Urate and p-aminohippurate transport in rat renal basolateral vesicles

We examined the transport of urate in basolateral membrane vesicles from the rat kidney and determined the relationship between the transport of urate and p-aminohippurate (PAH). Urate was not converted to allantoin, and the uptake of urate represented transport into an osmotically active intravesicular space. The 10-s uptake of 53 microM [14C]urate in basolateral vesicles was inhibited 39 +/- 6, 49 +/- 10, and 35 +/- 3% by (in mM) external 2.4 probenecid, 2.4 DIDS, and 1.4 unlabeled urate, respectively. The 10-s uptake of 353 microM [14C]urate was trans-stimulated 82 +/- 8% by preloading basolateral vesicles with 1.5 mM unlabeled urate. The uptake of urate was stimulated by an outwardly directed gradient for Cl- (Cl-in = 25 mM, Cl-out = 5 mM). This effect was not consequent to a more electropositive intravesicular space, as monitored by the voltage-sensitive sodium-L-malate cotransport system. The Cl- gradient-stimulated component of urate uptake in basolateral vesicles was not cis-inhibited by 4.8 mM PAH, whereas Cl gradient-stimulated urate uptake in brush border vesicles was cis-inhibited 43 +/- 5% by PAH. In the absence of Cl-, 4.8 mM PAH did not cis-inhibit, and 5.4 mM PAH or 6.4 mM lactate did not trans-stimulate the uptake of urate in basolateral vesicles, contrasting with results obtained with brush border vesicles. The uptake of urate in basolateral vesicles was not stimulated by external Na+ relative to K+, Li+, or Cs+. In contrast, PAH uptake in basolateral vesicles was stimulated 87 +/- 9% by external Na+.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)