[en] The authors are attempting to clone the genes coding for amino acid transport System L. Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell mutants that are temperature sensitive in their leucyl-tRNA synthetase show temperature-dependent regulation of System L. Temperature resistant mutants isolated from these cells have constitutively derepressed System L activity. Somatic cell fusion studies using these mutants have suggested that a trans-acting element controls regulation of System L. Mutants with reduced transport activity were isolated by a ³H-suicide selection. The growth of these mutant cells is limited by the transport defect. CHO mutants were transformed with a human cosmid library, followed by selection at high temperatures and low leucine concentrations. Some transformants have increased levels of System L activity, suggesting that human genes coding for leucine transport have been incorporated into the CHO genome. Human sequences were rescued by a lambda in vitro packaging system. These sequences hybridize to vector and total human DNA. Experiments are being done to confirm that these sequences indeed code for transport System L. They are also attempting to label membrane components of amino acid transporters by group-specific modifying reagents