ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES OF XENOPUS OOCYTES TO AMINO-ACIDS - CRITERIA FOR EXPRESSION OF INJECTED MESSENGER-RNA CODING CHEMORECEPTORS

Responses of endogenous transporters/receptors of Xenopus oocytes to L-alanine, L-arginine, L-leucine and L-serine were investigated under voltage clamp conditions. (a) Concentration-response relations for the amino acids followed Langmuir's adsorption isotherm. (b) The neutral amino acids required Na+ to elicit the responses, whereas L-arginine did not. (c) The responses to L-alanine decreased with decreasing pH and became undetectable at pH 5.5. The present experiments supply criteria to judge if the oocytes translate exogenous mRNA coding taste or olfactory receptor proteins far the amino acids, the best characterized stimuli, especially in fishes.