Transport of amino acids by isolated gills of the mussel Mytilus californianus Conrad.

The unidirectional influx of cycloleucine into in vitro preparations of gill tissue of the mussel, Mytilus californianus, was determined. Influx was found to be linear for at least an hour, and the kinetics of cycloleucine influx conformed to Michaelis-Menten type kinetics. The transport mechanism(s) for cycloleucine is relatively specific for the L-enantiomorph of neutral amino acids, and is capable of accumulating cycloleucine to intracellular concentrations much higher than those of the surrounding medium. Evedence is presented that the transport of amino acids by gill tissue plays a significant role in whole animal nutrition.