Species differences in nucleoside transport. A study of uridine transport and nitrobenzylthioinosine binding by mammalian erythrocytes.

A kinetic study of the inward transport of uridine in erythrocytes of rabbit, human, mouse, rat and guinea-pig demonstrated that the apparent Km of this process was similar (about 0.2mM) in these cell types, but Vmax. values differed markedly. In this array of cell types, Vmax. values were proportional to the number of transport-inhibitory, high-affinity binding sites present per cell of each type. Transport of uridine or adenosine was not detected in dog erythrocytes, nor was saturable, high-affinity binding of nitrobenzylthioinosine demonstrable. These findings demonstrate that species differences in nucleoside transport capacity are attributable to differences in the cell-surface content of functional nucleoside transport sites, rather than to differences in the kinetic properties of these sites.