Characteristics of organic cation transporter in rat renal basolateral membrane

Characteristics of organic cation transport system were studied in rat renal basolateral membrane and compared with those in brush-border membrane. We first examined the effect of various chemical modifiers on tetraethylammonium uptake by the membrane vesicles. Treatment with N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide and phenylglyoxal (carboxyl groups and arginine residues specific reagent, respectively) resulted in inhibition of tetraethylammonium transport in both basolateral and brush-border membranes. Tetraethylammonium uptake by brush-border, but not by basolateral, membrane vesicles was decreased by diethyl pyrocarbonate, histidine residues specific reagent, treatment. Treatment of sulfhydryl groups with HgCl2 decreased tetraethylammonium transport in both membranes. However, in contrast to brush-border membrane, unlabeled tetraethylammonium failed to protect against the inhibition of [14C]tetraethylammonium uptake by p-chloromercuribenzene sulfonate in basolateral membrane. We next examined the inhibitory effect of various organic cations on tetraethylammonium uptake. The order of inhibitory potency of organic cations was somewhat different between two membranes. These findings suggest that the characteristics of organic cation transport systems in basolateral and brush-border membranes were different in regard to essential amino acid residues and the affinity of substrates.