Development of nutrient transport systems in chick jejunum

Glutamate, beta-alanine, choline, and myoinositol transport was characterized in jejunal slices and brush-border membrane vesicles from 2- and 21-day chicks. Carrier-mediated, i.e., competitor-inhibitable, transport in slices (wet weight basis) and vesicles (protein basis) declined with age for the two amino acids but increased with age for myo-inositol; transport of choline did not change. These findings, along with previous data for the hexose system, cannot be explained solely by nonspecific changes in brush-border membrane architecture or permeability or by changes in the electrochemical sodium gradient that drives cotransport. They indicate that each specific brush-border membrane transport mechanism follows separate developmental time tables.