Studies on the Uptake of [3H]Dopamine by Synaptic Vesicle Fraction Isolated from Bovine Brain

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Abstract
1. A synaptic vesicle fraction isolated from bovine caudatolenticular nuclei showed enzymic activities of tyrosine hydroxylase [EC 1.14.16.2] and dopamine B-hydro-xylase [EC 1.14.17.1]. Tyrosine hydroxylase, whose subcellular localization is uncertain, appeared to be associated with the synaptic vesicles. 2. The vesicle fraction took up [3H]dopamine increasingly with time without the aid of ATP (6.3 pmol of [3H]dopamine per mg of vesicle proteins, or 3–4% of the added dopamine, at 30 min). In the presence of ATP, a transient accumulation of the amine was observed, reaching the highest level at 7–10 min (5.6 pmol dop-amine/mg protein), and then a rapid release of the amine took place, obeying first-order kinetics with respect to the amine concentration. The amine uptake was strongly inhibited with NEM, regardless of the presence or absence of ATP. 3. The vesicle fraction also exhibited a weak ability to translocate protons inward and ATP-dependently, as monitored by an increase in the fluorescence intensity of ANS. The fluorescence enhancement persisted for at least 30 min and this time-dependent change was not consistent with that of the transient accumulation of [3H]dopamine mentioned above. Since the present vesicle preparation contained a small amount of mitochondrial ATPase (18–20% of the total activity), the proton translocating ability could be attributable to contaminating submitochondrial particles. 4. Therefore these results made it impossible to conclude that the transient uptake of [3H]dopamine by the synaptic vesicles was coupled to ATP hydrolysis.