Differential Rates of Uptake of Glucose, Fructose and Sucrose by Pea Stem Protoplasts

Protoplasts from growing regions of etiolated pea stems takeup glucose more rapidly than fructose when supplied for briefperiods at low concentrations. The uptake of the two hexosesis differentially inhibited by galactoac and by reagents thatcurtail ATP synthesis, and uptake of one hexose is not preventedby the other, even at a 100-fold excess. Sucrose uptake is muchslower than that of either hexose and is correlated with theappearance of invertase activity in the medium. Label from [¹⁴C-glc]-sucroseis taken up more rapidly than from [¹⁴C-fru]-sucrose. It isconcluded that these cells take up supplied sucrose only afterhydrolysis to hexoses, which are then absorbed by differentcarrier-mediated processes. Key words: Glucose, fructose, invertase, pea, protoplast, sucrose