On the mechanism of sugar and amino acid interaction in intestinal transport

The influence of Amino acids on D-glucose transport was studied in isolated vesicles of brush border membrane from rat small intestine. It is demonstrated that: (a) Uptake of D-glucose by the membranes is inhibited by simultaneous flow of L- and D-alanine into the vesicles. (b) Addition of L-alanine to membranes pre-equilibrated with D-glucose causes efflux of this sugar. (c) The influence of Amino acids on D-glucose is dependent on the presence of Na+. (d) The ionophorous agents monactin and valinomycin are able to prevent the transport interaction of D-glucose and Amino acids. Monactin is effective in the presence of Na+ without further addition of other cations, while valinomycin is effective only with added K+, in accordance with the known specificity of these Antibiotics. (e) The inhibitory effect increases with L-alanine concentration up to about 50 mM after which it levels off. The experiments provide evident that the Na+-dependent sugar and amino acid fluxes across the brush border membrane are coupled electrically.