if the control of carrier mobility is undermined through modification of the carrier.

A model of the sodium dependence of dopamine uptake in rat striatal synaptosomes

Initial velocity of uptake of dopamine (DA) has been measured in rat striatal synaptosomes as a function of both [DA] and [Na]. Carrier mediated uptake is totally dependent on external sodium. The data were fitted to a rapid equilibrium model which has been found in previous studies to fit, with appropriate simplification, uptake data for glutamate, GABA, and choline in several brain regions under varying conditions. This model also gives a good fit to the dopamine data. The minimal best fit simplification of this model allows for DA uptake along with two sodium ions and predicts that apparent maximal velocity of uptake should increase with [Na], while the Michaelis-Menten constant should decrease. The minimal best fit model for DA, and a number of kinetic parameters which quantitate the model, are compared to those for the GABA, glutamate, and choline transporters. The results are consistent with a symmetrical, rapid equilibrium model, which has been presented previously for other neurotransmitters and precursors (18). This model offers a unifying basis for understanding the sodium and membrane potential dependence of neurotransmitter transport and the possible participation of transporters in depolarization induced release throughout the CNS.

Effect of zinc on L-threonine transport across the jejunum of rabbit

Zinc is an essential trace element for life. Many metalloenzymes involved in the metabolism of carbohydrates, lipids, protein, and nucleic acids require zinc for their functions. The aim of this study was to characterize how zinc acts on the intestinal amino acid absorption in rabbit. Results obtained show that zinc inhibits both L-threonine accumulation in the jejunum tissue, and mucosal-to-serosal transepithelial flux of this amino acid in a dose-dependent way. The inhibition does not increase by a 10-min previous intestinal exposure of the mucosa to the heavy metal, and is not reversed by washing the intestinal tissue with saline solution or 10mM EDTA, but is appreciably reversed with 10mM dithioerythritol. Zinc seems not to modify amino acid diffusion across the intestinal epithelium. The inhibition of intestinal amino acid transport by zinc seems to be of a competitive type, and appears to be a result of impairment of the active transport that is altered by its binding to proteins (prevailing to thiol groups) of the brush-border membrane of enterocytes.

Energetic coupling of Na-glucose cotransport

(1) Energetic coupling in Na-linked glucose transport in renal brush border membrane vesicles has been studied in terms of various carrier models differing with respect to reaction order (random vs. ordered), and to rate limitation of steps within the routes of carrier-mediated solute transfer (translation across the membrane barrier vs. binding/release between carrier and bulk solution). (2) By computer simulation it was found that effective energetic coupling requires the leakage routes to be significantly, if not predominantly, rate-limited by their (barrier-crossing) translatory steps. This does not apply to the transfer route of the ternary complex, as coupling is possible whether or not this route is rate-limited by the translatory step. (3) The system transports glucose in the absence of Na+ (uniport) and the unidirectional flux is stimulated by unlabeled glucose on the trans side (negative tracer coupling). It is concluded that glucose binds to the carrier on either side without Na, as would be consistent with either a random system or one mode of ordered system with mirror symmetry (glucose binds before Na) but inconsistent with either mode of glide symmetry. The tracer coupling appears to indicate that the rate coefficient of carrier-mediated glucose transfer exceeds that of the empty carrier. (4) The Na-linked zero-trans flow of glucose in either direction is strongly trans-inhibited by Na. This consistent with a random system in which Na blocks or retards the translocation of the glucose-free carrier, thereby reducing 'slipping' through an internal leakage route. It is also consistent with the above mentioned ordered system, (i.e., in the absence of Na-transport without D-glucose) if it is assumed that trans Na interferes with the dissociation of the ternary complex, thereby slowing the release of glucose. (5) Minimum equilibrium exchange of glucose is stimulated in the presence of Na. This appears to indicate that Na expands the flow density of carrier-mediated glucose transfer. This expansion does not result from a 'velocity effect' (the ternary complex moving faster than the binary glucose carrier complex), as Na fails to stimulate maximum equilibrium exchange. It can instead be accounted for by an 'affinity effect' (the affinity of the carrier for glucose being increased by Na) as Na depresses the Michaelis constant of equilibrium exchange.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Selective stimulation of brush border glutamine transport in the tumor-bearing rat

Intestinal extraction of circulating glutamine across the basolateral membrane is diminished in the tumor-bearing rat (TBR). This study was designed to investigate the effects of progressive malignant growth on brush border glutamine transport in order to gain further insight into the adaptive/regulatory changes in intestinal glutamine metabolism that occur in the tumor-bearing rat. Fischer 344 rats (225 +/- 5 g) were implanted with fibrosarcoma cells and were studied at various time points after implantation when the tumors comprised 7%, 20%, and 29% of total body weight. Control and tumor-bearing rats were pair-fed throughout the study. Jejunal brush border membrane vesicles (BBMVs) were prepared by magnesium aggregation/differential centrifugation and transport of radioactively labeled L-glutamine, L-leucine, L-alanine, and D-glucose by BBMVs was measured using a Millipore filtration technique. BBMVs were enriched 15-fold in alkaline phosphatase, indicating brush border vesicle purity. Uptake of all substrates occurred into an osmotically active space, exhibited overshoots, and had similar 1-hr equilibrium values. The rate of glutamine uptake by BBMVs from all tumor-bearing rats was significantly greater than controls, regardless of tumor size. The increase in transport activity was not due to a change in carrier affinity but rather to an increase in maximal transport velocity. In rats with small tumors (7% of body weight), the Vmax was 431 +/- 40 pmole/mg protein/10 sec compared to 259 +/- 30 in control animals (P less than 0.01). In marked contrast, the mean transport of alanine was diminished in BBMVs from TBR (31 +/- 3 pmole/mg protein/10 sec in TBR vs 23 +/- 2 in controls, P less than 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Voltage-clamp studies of the Na+/glucose cotransporter cloned from rabbit small intestine

Inward Na+ currents associated with the cloned intestinal Na+/glucose cotransporter expressed in Xenopus oocytes have been studied using the two-microelectrode voltage-clamp method. The steady-state current/voltage relations showed voltage-dependent (Vm from +20 to -75 mV) and relatively voltage-independent (Vm from -75 to -150 mV) regions. The apparent Imax for Na+ and glucose increased with negative membrane potentials, and the apparent K0.5 for glucose (K(Glc)0.5) depended on Vm and [Na]o. Increasing [Na]o from 7 to 110 mmol/l had the same effect in decreasing K(Glc)0.5 from 0.44 to 0.03 mmol/l as increasing the Vm from -40 to -150 mV. The I/V curves under saturating conditions (20 mmol/l external sugars and 110 mmol/l [Na]o) were identical for D-glucose, D-galactose, alpha-methyl D-glucopyranoside and 3-O-methyl D-glucoside. The specificity of the cotransporter for sugars was: D-glucose, D-galactose, alpha-methyl D-glucopyranoside greater than 3-O-methyl D-glucoside much greater than D-xylose greater than D-allose much greater than D-mannose. Ki for phlorizin (approximately 10 mumol/l) was independent of Vm at saturating [Na]o. We conclude that a variety of sugars are transported by the cloned Na+/glucose cotransporter at the same maximal rate and that membrane potential affects both the maximal current and the apparent K0.5 of the cotransporter for Na+ and glucose.

Presteady-state kinetics and carrier-mediated transport: a theoretical analysis

Kinetic studies of cotransport mechanisms have so far been limited to the conventional steady-state approach which does not allow in general to resolve either isomerization or rate-limiting steps and to determine the values of the individual rate constants for the elementary reactions involved along a given transport pathway. Such questions can only be answered using presteady-state or relaxation experiments which, for technical reasons, have not yet been introduced into the field of cotransport kinetics. However, since two recent reports seem compatible with the observation of such transient kinetics, it would appear that theoretical studies are needed to evaluate the validity of such claims and to critically evaluate the expectations from a presteady-state approach. We thus report such a study which was performed on a simple four-state mechanism of carrier-mediated transport. The time-dependent equation for zero-trans substrate uptake was thus derived and then extended to models with p intermediary steps. It is concluded that (p-1) exponential terms will describe the approach to the steady state but that such equations have low analytical value since the parameters of the flux equation cannot be expressed in terms of the individual rate constants of the elementary reactions for models with p greater than 5. We thus propose realistic simplifications based on the time-scale separation hypothesis which allows replacement of the rate constants of the rapid steps by their equilibrium constants, thereby reducing the complexity of the kinetic system. Assuming that only one relaxation can be observed, this treatment generates approximate models for which analytical expressions can easily be derived and simulated through computer modeling. When performed on the four-state mechanism of carrier-mediated transport, the simulations demonstrate the validity of the approximate solutions derived according to this hypothesis. Moreover, our approach clearly shows that presteady-state kinetics, should they become applicable to (co)transport kinetics, could be invaluable in determining more precise transport mechanisms.

Time course analysis of cotransport in membrane vesicles: solutes and tracers

A theoretical analysis of the time course of a ternary cotransport system in membrane vesicles has been developed by extending previous work (Weiss, S.D. et al. (1981) J. Theor. Biol. 93, 597-608; Heinz, E. and Weinstein, M. (1984) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 776, 83-91). It has been assumed that the translocation of the carrier is the rate-limiting step of the transport process. Our approach includes, in particular, the presence of isotope tracer fluxes and the generalization to the case when many solutes share the same carrier. The situation when the tracer and the solute behave differently, as in the countertransport case, is stressed. Also, the interaction of two different solutes, internal and external to vesicles, is considered. Other points regard the analysis of the solute binding to the membrane vesicles, the influence of water permeability and the possible asymmetry of the transport system. In the Appendix, the assumption of no net translocation of all carrier species is discussed.

Transport of organic compounds in renal plasma membrane vesicles of cadmium intoxicated rats

Effects of cadmium intoxication on renal transport systems for various organic compounds were studied. Subcutaneous injections of CdCl2 (2 mg Cd/kg.day) for two to three weeks induced marked polyuria, glycosuria, and proteinuria without altering glomerular filtration rate. In renal cortical brush border membrane vesicles (BBMV) isolated from cadmium treated rats, Na(+)-dependent D-glucose uptake was markedly attenuated, and this was due to reduction in Vmax and not Km. Likewise, Na(+)-driven L-glutamate transport and H(+)-driven tetraethylammonium transport were significantly reduced. In renal cortical basolateral membrane vesicles (BLMV) of cadmium intoxicated rats, Na(+)-dependent succinate transport was drastically reduced. These results indicate that cadmium intoxication impairs various transport systems for organic compounds in the brush border and basolateral membranes of proximal renal tubules.

Intestinal absorption of zinc: sodium-metal-ligand interactions

The characteristics of zinc small intestinal absorption were investigated with the purpose of clarifying the role of sodium and the possible interaction among certain amino acids, oligopeptides, and zinc with electrolyte and water absorption. A perfusion procedure was used in anesthetized rats. Physiological concentrations of zinc with no ligands, or with twice the zinc levels of either Trp, His, Pro, or a protein hydrolysate (PrH) were pumped through jejunal or ileal segments. PrH was also used at a 10: 1 ratio to zinc. The osmotic solutes were either sodium chloride, glycerol, or NMG at isotonic concentrations. In the absence of LMW ligands, zinc transport appeared to occur only by diffusion, except in the ileum and in the presence of glycerol, where at low zinc concentrations a low affinity mediated transport component could be identified (Kt = 0.67 mM; Vmax = 1,160 pmole/min.cm. Glycerol generally elicited a greater overall zinc absorption rate as well as an enhanced net water uptake than when sodium chloride was the osmotic agent when either Trp, His, or Pro was present. The data indicate that sodium is not a requirement for zinc transport. In the presence of LMW ligands, which may also be from endogenous origin, bulk flow may be a major contributor of zinc translocation across the mammalian small intestinal mucosa.

Computer analysis reveals changes in renal Na+-glucose cotransporter in diabetic rats

A novel, computer-assisted program was developed to analyze the time course of Na+-glucose cotransport by rat renal cortical brush-border membrane vesicles (BBMV). Transporter characteristics can be measured, which routine kinetic analyses fail to distinguish: cotransporter membrane density is derived from the picomoles of D-glucose bound per milligram of protein. Binding is stereospecific, blocked by phlorizin, and supported equally well by Na+ or K+ (but not Cs+). Quasi-first-order influx and efflux rate constants for the composite Na+-driven influx and the (presumed) Na+-independent efflux processes were highly dependent on glucose concentration. Either two Na+-glucose transporters exist in proximal tubules or a single mechanism abruptly changes rate when glucose falls to low levels. The major operation mode is slow, has a high capacity but low affinity, and may have a 2 Na+:2 glucose stoichiometry (Hill coefficient is unity). The minor system is a fast, smaller-capacity, higher-affinity operation with a 2 Na+:1 glucose stoichiometry that was not distinguishable when the same data were analyzed in conventional kinetic plots. Results with streptozocin-induced diabetic rats illustrate the method's utility. Low-glucose-affinity cotransporters were upregulated in hyperglycemic, but not in cachectic, ketoacidotic animals. Rate constants, especially for efflux, were decreased in diabetes.

Transport processes of 2-deoxy-D-glucose in erythrocytes infected with Plasmodium yoelii, a rodent malaria parasite

The transport processes of D-glucose in Plasmodium yoelii-infected mouse erythrocytes were investigated using 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2DOG), a non-metabolizable analogue of D-glucose. Infected cells showed an increase in the uptake of 2DOG compared to uninfected controls, and an effect which was more prominent in cells with mature-stage parasites. Kinetic studies measuring the initial rates of 2DOG uptake revealed two components in infected cells with late trophozoite and schizont-stage parasites: a simple diffusion system and a carrier (transporter)-mediated system. The transporter was common for D-glucose and 2DOG and had a kinetic constant indicating a high affinity for 2DOG (the Km = 0.18 mM and the Vmax = 0.61 mmol/10(10) cells/min), as compared to the constant of the mouse erythrocyte carrier (the Km = 10 mM and the Vmax = 1.8 mmol/10(10) cells/min). Determination of the distribution of [3H]2DOG in infected cells and experiments with metabolic inhibitors indicated that the simple diffusion system localizes in the membrane of host cells and the transporter in the parasite plasma membrane. The parasite glucose transporter was much less sensitive to cytochalasin B than that of the host cells and the uptake of 2DOG via the transporter was dependent on energy. Based on these findings, the following features emerge: D-glucose first gains access to the cytosol of infected erythrocytes via the simple diffusion system, which appears after infection by the parasite, and an active uptake against the concentration gradient takes place at the parasite plasma membrane via the parasite glucose transporter in an energy dependent manner.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Characterization of sodium and pyruvate interactions of the two carrier systems specific of mono- and di- or tricarboxylic acids by renal brush-border membrane vesicles

The experiments reported in this paper aim at characterizing the carboxylic acid transport, the interactions of pyruvate and citrate with their transport sites and specificity. The study of these carriers was performed using isotopic solutes for the influx measurements in brush-border membrane vesicles under zero trans conditions where the membrane potential was abolished with KCl preloading with valinomycin or equilibrium exchange conditions and delta psi = 0. Under zero trans condition and delta psi = 0, the influence of pyruvate concentrations on its initial rates of transport revealed the existence of two families of pyruvate transport sites, one with a high affinity for pyruvate (Kt = 88 microM) and a low affinity for sodium (Kt = 57.7 mM) (site I), the second one with a low affinity for pyruvate (Kt = 6.1 mM) and a high affinity for sodium (Kt = 23.9 mM) (site II). The coupling factor [Na]/[pyruvate] stoichiometry were determined at 0.25 mM and 8 mM pyruvate and estimated at 1.8 for site I, and 3 when the first and the second sites transport simultaneously. Under chemical equilibrium (delta psi congruent to 0) single isotopic labeling, transport kinetics of pyruvate carrier systems have shown a double interaction of pyruvate with the transporter; the sodium/pyruvate stoichiometry also expressed according to a Hill plot representation was n = 1.7. The direct method of measuring Na+/pyruvate stoichiometry from double labeling kinetics and isotopic exchange, for a time course, gives a n = 1.67. Studies of transport specificity, indicate that the absence of inhibition of lactate transport by citrate and the existence of competitive inhibition of lactate and citrate transports by pyruvate leads to the conclusion that the low pyruvate affinity site can be attributed to the citrate carrier (tricarboxylate) and the high pyruvate affinity site to the lactate carrier (monocarboxylate).

Efflux and exchange of glycine by plasma membrane vesicles isolated from glioblastoma cells

The efflux and exchange of glycine were studied in plasma membrane vesicles isolated from cultured glioblastoma cells. The mechanism of glycine translocation has been probed by comparing the ion dependence of net efflux to that of exchange. Dilution-induced efflux requires the simultaneous presence of internal sodium and chloride, while influx is dependent on the presence of these two ions on the outside (Zafra, F. and Giménez, C. (1986) Brain Res. 397, 108-116). Glycine efflux from the membrane vesicles is stimulated by external glycine, this exchange being dependent on external sodium, but not on external chloride. The parallelism observed in influx and efflux processes suggests that glycine is translocated in both directions across the membrane, probably by interacting with the carrier. To account for all the observed effects of external ions, glycine concentrations and membrane potential on glycine influx and efflux, a kinetic model of the Na+/Cl-/glycine cotransport system is discussed.

Measurement of the cytosolic sodium ion concentration in rat brain synaptosomes by a fluorescence method

A method for the measurement of the cytosolic Na+ concentration in intact synaptosomes is described. This method makes use of a pH sensitive dye (BCECF) that can be loaded into the cytosol and a relatively specific ionophore (monensin) that can exchange Na+ for H+ across the synaptosomal membrane. By setting conditions such that there is no electrochemical potential difference for H+ across the membrane (no membrane potential and pHi = pHo), addition of ionophore would induce a H+ flux only if there is a concentration difference for Na+. Thus, when there is no fluorescence change (no cytosolic pH change) extracellular [Na+] equals intrasynaptosomal [Na+]. The intrasynaptosomal [Na+] concentration was determined to be 7 +/- 3 mM (n = 5; mean +/- S.E.). The results obtained with this fluorescence method are compared with estimates obtained by atomic absorption spectrometry. Limitations and applications of the method are discussed.

Kinetics of the Na+/alanine cotransporter in pancreatic acinar cells

Electric currents associated with Na+-coupled alanine transport in pancreatic acinar cells were investigated by the technique of tight-seal whole-cell recordings. In a previous study the observed concentration dependence of alanine-dependent currents was found to be consistent with a 'simultaneous' transport mechanism with 1:1 stoichiometry. In the present work the sidedness of the cotransporter was investigated by comparing inward (I") and outward currents (I') measured under mirror-symmetrical conditions. I' and I" were found to be nearly equal (within a factor of approx. 2) in a wide range of Na+ and alanine concentrations. The transport model was further tested by 'infinite-cis' experiments with fixed, saturating concentrations of Na+ and L-alanine on one side of the membrane and variable concentrations on the other. By measuring transmembrane currents as a function of Na+ and alanine concentrations, numerical values of the equilibrium dissociation constants of both substrates could be estimated.

Intestinal transfer of sodium [14C]taurocholate in streptozotocin-treated rats

The effect of streptozotocin (SZ) administration on sodium [14C]taurocholate (TC) transmural transfer was studied in the everted rat ileum. The excretion of fecal bile acids was also studied in living rats injected with that compound. The viability of the preparation used for the in vitro experiments was evaluated by light microscopy and by the rate of glucose uptake by tissue from the mucosal fluid. The results obtained showed that TC transfer to the serosal fluid was impaired after 24 h of SZ injection, as well as the active transport observed in control preparations. The amount of TC accumulated in the intestinal tissue was also diminished. In addition, total ATPase activity of tissue was decreased, and intracellular electrolyte concentration was altered. Therefore, a slower saturation of binding sites could be responsible for the effects of SZ on TC tissue accumulation, and a decreased ATPase activity for the impairment of the TC concentrative transport system. The results observed in vitro were supported by data in vivo because fecal bile acid excretion was significantly diminished in SZ-treated rats.

The plasma membrane and mitochondrial membrane potentials of Plasmodium yoelii

1. The plasma membrane potential and the mitochondrial membrane potential of P. yoellii was examined by fluorescence microscopy using rhodamine 123 and by transmembrane distribution of tetraphenylphosphonium. 2. The mitochondrion of P. yoelii, free of gametocyte stage, maintained a high negative inside membrane potential. 3. Deprivation of glucose in incubation medium largely abolished the plasma membrane potential but not the mitochondrial membrane potential. 4. Studies with metabolic inhibitors showed that the mitochondrial membrane potential constituted a marginal portion as compared with the plasma membrane potential in intact infected erythrocytes.

Sodium-dependent glucose transport by cultured proximal tubule cells

The cotransport of sodium ion and alpha-methyl glucose, a non-metabolized hexose, was studied in rabbit proximal tubule cells cultured in defined medium. The rate of uptake of alpha-methyl glucose shows saturation kinetics, in which Km, but not Vmax, is dependent upon the Na+ concentration in the medium. The transport system was found to be of the high-affinity type, characteristic of the straight portion of the proximal tubule. Analysis of the rates of initial uptake within the context of a generalized cotransport model, suggests that two Na+ ions are bound in the activation of the hexose transport. The steady-state level of accumulation of alpha-methyl glucose also depends upon sodium concentration, consistent with the initial rate findings. The uptake of alpha-methyl glucose is inhibited by other sugars with the relative potencies of D-glucose greater than alpha-methyl glucose greater than D-galactose = 3-O methylglucose. L-Glucose, D-fructose, and D-mannose show no inhibition. Phlorizin inhibits the alpha-methyl glucose uptake with a Ki of 9 X 10(-6) M. Ouabain (10(-3) M) decreases the steady-state alpha-methyl glucose accumulation by 60%. In the absence of sodium, the accumulation of alpha-methyl glucose is 7-fold less than at 142 mM Na+, reaching a level comparable to the sodium-independent accumulation of 3-O-methyl-D-glucose. These findings are similar to those observed in the proximal tubule of the intact kidney.

Isolation and characterization of brush border membrane vesicles from pig small intestine

1. Brush border membrane vesicles (BBMV) were isolated from swine mid-intestine by a MgCl2 precipitation and sucrose density gradient centrifugation. 2. Transport of D-glucose and L-alanine were Na+-stimulated and into an osmotically sensitive space. 3. Estimates of kinetic parameters for Na+-dependent D-glucose transport were: apparent Kt = 1.8 mM and Jmax = 16.8 nmol/mg protein/min. 4. Results of experiments with the delta pH sensitive fluorescent probe 9-aminoacridine indicated independent mechanisms for Na+-dependent glucose transport and Na+/H+ exchange. 5. This study demonstrates that pig BBMV provide a useful model for investigating intestinal membrane transport.