Glutamine transport in normal and acidotic rat kidney mitochondria

Glutamine transport in both normal and acidotic rat kidney mitochondria was investigated using both isotopic techniques and by spectroscopic measurements in which glutamine metabolism was allowed to occur. Widely used criteria for demonstrating the occurrence of carrier-mediated transport were successfully applied in both cases. Three transport mechanisms were found to occur, namely glutamine uniport, active only during acidosis and glutamine/glutamate and glutamine/malate antiports, active in both normal and acidotic mitochondria. Efflux of glutamate, via a glutamate/OH- translocator, following glutamine uptake by mitochondria was experimentally ruled out. Glutamine uniport in acidotic mitochondria and glutamine/glutamate and glutamine/malate antiports in both normal and acidotic mitochondria were investigated in detail: differences found in Km and Vmax values, in pH and temperature dependence, and in the pattern of inhibitor sensitivity of glutamine transport demonstrated the existence of five different translocators whose activities were found to fit with the physiological requirements of renal ammoniogenesis.