Transport ofl-lysine by rat renal brush border membrane vesicles

l-³H-lysine uptake into brush border membrane vesicles was measured by a rapid filtration technique. A significant binding ofl-lysine at the vesicle interior was observed. Extrapolating initial linear uptake to zero incubation time did not indicate binding of the amino acid to the external membrane surface.Sodium stimulated thel-lysine uptake specifically. Experiments in the presence of potassium/valinomycin induced diffusion potentials, and experiments with a potential sensitive fluorescent dye documented an electrogenic uptake mechanism forl-lysine only in the presence of sodium. Sodium independent uptake proceeds via an electroneutral pathway. Transstimulation experiments show carrier mediated uptake in the presence and absence of sodium. An outwardly directed proton-gradient stimulatedl-lysine uptake in the presence and absence of sodium.Saturation ofl-lysine uptake was observed in the presence and absence of sodium. In the absence of sodium,l-lysine uptake was inhibited byl-arginine,l-cystine,l-phenylalanine andl-methionine. The sodium dependent uptake was inhibited byl-arginine andl-cysteine; small inhibition byl-phenylalanine was observed. In the presence or absence of sodium,l-lysine uptake was inhibited neither byd-lysine nor byl-glutamic acid.These results document carrier mediated transport ofl-lysine via (a) transport mechanism(s) not obligatory requiring sodium.Abbreviations HEPES N-2-hydroxyethylpiperazine-N-2-ethane sulfonic acid - Tris Tris(hydroxymethy)aminomethane - EGTA ethyleneglycol-bis-(-aminoethyl-ether)-N,N-tetraacetic acid - diamide azodicarboxylic acid[bisdimethylamide] - FCCP carbonyl cyanide p-trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone - MES 2-(N-morpholino) ethanesulfonic acid