Energetics of renal Na+ and H+/L-alanine co-transport systems

The stoichiometric properties of Na+- and H+-dependent L-alanine transporters recently identified in luminal-membrane vesicles prepared from proximal convoluted tubules (pars convoluta) and proximal straight tubules (pars recta) of rabbit kidney were studied. We provide indirect evidence suggesting that one Na+ and one H+ ion are co-transported with the L-alanine molecule via Na+-dependent and H+-dependent transport systems located in vesicles from pars convoluta. Furthermore, our experimental data suggest that both the high-affinity and the low-affinity Na+-dependent L-alanine transport systems of pars recta vesicles operate with a 1:1 stoichiometry.