A new approach in the kinetics of biological transport the potential of reversible inhibition studies

Abstract

Kinetic equations are derived for reversible inhibition of both active and facilitated transport systems for seven common experimental arrangements. It is shown that the unique features of transport kinetics may be exploited to give new kinds of information. It is also shown that the familiar rules of enzyme kinetics, though often applied to transport, can be seriously misleading. The analysis leads to the following general conclusions: (1) A competitive mechanism frequently gives rise to non-competitive kinetics, depending on the experimental design, but a non-competitive mechanism never produces competitive kinetics. (2) Inhibition studies on exchange diffusion at equilibrium in non-active systems or in the final steady state in active systems are the only unambiguous kinetic tests to distinguish competitive from non-competitive mechanisms. (3) Substrate analogs that are bound to the carrier and transported are readily distinguished by inhibition kinetics from those not transported, even though both may rapidly enter the cell by another route. (4) Even in non-active systems competitive inhibitors commonly have far different affinities for the substrate sites on the two membranes faces: where sufficient non-polarity allows their penetration into the cell, inhibition kinetics readily establish such sidedness in their action. (5) Inhibition kinetics of the mixed competitive and non-competitive type result from moderately asymmetrical binding of inhibitor at the substrate site. (6) Asymmetry is a necessary feature of active transport; hence studies of inhibition kinetics should provide important insights into its mechanism.