Cationic and anionic amino acid transport studies in rat red blood cells

The transport of L-proline, L-lysine and L-glutamate in rat red blood cells has been studied. L-proline and L-lysine uptake were Na(+)-independent. When the concentration dependence was studied both showed a non-saturable uptake assimilable to a difussion-like process, with high Kd values (0.718 and 0.191 min-1 for L-proline and L-lysine respectively). Rat red blood cells showed high impermeability to L-glutamate. No sodium dependence was observed and the Kd value was low (0.067 min-1). Our results show firstly, that rat red blood cells do not have amino acid transport systems for anionic and cationic amino acids and secondly that erythrocytes show no sodium-dependent L-proline transport, and that these cells are very permeable to this amino acid.