Evidence for amino Acid-h co-transport in oat coleoptiles

Microelectrode and tracer techniques were used to test for possible amino acid-H⁺ co-transport in coleoptiles of Avena sativa L. cv. “Garry.” The amino acid analogue α-aminoisobutyric acid (AIB) caused transient depolarization of the membrane potential. The absolute magnitude of the maximum depolarization was affected by the same factors that affected AIB transport. Both increased with higher concentrations of AIB, increased with higher acidities in the medium, and were enhanced by indoleacetic acid (which hyperpolarized the membrane potential). AIB transport was reduced as K⁺ concentrations in the medium were increased and by the metabolic inhibitor NaN₃, both of which reduce membrane potentials. Our data fit an amino acid-H⁺ co-transport model in which transport is controlled by both the membrane potential and proton concentration components of the chemical potential difference of protons across the coleoptile cell membrane.     

Transport of glutathione across the mitochondrial membranes

Transport of glutathione (GSH) into mitochondria was observed when mitochondria in state 4 respiration were incubated with high concentrations of GSH. This transport was suppressed by antimycin A or dicyclohexyl-carbodiimide, or in state 3 respiration. Upon dissipation of the proton gradient by a proton ionophore, mitochondrial GSH was released into the medium. GSH moved freely across the proton-permeated mitochondrial membrane, its movement depending only on the GSH gradient across the inner membrane. These results indicate that there is a transport system for GSH in the mitochondrial membrane, and that a proton gradient is necessary to maintain GSH in the matrix, and to transport GSH into mitochondria.     

Transepithelial transport of hesperetin and hesperidin in intestinal Caco-2 cell monolayers

The cell permeability of hesperetin and hesperidin, anti-allergic compounds from citrus fruits, was measured using Caco-2 monolayers. In the presence of a proton gradient, hesperetin permeated cells in the apical-to-basolateral direction at the rate (Jap-->bl) of 10.43+/-0.78 nmol/min/mg protein, which was more than 400-fold higher than that of hesperidin (0.023+/-0.008 nmol/min/mg protein). The transepithelial flux of hesperidin, both in the presence or absence of a proton gradient, was nearly the same and was inversely correlated with the transepithelial electrical resistance (TER), indicating that the transport of hesperidin was mainly via paracellular diffusion. In contrast, the transepithelial flux of hesperetin was almost constant irrespective of the TER. Apically loaded NaN3 or carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP) decreased the Jap-->bl of hesperetin, in the presence of proton gradient, by one-half. In the absence of a proton gradient, both Jap-->bl and Jbl-->ap of hesperetin were almost the same (5.75+/-0.40 and 5.16+/-0.73 nmol/min/mg protein). Jbl-->ap of hesperetin in the presence of a proton gradient was lower than Jbl-->ap in the absence of a proton gradient. Furthermore, Jbl-->ap in the presence of a proton gradient remarkably increased upon addition of NaN3 specifically to the apical side. These results indicate that hesperetin is absorbed by transcellular transport, which occurs mainly via proton-coupled active transport, and passive diffusion. Thus, hesperetin is efficiently absorbed from the intestine, whereas hesperidin is poorly transported via the paracellular pathway and its transport is highly dependent on conversion to hesperetin via the hydrolytic action of microflora. We have given novel insight to the absorption characteristics of hesperetin, that is proton-coupled and energy-dependent polarized transport.     

Cation/proton antiport systems in Escherichia coli. Solubilization and reconstitution of delta pH-driven sodium/proton and calcium/proton antiporters

Uptake of 22Na+ and 45Ca2+ into everted membrane vesicles from Escherichia coli was measured with imposed transmembrane pH gradients, acid interior, as driving force. Vesicles loaded with 0.5 M KCl were diluted into 0.5 M choline chloride to create a potassium gradient. Addition of nigericin to produce K+/H+ exchange resulted in formation of a pH gradient. This imposed gradient was capable of driving 45Ca2+ accumulation. In another method vesicles loaded with 0.5 M NH4Cl were diluted into 0.5 M choline chloride, creating an ammonium diffusion potential. A gradient of H+ was produced by passive efflux of NH3. With an ammonium gradient as driving force, everted vesicles accumulated both 45Ca2+ and 22Na+. The data suggest that 22Na+ uptake was via the sodium/proton antiporter and 45Ca2+ via the calcium/proton antiporter. Uptake of both cations required alkaline pHout. A minimum pH gradient of 0.9 unit was needed for transport of either ion, suggesting gating of the antiporters. Octyl glucoside extracts of inner membrane were reconstituted with E. coli phospholipids in 0.5 M NH4Cl. NH4+-loaded proteoliposomes accumulated both 22Na+ and 45Ca2+, demonstrating that the sodium/proton and calcium/proton antiporters could be solubilized and reconstituted in a functional form.     

A vacuolar-type proton pump in a vesicle fraction enriched with potassium transporting plasma membranes from tobacco hornworm midgut

Mg-ATP dependent electrogenic proton transport, monitored with fluorescent acridine orange, 9-aminoacridine, and oxonol V, was investigated in a fraction enriched with potassium transporting goblet cell apical membranes of Manduca sexta larval midgut. Proton transport and the ATPase activity from the goblet cell apical membrane exhibited similar substrate specificity and inhibitor sensitivity. ATP and GTP were far better substrates than UTP, CTP, ADP, and AMP. Azide and vanadate did not inhibit proton transport, whereas 100 microM N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide and 30 microM N-ethylmaleimide were inhibitors. The pH gradient generated by ATP and limiting its hydrolysis was 2-3 pH units. Unlike the ATPase activity, proton transport was not stimulated by KCl. In the presence of 20 mM KCl, a proton gradient could not be developed or was dissipated. Monovalent cations counteracted the proton gradient in an order of efficacy like that for stimulation of the membrane-bound ATPase activity: K+ = Rb+ much greater than Li+ greater than Na+ greater than choline (chloride salts). Like proton transport, the generation of an ATP dependent and azide- and vanadate-insensitive membrane potential (vesicle interior positive) was prevented largely by 100 microM N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide and 30 microM N-ethylmaleimide. Unlike proton transport, the membrane potential was not affected by 20 mM KCl. In the presence of 150 mM choline chloride, the generation of a membrane potential was suppressed, whereas the pH gradient increased 40%, indicating an anion conductance in the vesicle membrane. Altogether, the results led to the following new hypothesis of electrogenic potassium transport in the lepidopteran midgut. A vacuolar-type electrogenic ATPase pumps protons across the apical membrane of the goblet cell, thus energizing electroneutral proton/potassium antiport. The result is a net active and electrogenic potassium flux.     

α-Aminoisobutyric Acid Transport into Human Glia and Glioma Cells in Culture

The AIB transport into human glia and glioma cells in culture has been studied. Because of the high affinity of AIB to the plastic culture dishes, a special washing technique had to be developed. With this technique, it was possible to perform transport experiments in a single plate containing about one million cells. The cells were viable, intact and adhered to the supporting medium throughout the experiment. The AIB transport into both types of cells was Na⁺-dependent and showed saturation kinetics when the small component of the transport due to diffusion had been subtracted. The AIB transport capacity of neoplastic glioma cells was 3.6 times higher than that of glia cells. This difference was related to the V_max-values for the two types of cells. The apparent K_m-values were the same. Inhibition experiments with other amino acids support the view that AIB is transported via System A in both glia and glioma cells. Sulfhydryl reagents (ethacrynic acid and NEM) and cytochalasin B clearly inhibited the AIB transport into glia cells whereas the effect on glioma cells was minimal.     

Maintenance of glucagon-stimulated system A amino acid transport activity in rat liver plasma membrane vesicles

Plasma membrane vesicles prepared from intact rat liver or isolated hepatocytes retain transport activity by systems A, ASC, N, and Gly. Selective substrates for these systems showed a Na+-dependent overshoot indicative of energy-dependent transport, in this instance, driven by an artificially-imposed Na+ gradient. Greater than 85% of Na+-dependent 2-aminoisobutyric acid (AIB) uptake was blocked by an excess of 2-(methylamino)isobutyric acid (MeAIB) with an apparent Ki of 0.6 mM. Intact hepatocytes obtained from glucagon-treated rats exhibited a stimulation of system A activity and plasma membrane vesicles isolated from those same cells partially retained the elevated activity. Transport activity induced by substrate starvation of cultured hepatocytes was also evident in membrane vesicles prepared from those cells. The membrane-bound glucagon-stimulated system A activity decays rapidly during incubation of vesicles at 4 degrees C (t1/2 = 13 h), but not at -75 degrees C. Several different inhibitors of proteolysis were ineffective in blocking the decay of transport activity. Hepatic system N transport activity was also elevated in plasma membrane vesicles from glucagon-treated rats, whereas system ASC was essentially unchanged. The results indicate that both glucagon and adaptive regulation cause an induction of amino acid transport through a plasma membrane-associated protein.     

Membrane function in differentiating skeletal muscle cells: I. Kinetic analysis of amino acid transport

Primary cultures of mononucleated myoblasts from 12-day-old chick embryos have a twofold higher rate of α-aminoisobutyric acid (AIB) transport before fusion occurs to form multinucleated myotubes. Several lines of evidence indicate that the uptake of AIB observed in both myoblasts and myotubes is primarily carrier-mediated by a membrane transport system. Increasing the temperature from 24 to 37°C results in a threefold increase in the rate of AIB uptake; both methionine and glycine inhibit AIB uptake by more than 85%; and 2,4-dinitrophenol inhibits AIB uptake by approximately 50%. In addition, the energies of activation (14.5 and 14.0 kcal/mole for myoblasts and myotubes, respectively) are characteristic of carrier-mediated transport. Resolution of AIB uptake into a saturable, carrier-mediated component and a nonsaturable, diffusion component shows that at concentrations of AIB≤1.5 mM over 97% of total AIB uptake is carriermediated in both myoblasts and myotubes. Kinetic analysis of carrier-mediated AIB uptake indicates that myoblasts and myotube membrane carriers have the same affinity for AIB (K_m values = 1.73 and 1.31 mM, respectively). However, the V_max for myoblasts is 23.7 nmole/mg/min while myotubes have a V_max of 12.6 nmole/mg/min. The twofold difference in V_max is shown to be due to a twofold difference in the quantity of membrane transport sites per milligram of protein.     

Role of pH gradient and membrane potential in dipeptide transport in intestinal and renal brush-border membrane vesicles from the rabbit. Studies with L-carnosine and glycyl-L-proline

We examined the role of pH gradient and membrane potential in dipeptide transport in purified intestinal and renal brush-border membrane vesicles which were predominantly oriented right-side out. With an intravesicular pH of 7.5, changes in extravesicular pH significantly affected the transport of glycyl-L-proline and L-carnosine, and optimal dipeptide transport occurred at an extravesicular pH of 5.5-6.0 in both intestine and kidney. When the extravesicular pH was 5.5, glycyl-L-proline transport was accelerated 2-fold by the presence of an inward proton gradient. A valinomycin-induced K+ diffusion potential (interior-negative) stimulated glycyl-L-proline transport, and the stimulation was observed in the presence and absence of Na+. A carbonyl cyanide p-trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone-induced H+ diffusion potential (interior-positive) reduced dipeptide transport. It is suggested that glycyl-L-proline and proton(s) are cotransported in intestinal and renal brush-border membrane vesicles, and that the process results in a net transfer of positive charge.     

Calcium transport driven by a proton gradient and inverted membrane vesicles of Escherichia coli.

Calcium transport into inverted vesicles of Escherichia coli was observed to occur without an exogenous energy source when an artificial proton gradient was used. The orientation of the proton gradient was acid inside and alkaline outside. Either phosphate or oxalate was necessary for transport, as was found for respiratory-driven or ATP-driven uptake (Tsuchiya, T., and Rosen, B.P. (1975) J. Biol. Chem. 250, 7687-7692). Phosphate accumulation was found to occur in conjunction with calcium accumulation. Calcium transport driven by an artificial proton gradient was stimulated by dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, an inhibitor of the Mg2+ATPase (EC 3.6.1.3). Valinomycin, which catalyzes electrogenic potassium movement, stimulated calcium accumulation, while nigericin, which catalyzes electroneutral exchange of potassium and protons, inhibited both artificial proton gradient-driven transport and respiratory-driven transport. Other properties of the proton gradient-driven system and the previously reported energy-linked calcium transport system are similar, indicating that calcium is transported by the same carrier whether energy is supplied through an artificial proton gradient or an energized membrane state. These results suggest the existence of a calcium/proton antiport.     

Energetic mechanism of system A amino acid transport in normal and transformed mouse fibroblasts

Ouabain treatment (0.4 mM) of normal and transformed C3H-10T1/2 cells caused a progressive increase in 2-aminoisobutyrate (AIB) transport reaching a maximum after 16 to 18 h exposure. There was a virtually complete blockage of this stimulated rate when 3 microM cycloheximide (CHX) was added together with ouabain at T = 0. In the transformed cell, addition of CHX after 14 h had no effect; in the normal cell, it inhibited (ca. 50%) the final AIB transport rate achieved after 24 h. The t1/2 for reaching maximal activity (insensitive to CHX exposure) was thus shifted from 8 h in the transformed cell to 15 h in the normal cell. Since the rate of achieving maximal activity in the absence of CHX was about the same in the two cells, the shift in t1/2 in the presence of CHX suggests that the rate of degradation is more rapid in the normal cell. Following ouabain treatment, the apparent Km for Na+ was decreased in both cells. The Km returned to the basal level 1 h after ouabain removal in the normal cell, but remained low in the transformed cell during this time period. The stimulation of AIB transport following ouabain removal was largely abolished by a proton ionophore (1799), a lipophilic cation (tetraphenyl-phosphonium), or ouabain. These results suggest that, under the conditions of ouabain stress, there is a switch in the bioenergetic mechanism. The Na+/K+ pump and System A transporter appear to be linked and the membrane potential generated by the Na+/K+ pump activity becomes a major driving force for AIB uptake.     

A mathematical model for membrane transport of amino acid and Na+ in vesicles

Summary A model with a carrier having sites for both amino acid and Na⁺ can account for AIB (-aminoisobutyric acid) transport kinetics observed in membrane vesicles from SV3T3 (simian virus 40-tranformed Balb/c3T3 cells) and 3T3 (the parent cell line). The main feature of this cotransport model is that Na⁺ binding to carrier decreases the effectiveK _m for AIB transport, Na⁺ transport kinetics observed in both vesicle systems can be described by passive (possibly facilitated) diffusion. The lag of Na⁺ transport across the membrane compared to that for AIB, coupled to the Na⁺-dependent decrease in theK _m for AIB, accounts for the overshoot in intravesicular AIB observed for SV3T3 in the presence of an initial Na⁺ gradient. Extra-vesicular Na⁺ maintains a derease in theK _m for AIB influx before intra-vesicular Na⁺ has accumulated to balance it with a comparable decrease in theK _m for AIB efflux. 3T3 vesicles display little overshoot, and this finding can be explained mostly by a lower carrier affinity for Na⁺.     

Cytochrome changes in control and concanavalin A-stimulated lymphocytes

α-Aminoisobutyrate (AIB) serves as a transportable, nonmetabolizable alanine analog in the purple sulfur bacterium Chromatium vinosum. AIB transport in C. vinosum appears to be catalyzed by an electrogenic Na⁺-alanine (AIB) symport without any direct participation of ATP-driven or H⁺-symport systems. In addition to Na⁺ being cotransported with AIB via the symport, a transmembrane Na⁺ gradient appears to increase the affinity of the symport of AIB. It appears that these two effects of Na⁺ involve different Na⁺-binding sites.     

A vacuolar-type proton pump energizes K+/H+ antiport in an animal plasma membrane.

In this paper we demonstrate that a vacuolar-type H(+)-ATPase energizes secondary active transport in an insect plasma membrane and thus we provide an alternative to the classical concept of plasma membrane energization in animal cells by the Na+/K(+)-ATPase. We investigated ATP-dependent and -independent vesicle acidification, monitored with fluorescent acridine orange, in a highly purified K(+)-transporting goblet cell apical membrane preparation of tobacco hornworm (Manduca sexta) midgut. ATP-dependent proton transport was shown to be catalyzed by a vacuolar-type ATPase as deduced from its sensitivity to submicromolar concentrations of bafilomycin A1. ATP-independent amiloride-sensitive proton transport into the vesicle interior was dependent on an outward-directed K+ gradient across the vesicle membrane. This K(+)-dependent proton transport may be interpreted as K+/H+ antiport because it exhibited the same sensitivity to amiloride and the same cation specificity as the K(+)-dependent dissipation of a pH gradient generated by the vacuolar-type proton pump. The vacuolar-type ATPase is exclusively a proton pump because it could acidify vesicles independent of the extravesicular K+ concentration, provided that the antiport was inhibited by amiloride. Polyclonal antibodies against the purified vacuolar-type ATPase inhibited ATPase activity and ATP-dependent proton transport, but not K+/H+ antiport, suggesting that the antiporter and the ATPase are two different molecular entities. Experiments in which fluorescent oxonol V was used as an indicator of a vesicle-interior positive membrane potential provided evidence for the electrogenicity of K+/H+ antiport and suggested that more than one H+ is exchanged for one K+ during a reaction cycle. Both the generation of the K+ gradient-dependent membrane potential and the vesicle acidification were sensitive to harmaline, a typical inhibitor of Na(+)-dependent transport processes including Na+/H+ antiport. Our results led to the hypothesis that active and electrogenic K+ secretion in the tobacco hornworm midgut results from electrogenic K+/nH+ antiport which is energized by the electrical component of the proton-motive force generated by the electrogenic vacuolar-type proton pump.     

Dependence of mitochondrial coenzyme A uptake on the membrane electrical gradient

Coenzyme A (CoA) transport was studied in isolated rat heart mitochondria. Uptake of CoA was assayed by determining [3H]CoA associated with mitochondria under various conditions. Various oxidizable substrates including alpha-ketoglutarate, succinate, or malate stimulated CoA uptake. The membrane proton (delta pH) and electrical (delta psi) gradients, which dissipated with time in the absence of substrate, were maintained at their initial levels throughout the incubation in the presence of substrate. Addition of phosphate caused a concentration-dependent decrease of both delta pH and CoA uptake. Nigericin also dissipated the proton gradient and prevented CoA uptake. Valinomycin also prevented CoA uptake into mitochondria. Although the proton gradient was unaffected, the electrical gradient was completely abolished in the presence of valinomycin. Addition of 5 mM phosphate 10 min after the start of incubation prevented further uptake of CoA into mitochondria. A rapid dissipation of the proton gradient upon addition of phosphate was observed. Addition of nigericin or valinomycin 10 min after the start of incubation also resulted in no further uptake of CoA into with mitochondria; valinomycin caused an apparent efflux of CoA from mitochondria. Uptake was found to be sensitive to external pH displaying a pH optimum at pHext 8.0. Although nigericin significantly inhibited CoA uptake over the pHext range of 6.75-8, maximal transport was observed around pHext 8.0-8.25. Valinomycin, on the other hand, abolished transport over the entire pH range. The results suggest that mitochondrial CoA transport is determined by the membrane electrical gradient. The apparent dependence of CoA uptake on an intact membrane pH gradient is probably the result of modulation of CoA transport by matrix pH.     

In vitro Investigation of the MexAB Efflux Pump From Pseudomonas aeruginosa

There is an emerging scientific need for reliable tools for monitoring membrane protein transport. We present a methodology leading to the reconstitution of efflux pumps from the Gram-negative bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a biomimetic environment that allows for an accurate investigation of their activity of transport. Three prerequisites are fulfilled: compartmentation in a lipidic environment, use of a relevant index for transport, and generation of a proton gradient. The membrane protein transporter is reconstituted into liposomes together with bacteriorhodopsin, a light-activated proton pump that generates a proton gradient that is robust as well as reversible and tunable. The activity of the protein is deduced from the pH variations occurring within the liposome, using pyranin, a pH-dependent fluorescent probe. We describe a step-by-step procedure where membrane protein purification, liposome formation, protein reconstitution, and transport analysis are addressed. Although they were specifically designed for an RND transporter, the described methods could potentially be adapted for use with any other membrane protein transporter energized by a proton gradient.     

Regulation of Membrane Transport Sites for Amino Acids in Myogenic Cells

Abstract. Myoblasts from 12-day chick embryos in cell culture transport the nonmetabolizable amino acid α-aminoisobutyric acid (AIB) two to three-fold more rapidly than multinucleated myotubes which form from them. This decrease in transport is due to a relative decrease in the number of transport sites per unit area of cell surface suggesting a compositional change in the plasma membrane during myogenesis. In studies reported here, AIB transport was monitored throughout myogenesis and correlated with other aspects of differentiation. During myogenesis the number of amino acid transport sites remains constant per myotube nucleus. As myogenesis proceeds, there is a marked increase in cellular protein and cell surface without a commensurate increase in amino acid transport sites. The net consequence of the surface area change is fewer amino acid transport sites per unit area of myotube membrane surface. The decrease in membrane transport sites for AIB per unit area of membrane is not a result of length of time in culture per se, medium depletion, or cell density, but is a result of differentiation, since blocking myoblast fusion by deprivation of calcium delays the decrease in AIB transport sites per unit cell surface area while reversal of the calcium deprivation block is accompanied by a rapid decrease in the number of AIB transport sites per unit cell surface area. Thus, the decrease in AIB transport sites is an aspect of differentiation which accompanies the marked elaboration of surface membrane during myogenesis.     

Regulation of membrane transport sites for amino acids in myogenic cells. A differentiation dependent phenomenon

Myoblasts from 12-day chick embryos in cell culture transport the nonmetabolizable amino acid alpha-aminoisobutyric acid (AIB) two to three-fold more rapidly than multinucleated myotubes which form from them. This decrease in transport is due to a relative decrease in the number of transport sites per unit area of cell surface suggesting a compositional change in the plasma membrane during myogenesis. In studies reported here, AIB transport was monitored throughout myogenesis and correlated with other aspects of differentiation. During myogenesis the number of amino acid transport sites remains constant per myotube nucleus. As myogenesis proceeds, there is a marked increase in cellular protein and cell surface without a commensurate increase in amino acid transport sites. The net consequence of the surface area change is fewer amino acid transport sites per unit area of myotube membrane surface. The decrease in membrane transport sites for AIB per unit area of membrane is not a result of length of time in culture per se, medium depletion, or cell density, but is a result of differentiation, since blocking myoblast fusion by deprivation of calcium delays the decrease in AIB transport sites per unit cell surface area while reversal of the calcium deprivation block is accompanied by a rapid decrease in the number of AIB transport sites per unit cell surface area. Thus, the decrease in AIB transport sites is an aspect of differentiation which accompanies the marked elaboration of surface membrane during myogenesis.     

Leucine transport coupled to proton movement in membrane vesicles from Chang liver cells

Leucine transport into membrane vesicles obtained from Chang liver cells was stimulated by an inward H+ gradient. The stimulatory effect of the proton gradient on the rate of leucine uptake (1 min) was inhibited by the presence of carbonyl cyanide p-trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone. When the vesicles had been preloaded with a high concentration of KCl, addition of valinomycin stimulated leucine uptake by the vesicles, showing that the leucine transport is dependent on potential gradient. Leucine-coupled H+ accumulation inside the vesicles was confirmed by measuring leucine dependent quenching of the fluorescence of 9-aminoacridine added to medium. These results imply that electrochemical gradient of proton can serve as a driving force for leucine transport across the cell membrane and proton movement is coupled to leucine transport.     

Characterization of amino acid transport in membrane vesicles from the thermophilic fermentative bacterium Clostridium fervidus.

Amino acid transport was studied in membrane vesicles of the thermophilic anaerobic bacterium Clostridium fervidus. Neutral, acidic, and basic as well as aromatic amino acids were transported at 40 degrees C upon the imposition of an artificial membrane potential (delta psi) and a chemical gradient of sodium ions (delta microNa+). The presence of sodium ions was essential for the uptake of amino acids, and imposition of a chemical gradient of sodium ions alone was sufficient to drive amino acid uptake, indicating that amino acids are symported with sodium ions instead of with protons. Lithium ions, but no other cations tested, could replace sodium ions in serine transport. The transient character of artificial membrane potentials, especially at higher temperatures, severely limits their applicability for more detailed studies of a specific transport system. To obtain a constant proton motive force, the thermostable and thermoactive primary proton pump cytochrome c oxidase from Bacillus stearothermophilus was incorporated into membrane vesicles of C. fervidus. Serine transport could be driven by a membrane potential generated by the proton pump. Interconversion of the pH gradient into a sodium gradient by the ionophore monensin stimulated serine uptake. The serine carrier had a high affinity for serine (Kt = 10 microM) and a low affinity for sodium ions (apparent Kt = 2.5 mM). The mechanistic Na+-serine stoichiometry was determined to be 1:1 from the steady-state levels of the proton motive force, sodium gradient, and serine uptake. A 1:1 stoichiometry was also found for Na+-glutamate transport, and uptake of glutamate appeared to be an electroneutral process.