Characteristics of D-leucine uptake by mouse Ehrlich ascites tumor cells

In a previous paper, we reported that various D-amino acids were taken up several times more effectively than the corresponding L-isomers into several tumors tested in vivo. In order to investigate this further, the in vitro uptake of D-[14C]leucine by Ehrlich ascites tumor cells was investigated in comparison with that of L-[14C]leucine. The distribution ratio, the effects of amino acids and pH, and an approximately linear Lineweaver-Burk plot indicated that D-leucine was transported by an active transport system for L-leucine. Vmax and ku, the first-order rate constant for the unsaturable component, for the uptake of D- and L-leucines decreased with a fall in temperature. The activation energies for Vmax and ku were in the range of 5-10 and 18-21 kcal/mol, respectively. The values for L-leucine were greater than those for D-leucine. Km for D-leucine transport increased with decreasing temperature, whereas Km for L-leucine decreased. This difference suggests that the large alkyl chains of D- and L-leucines bind to different portions of a carrier protein.