A variety of nucleoside transport inhibitors and substrates were compared for their capacities to inhibit the zero-trans influx of [3H]uridine in Ehrlich ascites tumor cells. ATP-depleted cells accumulated [3H]uridine primarily by facilitated diffusion (Vmax = 16 pmol/sec/microliter cell water) via both nitrobenzylthioguanosine (NBTGR)-sensitive (IC50 = 0.53 nM, 100 microM [3H]uridine) and NBTGR-resistant (IC50 = 71 microM, 100 microM [3H]uridine) mechanisms with uridine Km estimates of 99 and 284 microM, respectively. Dilazep also distinguished between the transporter subtypes with IC50 values of 1.4 nM and 1.8 microM, respectively, for inhibiting 100 microM [3H]uridine influx. Incubation of cells with 50 nM NBTGR allowed the selective study of inhibitor effects on NBTGR-resistant [3H]uridine influx. Dipyridamole, cyclopentyladenosine, 2-phenylaminoadenosine, etoposide, teniposide, diazepam, chlordiazepoxide, triazolam and the lidoflazine derivative 2-(aminocarbonyl)-N-(4-amino-2,6-dichlorophenyl)-4-[5,5-bis-(4- fluorophenyl)pentyl]-1-piperazineacetamide (R75231), were significantly less potent as inhibitors of NBTGR-resistant influx, when compared with their capacities to inhibit the total mediated influx of [3H]uridine. In contrast, 2-fluoroadenosine, 2-chloroadenosine, 5'-N-ethylcarboxamidoadenosine and soluflazine were relatively more effective as inhibitors of the NBTGR-resistant component. Mioflazine, a compound related to both soluflazine and R75231, did not distinguish between transporter subtypes. The NBTGR-resistant transporter also had a distinctive substrate specificity; guanosine, 2'-deoxyguanosine, cytidine and 2'-deoxycytidine were significantly less effective as inhibitors of NBTGR-resistant [3H]uridine influx.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)