Inhibition of thiamine transport in anaerobic baker's yeast by iodoacetate, 2,4-dinitrophenol N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide and fatty acids.

1. [14C]Thiamine uptake by baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) was strongly inhibited by 0.2 mM iodoacetate, 0.2 mM 2,4-dinitrophenol and 0.1 mM N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide under anaerobic conditions. 2. The inhibition of anaerobic [14C]thiamine uptake by these inhibitors was accompanied by almost parallel decreases in the ATP level of the yeast cells. 3. On the other hand, the short-chain fatty acids inhibited [14C]thiamine uptake to a large extent, without greatly affecting the intracellular ATP level. This suggests that the acids primarily block the use of energy from ATP for the transport rather than the fermentation process. 4. Caproate, which has a most pronounced inhibitory effect on [14C]thiamine uptake, significantly prevented the dissipation of an energized membrane state of yeast cells necessary for the active transport of thiamine. 5. Possible ways in which the inhibitors may affect thiamine uptake were discussed.