Myocardial amino acid transport by canine sarcolemma vesicles

The transport of L-alanine and L-leucine into membrane vesicles isolated from mature canine ventricular myocardium was studied. Transport was assessed in purified sarcolemma and in vesicles differentially enriched either for sarcolemma or sarcoplasmic reticulum to further localize these transport systems. An imposed inward gradient of a NaNO3 stimulated uptake of L-alanine but not L-leucine by these vesicles. Amino acid uptake by these vesicles occurred into an osmotically active space. The stimulatory effect of Na+ on alanine transport was most striking in the purified sarcolemma vesicles, where Na+-stimulated alanine flux was 45 +/- 14 pmol X mg-1 X min-1. Furthermore, Na+-dependent alanine transport activity appeared to copurify with Na+-K+-ATPase activity, which served as a marker for sarcolemma membrane when these activities were compared in the three different membrane preparations. Leucine transport by sarcolemma was not altered by an imposed Na+ gradient. However, leucine uptake was a saturable function of extravesicular leucine and was inhibited by valine. In contrast, in sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane vesicles leucine uptake increased proportionately with increasing media leucine and was unaffected by valine. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of directly studying the transport of naturally occurring amino acids in membrane vesicles from mammalian heart, and the presence of Na+-dependent alanine transport system and a Na+-independent leucine transporter in the sarcolemma but not in sarcoplasmic reticulum of canine ventricular myocardium.