Regulation of amino acid transport in L6 muscle cells: I. Stimulation of transport system A by amino acid deprivation.

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AbstractThe regulation of amino acid transport in L6 muscle cells by amino acid deprivation was investigated. Proline uptake was Na+‐dependent, saturable and concentrative, and was predominantly through system A. Proline uptake was inhibited by alanine, α‐amino isobutyric acid (AIB), and by α‐methylamino isobutyric acid, but not by lysine or valine. At 25°C, Km of proline uptake was 0.5 mM. Amino acid‐deprivation resulted in a progressive increase in the rate of proline uptake, reaching up to 6‐fold stimulation after 6 hours. The basal and stimulated transport were equally Na+‐dependent, and both were inhibited by competition with the same amino acids. Kinetic analysis showed that Km decreased by a factor of 2.4 and Vmax increased 1.9‐fold in deprived cells. Amino acid‐deprivation did not stimulate amino acid uptake through systems other than system A. This suggests that the higher Km in proline‐supplemented cells is not due to release of intracellular amino acids into unstirred layers surrounding the cells. The presence of amino acids which are substrates of system A (including AIB) during proline‐deprivation, prevented stimulation of proline uptake, whereas those transported by systems Ly+ or L exclusively were ineffective. The stimulation of the transport‐rate in deprived cells could be reversed by subsequent exposure to proline or other substrates of system A. L6 cells, deprived of proline for 6 hours, retained the stimulation of transport after detachment from the monolayers with trypsin. Uptake rates were comparable in suspended and attached cells in monolayer culture. Thus, amino acid‐depreivation of L6 cells results in an adaptive increase in proline uptake, which is not due to unstirred layers but appears to be mediated by other mechanisms of selective transport regulation.