Studies of the Kinetics of Na+ Gradient-coupled Glucose Transport As Found in Brush-border Membrane Vesicles from Rabbit Jejunum

The Na+-dependent D-glucose transport reaction in rabbit jejunal brush-border vesicles was studied. Initial rate data were obtained by fitting a polynomial equation to progress curves at different D-glucose concentrations and extracting the slope of the tangent at zero-time. Kinetic replots of the initial rate values produced biphasic Hofstee patterns indicative of two pathways for transport distinguished by their Km values for glucose. Neither was dependent on the presence of a membrane potential. Both were dependent on Na+ and both were inhibited by phlorizin. Increasing external sodium was found to elevate the apparent Vmax for both pathways. Internal sodium was inhibitory. Pulsed progress curve analysis indicated that the effect of internal sodium was best characterized as carrier sequestration by a sodium-carrier binary complex. Inhibition by internal sodium was completely reversed by the presence, internally, of D-glucose. The presence of two pathways and the kinetic constants for these pathways do not agree with the conclusions of Hopfer and Groseclose (1980) J. Biol. Chem. 255, 4453-4462). Experiments are presented which bear on the reason for the disagreement.