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TAURINE UPTAKE BY RAT BRAIN SYNAPTOSOMES
Author(s) -
Kontro P.,
Oja S. S.
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
journal of neurochemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.75
H-Index - 229
eISSN - 1471-4159
pISSN - 0022-3042
DOI - 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1978.tb10459.x
Subject(s) - taurine , synaptosome , incubation , stimulation , chemistry , biophysics , medicine , biochemistry , endocrinology , amino acid , biology , in vitro
— Uptake of [ 3,5 S]taurine by rat whole brain synaptosomes was studied at varying temperatures, under O 2 , and N 2 atmospheres, during electrical stimulation and in the presence of dinitrophenol or variable taurine concentrations in the incubation medium. The morphology and purity of the synaptosomes was checked by electron microscopy. The respiration of the synaptosomes was linear for at least 90 min. The taurine uptake was energy‐ and temperature‐dependent and significantly enhanced by electrical stimulation. The total uptake of taurine could be divided into three components, non‐saturable influx and saturable high‐affinity ( K m = 46 μmol/l) and low‐affinity ( K m , = 6.3 mmol/l) transport systems. The efficacy of the high‐affinity transport appears small in view of the postulated neurotrans‐mitter role of taurine.