Poly(A)+ mRNA was isolated from rabbit kidney cortex and injected into Xenopus laevis oocytes. Injection of mRNA resulted in a time- and dose-dependent increase in Na(+)-independent uptake of L-[3H]alanine and L-[3H]arginine. L-Alanine uptake was stimulated about 3-fold and L-arginine uptake was stimulated about 8-fold after injection of mRNA (25-50 ng, after 3-6 days) as compared with water-injected oocytes. T.I.C. of oocyte extracts suggested that the increased uptake actually represented an increase in the oocyte content of labelled L-alanine and L-arginine. The expressed L-alanine uptake, obtained by subtracting the uptake in water-injected oocytes from that in mRNA-injected oocytes, showed saturability and was inhibited completely by 2-aminobicyclo[2,2,1]heptane-2-carboxylic acid (BCH) and L-arginine. The expressed L-arginine uptake in mRNA-injected oocytes also showed saturability, being completely inhibited by L-dibasic amino acids) and partially inhibited by BCH. Expression of both L-alanine and L-arginine uptake showed clear cis-inhibition by cationic (e.g. L-arginine) and neutral (e.g. L-leucine) amino acids. In all, this points to the expression of a Na(+)-independent transport system with broad specificity (i.e. b degree, (+)-like). In addition, part of the expressed uptake of L-arginine could be due to a system y(+)-like transporter. After size fractionation through a sucrose density gradient, the mRNA species encoding these increased transport activities (Na(+)-independent transport of L-alanine and of L-arginine) were found in fractions of an average mRNA chain-length of 1.8-2.4 kb. On the basis of these results, we conclude that Na(+)-independent transport system(s) for L-alanine and L-arginine from rabbit renal cortical tissues, most likely proximal tubules, are expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes. These observations may represent the first steps towards expression and cloning of these transport pathways.