title: Hormonal regulation of amino acid transport system N in primary cultures of rat hepatocytes.
abstract: The transport of histidine and glutamine via system N in cultured hepatocytes was found to be subject to hormonal control. This long-term regulation showed the following characteristics. The transport capacity for histidine and glutamine (system N) increased slowly in response to the combination of dexamethasone and insulin to about 4-fold that of controls after 18-30 h. A similar time course was found for the stimulation of system N (2.5-fold) by dexamethasone and glucagon. In contrast the uptake of alpha-aminoisobutyric acid (system A) was rapidly stimulated 3-fold by dexamethasone and insulin and 5-fold by dexamethasone and glucagon within 3-6 h but decreased towards control rates after 24 h of cultivation in minimal essential medium. Dexamethasone, insulin and glucagon each stimulated glutamine uptake about 2-fold in cultures maintained in W/AB 77 medium, while the combination of dexamethasone with either glucagon or insulin resulted in a 3-4-fold increase. Dexamethasone was most effective at about 0.1 microM. Higher concentrations were less efficient. Insulin reached its optimal effect at concentrations above 1 microM. Kinetic analysis revealed that the increased capacity of glutamine transport in response to hormones was due to an increase in Vmax, while Km was essentially unchanged. The hormone-induced stimulation of system N was prevented by cycloheximide. The induced uptake of glutamine was inhibited by excess amounts of asparagine and histidine but not of alpha-methylaminoisobutyric acid or cysteine. These results clearly differentiate the hormonal regulation of system N from that of system A.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gebhardt
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kleemann
mesh_terms: D000596:Amino Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001692:Biological Transport / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005934:Glucagon / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005973:Glutamine / Q000378:metabolism; D006639:Histidine / Q000378:metabolism; D007328:Insulin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007700:Kinetics; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D007328:Insulin; D005973:Glutamine; D006639:Histidine; D003907:Dexamethasone; D005934:Glucagon