Tyrosine transport into isolated rat brain synaptosomes. Ionic dependence and kinetic studies

The ionic dependence and kinetics of the uptake of L-tyrosine into isolated rat brain synaptosomes has been investigated. L-Tyrosine has been found to enter the synaptosomes through three different transport systems showing distinct ionic requirements and kinetic characteristics. The one with the lowest affinity for tyrosine (Km 0.6 mM) showed a strong Na+ dependence. This system seems to provide the nerve cell with a safety mechanism that ensures the supply of tyrosine even in the presence of high levels of competing amino acids. The second one (Km 50 microM) does not appear to exhibit any strong ionic requirements and features most of the characteristics of the L-system for large neutral amino acids. Finally, the third shows the most interesting ionic dependence. Its activity increases at very low Na+ external concentrations, but this increase is prevented by the removal of divalent cations, Ca2+ and Mg2+. This ionic behaviour, along with the affinity constant of this system (Km 6 microM) (within the range of tyrosine extraneural concentrations), suggests that it is an initial regulatory step in the synthesis of catecholamines.