Surface properties of kidney brushborder membranes affecting the transport of glutamic acid

The uptake of 14C-glu by rat renal brushborder membrane vesicles was assayed in the presence of transmembrane ionic gradients for the purpose of characterizing surface properties which influence the transport process. Preincubation of membranes with the cationic protein lysozyme led to a significant decrease in transport activity. Similar results were obtained with polylysine and lysine. Polycations such as lysozyme and polylysine were capable of aggregating membrane vesicles whereas lysine was ineffective. Neither aggregation nor membrane injury provided an explanation for the depression of 14C-glu transport. The cationic drug harmaline at a concentration of 2.5 mM significantly reduced sodium dependent 14C-glu uptake provided drug and membranes were pre-equilibrated prior to the transport assay. Using an indirect spectrophotometric method to estimate harmaline concentrations, no evidence was obtained for strong harmaline binding to the membrane. The effect of harmaline could be eliminated by washing membranes in drug-free buffer or diluting membranes in larger volumes of sodium chloride. Membranes pretreated with the lectin Concanavalin A or the enzyme neuraminidase transported glu at control rates, but the proteolytic enzyme papain markedly impaired the transport function without altering mean vesicle volume. The optimal temperature for the assay was 30 degrees C. No temperature discontinuities in the Arrhenius plot of glu transport rates were found between 5 and 30 degrees C. These results with glutamic acid differ from data reported by other investigators on the transport characteristics of glucose and neutral amino acids by brushborder membrane vesicles. The results enhance the possibility that dicarboxylic acid binding proteins may be present on the luminal surface of proximal tubular epithelium.