Nucleoside Uptake by Slices of Mouse Brain

Abstract

The properties of nucleoside and nucleotide uptake by brain cells were examined in mouse brain slices. Adenine and adenosine had the most rapid uptake and reached the highest levels. Uptake was mediated, as shown by saturabilityand strong inhibition, by low temperature or by cyanide, and was only partially Na- or Ca-dependent. The inhibition pattern by analogs indicated the presence of several uptake systems (possibly 4), as shown by differences between adenine and guanine uptake, between adenine and adenosine uptake, and between adenosine and cytidine uptake. The properties of uptake systems for nucleotides and nucleosides differed from those for amino acids.