Expression of rat liver Na+/L-alanine co-transport in Xenopus laevis oocytes. Effect of glucagon in vivo.

Poly(A)+ RNA (mRNA) isolated from rat liver was injected into Xenopus laevis oocytes, and expression of Na+/L-alanine transport was assayed by measuring Na(+)-dependent uptake of L-[3H]alanine. Expression of Na+/L-alanine transport was detected 3-7 days after mRNA injection, and was due to an increment of the Na(+)-dependent component. After injection of 40 ng of total mRNA, Na(+)-dependent uptake of L-alanine was 2.5-fold higher than in water-injected oocytes. In contrast with Na+/L-alanine transport by water-injected oocytes, expressed Na+/L-alanine transport was inhibited by N-methylaminoisobutyric acid, was inhibited by an extracellular pH of 6.5 and was saturated at approx. 1 mM-L-alanine. After sucrose-density-gradient fractionation, highest expression of Na+/L-alanine uptake was observed with mRNA of 1.9-2.5 kb in length. Compared with mRNA isolated from control rats, mRNA isolated from glucagon-treated rats showed a approx. 2-fold higher expression of Na+/L-alanine transport. The results demonstrate that both liver Na+/L-alanine transport systems (A and ASC) can be expressed in X. laevis oocytes. Furthermore, the data obtained with mRNA isolated from glucagon-treated rats suggest that glucagon regulates liver Na+/L-alanine transport (at least in part) via the availability of the corresponding mRNA.