title: Kinetics of the sodium-dependent glutamine transporter in human intestinal cell confluent monolayers.
abstract: The intestinal epithelium metabolism of glutamine plays a critical role in inter-organ nitrogen flow. Although it is known that glutamine is the primary oxidative energy source and nucleotide precursor in intestinal cells, the luminal uptake of glutamine by the apical surface of enterocytes is poorly understood. In this study we have uncovered the sodium-dependent transporter system responsible for L-glutamine uptake by the apical membrane of a human intestinal epithelial cell line. The sodium-dependent Michaelis constant (Km) = 247 +/- 45 microM glutamine, and Jmax = 4.44 +/- 0.65 x 10(-9) mole min-1(mg protein)-1 (37 degrees C). Glutamine shares the transporter with alanine, as demonstrated by unlabeled glutamine inhibition of [3H]alanine uptake kinetics with a purely competitive-type inhibition pattern, and glutamine inhibition Ki = 205 +/- 18 microM by Dixon analysis. The inhibition pattern for a series of amino acid analogs indicated that this intestinal apical membrane sodium-dependent transporter for glutamine is distinct from any other transport system found in membranes of non-intestinal cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville 32610-0274.
authors.forename: W W
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Souba
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: B R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Stevens
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma; D000409:Alanine / Q000378:metabolism; D026923:Amino Acid Transport Systems, Basic; D000596:Amino Acids / Q000494:pharmacology; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001692:Biological Transport / Q000187:drug effects; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D002414:Cations, Monovalent; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms; D005973:Glutamine / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D012964:Sodium / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D026923:Amino Acid Transport Systems, Basic; D000596:Amino Acids; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D002414:Cations, Monovalent; C077738:sodium-dependent glutamine transporter; D005973:Glutamine; D012964:Sodium; D000409:Alanine