Characterization of L-arginine transport in adrenal cells: effect of ACTH

REPETTO EM; PANNUNZIO V; ASTORT F; MARTINEZ CALEJMAN C; MORENO MB; PIGNATARO OP; CYMERYNG CB

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-ENDOCRINOLOGY AND METABOLISM

The American Physiological Society

Lugar: Bethesda, MA, USA; Año: 2006 vol. 291 p. 291 - 297

0193-1849

Nitric oxide synthesis depends on the availability of its precursor l-arginine, which could be regulated by the presence of a specific uptake system. In the present report, the characterization of the l-arginine transport system in mouse adrenal Y1 cells was performed. l-arginine transport was mediated by the cationic/neutral amino acid transport system y(+)L and the cationic amino acid transporter (CAT) y(+) in Y1 cells. These Na(+)-independent transporters were identified by their selectivity for neutral amino acids in both the presence and absence of Na(+) and by the effect of N-ethylmaleimide. Transport data correlated to expression of genes encoding for CAT-1, CAT-2, CD-98, and y(+)LAT-2. A similar expression profile was detected in rat adrenal zona fasciculata. In addition, cationic amino acid uptake in Y1 cells was upregulated by ACTH and/or cAMP with a concomitant increase in nitric oxide (NO) production.