The accumulation of various radioactive monoamines by isolated membranes of bovine adrenal chromaffin granules was measured by equilibrium dialysis.
Adenosine‐5′‐triphosphate (ATP) in the presence of Mg++ stimulated the uptake of all the amines tested, but the accumulation of dopamine, (‐)‐noradrenaline (NA), 5‐hydroxytryptamine (5‐HT), (±)‐adrenaline and (±)‐octopamine was greater than that of tyramine, (±)‐metaraminol, tryptamine, β‐phenylethy lamine and histamine.
At the higher concentration levels of the amines in the medium the ATP‐dependent accumulation of dopamine, NA, adrenaline and 5‐HT in the membranes reached a saturation level, whereas in the absence of the nucleotide no saturation level was attained.
Octopamine and 5‐HT competitively inhibited the ATP‐dependent uptake of NA.
Decrease in the incubation temperature or the presence of N‐ethylmaleimide greatly reduced the ATP‐stimulated amine accumulation. Ouabain had no effect on uptake.
Reserpine virtually abolished the ATP‐dependent uptake of dopamine, NA and 5‐HT, caused a partial inhibition of the metaraminol, octopamine and tyramine accumulation, but did not interfere with the uptake of tryptamine.
The content of endogenous catecholamines of the membranes was changed very little by incubation of NA and 5‐HT in the presence of ATP. However, the membranes lost over 80% of their endogenous amines if incubated for 30 min without ATP.
The ATP content of the medium progressively decreased during the incubation of granular membranes.
It is concluded that the membrane of adrenal chromaffin granules discriminates between the various monoamines with regard to the magnitude of their uptake and that two mechanisms of ATP‐stimulated uptake, one responsive and the other resistant to reserpine, exist at the level of this membrane. The ATP‐stimulated transport at the granular membrane level may be an important factor in determining the intraneuronal storage of a physiological or false neurotransmitter.