Metabolism and transfer of choline in hamster small intestine.

1. The transfer and metabolism of choline was studied with sacs of everted intestine of hamster.2. Approximately half the choline transferred from the mucosal fluid may be metabolized. High voltage electrophoresis, paper chromatography and ion exchange chromatography have been used to identify this meta bolite as betaine.3. The concentration of choline and betaine together accumulating in the gut wall and serosal fluid are greater than that of choline present initially in the mucosal fluid indicating some kind of specific mechanism for choline transport.4. A detailed analysis of choline transfer suggests that the movement of choline cannot be accounted for by simple diffusion. The concentration of choline accumulating in the gut wall and serosal fluid, the inhibitory effects of hemicholinium-3 and alpha-methylglucoside on choline transfer, and the insensitivity of betaine transfer to hemicholinium-3 suggest a specific active transport process for choline independent of active betaine transport.