Membrane transport pathways for transcellular secretion of urate across the proximal tubule were investigated in avian kidney. The presence of coupled urate/-ketoglutarate exchange was investigated in basolateral membrane vesicles by [¹⁴C]urate and [³H]-ketoglutarate flux measurements. An inward Na gradient induced accumulation of -ketoglutarate of sufficient magnitude to suggest a Na-dicarboxylate cotransporter. An inward Na gradient also induced concentrative accumulation of urate in the presence of -ketoglutarate but not in its absence, suggesting urate/-ketoglutarate exchange. -Ketoglutarate-dependent stimulation of urate uptake was not observed in brush border membrane vesicles. An outward urate gradient induced concentrative accumulation of -ketoglutarate. -Ketoglutarate-coupled urate uptake was specific for -ketoglutarate, Cl-dependent, and insensitive to membrane potential. -ketoglutarate-coupled urate uptake was inhibited by increasing PAH concentrations and -ketoglutarate-coupled PAH uptake was observed. -ketoglutarate-coupled PAH uptake was inhibited by increasing urate concentrations and an outward urate gradient induced concentrative accumulation of PAH. These results suggest a Cl-dependent, -ketoglutarate-coupled anion exchange mechanism as a pathway for active urate uptake across the basolateral membrane of urate secreting proximal tubule cells.