An altered rate of uridine transport in membrane vesicles isolated from growing and quiescent mouse 3T3 fibroblast cells.

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Balb/c 3T3 and simian virus-40-transformed Balb/c 3T3 (SV-3T3) cells were examined for their ability to transport nucleosides. Confluent (quiescent) 3T3 cells transported uridine at a rate 3-4 fold lower than did subconfluent cells. Adenosine uptake was independent of cell population density. Both adenosine and uridine were transported at the same rate by confluent and sub-confluent SV-3T3 cells. A membrane vesicle population (plasma membrane and endoplasmic reticulum) was isolated from 3T3 and SV-3T3 cells by nitrogen cavitation. With membrane vesicles derived from SV-3T3 cells it was determined that uptake occurred by a mediated process. Uptake of adenosine and uridine by membrane vesicles isolated from 3T3 and SV-3T3 cells demonstrated the same pattern as found in whole cells; that is, membrane vesicles from confluent 3T3 cells transported uridine at a rate 3-fold lower than did membrane vesicles from subconfluent 3T3 cells. Much of the adenosine taken up was converted to inosine, hypoxanthine, and ribose 1-phosphate, whereas uridine transport resulted only in the accumulation of uridine. Results obtained with membrane vesicles indicate that the lowered rate of uridine transport by confluent 3T3 cells seems due to an alteration in the membrane itself or a component(s) thereof, rather than to changes in subsequent cellular metabolic processes.