The uptake of taurocholate into brush border membrane vesicles prepared from human full term placenta was studied using a rapid filtration technique. The taurocholate uptake into brush border membrane vesicles was sensitive to extravesicular osmolarity, and pre-incubation of the brush border membrane vesicles with the taurocholate increased the uptake of taurocholate into the brush border membrane vesicles. These findings indicate that the uptake of taurocholate by brush border membrane vesicles represents transport into vesicles. The uptake of taurocholate into vesicles was not dependent on Na+ electrochemical gradient (extravesicular > intravesicular). But this uptake was markedly increased when the intravesicular space was rendered electrically more positive by the use of lowly permeant anions or valinomycin-induced K+ diffusion membrane potentials. These findings indicate that the taurocholate transport into brush border membrane vesicles was dependent on membrane potential. The initial rate of taurocholate transport into brush border membrane vesicles exhibited saturation kinetics with respect to the taurocholate concentration, an apparent Km of 67 microM and Vmax of 0.30 nmol/mg protein/20 sec were calculated.