Free amino acid levels in undernourished developing rat brain

Free amino acid levels in the brains of young ones born to mothers fed a 20% protein diet ad libitum (well nourished), 7.5% protein diet ad libitum (protein restricted) and a 20% protein diet in restricted amounts (pair-fed) were investigated during brain development in the present study. The dietary protein was obtained from a cereal-legume mixture. Protein restricted animals showed increases in the levels of taurine, glycine and glutamic acid and decreases in the concentrations of methionine, leucine, isoleucine, and GABA. The pair-fed animal showed increases only in glutamic acid and glycine and a decrease only in the levels of GABA. The significance of these observations is discussed.     

Regional changes in amino acid levels of the neonate rat brain during anoxia and recovery

The aim of this study was to compare the changes in amino acids (alanine, aspartate, GABA, glutamate, glutamine, glycine, serine taurine) that are produced in different regions of the neonate brain (telencephalon, diencephalon cerebellum, brain stem) following a survivable period of anoxia and after the re-establishment of air respiration. Anoxia provoked different responses in the different regions. The changes during the anoxic period were as follows. In the brain stem there was a decrease in aspartate, in the telencephalon there was a significant increase in GABA and alanine and a decrease in aspartate, in the diencephalon, glutamate and GABA increased, and in the cerebellum, glycine and alanine levels were enhanced. The changes during recovery were even more dissimilar. Here the greatest shifts were seen in the brain stem with increases in glutamine, GABA, aspartate, glycine, serine, alanine, and taurine. In the telencephalon glutamate fell and alanine increased, in the diencephalon GABA increased, and in the cerebellum, glutamate fell while glycine and alanine increased. In none of the major brain regions did the pattern of changes in neurotransmitters correspond to that seen in anoxic tolerant species.     

Aromatic amino acid transaminases in rat brain

T he T ransamination of aromatic amino acids in brain is of interest due to its involvement in the biosynthesis of catechol and indole amines. Previous reports have established the presence of aromatic amino acid transaminases in brain (C anellakis and C ohen , 1962; A lbers , K oval and J akoby . 1962; H aavaldsen , 1962).
It was subsequently reported that rat brain extracts contain at least three aromatic amino acid transaminases (Transaminase-I, II and III) (F osnum , H aavaldsen and T angen , 1964; T angen , F owum and H aavaldsen , 1965: F ohwum and L arsen , 1965): Transaminase-I had a high affinity for DOPA, Transaminase-II an affinity for phenylalanine and tyrosine, and Transaminase-III an affinity for tryptophan and 5-HTP. The preferred aminoacceptor of these enzymes was 2-oxoglutarate or oxaloacetate.
The present paper describes the aromatic amino acid transaminases in an extract of rat brain, which differ from the three transaminases described by T angen et al. (1965).     

Perinatal changes in amino acid metabolism of rat brain,especially alanine and glutamic acid

The changes in both the levels of some free amino acids and their metabolism in the rat brain during the first 24 hr of postnatal life were studied. The content of glutamic acid decreased for the first 2 hr; it remained at the lowest level for the next 4 hr, when it began to increase. The content of alanine decreased for the first 6 hr and approached the adult level. Oxygen consumption, glucose oxidation, and pyruvate formation in the cerebral slices of the 24-hr-old rats were as much as 150% of that of the 19-day-old fetus. The distribution profile of radioactivity incorporated into the cerebral amino acids from the subarachnoid-injected [U¹⁴C]glucose was also changed. In the 2- and 6-hr-old rats, 50% of the total radio-activity recovered in the free amino acids was in alanine. Its rate decreased to 30% in the 24-hr-old and was 2% in the adult, while the radioactivity incorporated into glutamic acid increased. Alanine aminotransferase activity started to increase at birth and had the highest level at 24 hr after birth. It then decreased and finally reached the same level as shown at birth. However, aspartate aminotransferase increased during the first 6 hr after birth and did not change until the end of the first day of life.     

Microsomal components in relation to amino acid incorporation by preparations from the developing rat brain

1. After incorporation of [(14)C]valine in vitro, cerebral microsomes were separated into membrane-bound and free ribosomes by sucrose-density-gradient centrifugation. 2. In preparations from both 4-day-old and adult rats, free and bound ribosomes incorporated [(14)C]valine. Free ribosomes could be found as polysomes, which were highly active. 3. Microsomes labelled with [(14)C]valine in vitro were fractionated after deoxycholate treatment into a preliminary sediment, sedimented at 105000g (5min.), and ribonucleoprotein particles, sedimented at 150000g (70min.), to determine the role of membrane-bound ribosomes. In the adult the ribonucleoprotein particles retained most of the radioactivity, whereas in the young the preliminary sediment was as highly labelled as the ribonucleoprotein particles. 4. The labelled preliminary sediment from young preparations was both ribonuclease- and deoxycholate-resistant, and the nature of this material is discussed in terms of a possible structural component of microsomal membranes.     

Perinatal changes in adenine nucleotide content of developing rat kidney

Adenine nucleotides have been measured in fetal and newborn kidneys of rat using the luciferine-luciferase method. In fetuses, between days 18 and 21 of gestation there is a drop of the relative amount of ATP in the renal nucleotide pool. Consequently, the kidneys of 21 days-old fetuses have lowered ATP/ADP ratio (3.6) and energy charge (0.80) compared with values found on day 18 (6.9 and 0.91, respectively); this relative energy deficit is heightened in progesterone induced postmaturity. One hour after delivery whether the gestational stage is 21, 22 or 23 days, there is a rise in ATP and a decrease in AMP content which restore a high energy level in kidney of the newborn and a 30% increase in the total adenine nucleotide pool.     

Hormone mediated changes of brain glutamic acid system in amino acid imbalance

The effects of adrenal cortical hormone and thyroxine on brain glutamic acid, gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) and glutamine were studied in rats fed on the amino acid imbalanced diet (8% casein diet supplemented with 0.3% L-threonine). The studies revealed that the decrease in brain glutamic acid and GABA levels in threonine imbalance was recovered by hydrocortisone supplementation. The increased level of brain glutamine in threonine imbalance could not, however, be reversed by hydrocortisone supplementation. Thyroxine supplementation was found to have no impact on any of the members of glutamic acid family in the brain of rats receiving the threonine-imbalanced diet. It was suggested that the decreased levels of brain glutamic acid and GABA in threonine imbalance were caused by diminished adrenal cortical function and the influence of adrenal cortical hormone could be suggested to reside at the level of formation of both glutamic acid and GABA.     

Monoamine and amino acid content in brain regions of Brattleboro rats

Monoamine and amino acid content were measured in brain regions from 12 week old male, homozygous Brattleboro (DI,n=12) and Long-Evans control (LE,n=12) rats. Norepinephrine (NE) content was significantly elevated (16–25%) in the spinal cord, pons-medulla and anterior hypothalamus of DI rats when compared to LE controls. NE content of the neurointermediate lobe of pituitary in DI rats was almost twice that of LE controls. Serotonin content was also significantly elevated in the spinal cord, pons-medulla, anterior hypothalamus and forebrain of DI rats relative to the LE controls. Taurine content in DI rats was increased (31–42%) above that of LE rats in the anterior hypothalamus, striatum and forebrain. Glutamine content was also greater in DI rats than LE in the spinal cord, pons-medulla, anterior hypothalamus, striatum, hippocampus and forebrain. The changes in monoamine and amino acid content were discussed in relation to the cardiovascular and osmoregulatory deficits that are present in DI rats due to arginine vasopressin (AVP) deficiency. The possible role of AVP in modulating NE turnover was also discussed. The increase in brain TAU content in DI rats may be a physiological response to hypernatremia.     

DNA content of the mitochondria of the developing rat brain

Studies have been made on the content of DNA in the mitochondria from the brain of 1, 5, 10, 15, 21, 60, and 400 days old rats. Isolated DNA preparations contained 7% of RNA and 3% of proteins. It was shown that the amount of DNA in 21- and 60-day rats is 4 times higher that than in newborn ones. DNA content of the mitochondria increases during the first 3 weeks of postnatal life of rats.     

Regulation of kynurenic acid levels in the developing rat brain

Summary Several brain-specific mechanisms control the formation of the endogenous excitatory amino acid receptor antagonist kynurenic acid (KYNA) in the adult rat brain. Two of these, dopaminergic neurotransmission and cellular energy metabolism, were examined in the brain of immature (postnatal day 7) rats. The results indicate that during the early postnatal period cerebral KYNA synthesis is exceptionally amenable to modulation by dopaminergic mechanisms but rather insensitive to fluctuations in cellular energy status. These findings may be of relevance for the role of KYNA in the function and dysfunction of the developing brain.     

Subcellular distribution of aromatic amino acid transaminases in rat brain

Abstract— The subcellular distributions of tyrosine transaminase, DOPA transaminase, tryptophan transaminase and 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) transaminase were studied in rat brain.

• 1 For all of these transaminases 60-81 per cent of the total activities were found in the crude mitochondrial fraction. Tyrosine transaminase was the most active enzyme.

• 2 Tyrosine transaminase and DOPA transaminase had very similar distributions in all fractions, but the distribution of tryptophan transaminase and 5-HTP transaminase differed in the microsomal (Mic) and synaptic vesicle (M₂) fractions. Only 5-HTP transaminase was highly concentrated in the M₂ fraction.

• 3 DOPA transaminase was inhibited by dopamine and 5-HT, but these compounds had no effect on 5-HTP transaminase. Both enzymes were completely inhibited by m-hydroxybenzoyloxyamine.

     

Regional excitatory and inhibitory amino acid levels in epileptic El mouse brain

Inbred mutant El mice are highly susceptible to convulsive seizures upon tossing stimulation. The levels of excitatory (e.g. glutamate and aspartate) and inhibitory amino acids [e.g. -aminobutyrate (GABA)] were examined in discrete regions of stimulated El mice [El(+)] non-stimulated El mice [El(-)] and ddY mice, which do not have convulsive disposition. In comparison with ddY, a general increased levels of aspartate, glutamate, glutamine, and taurine were detected in brain regions of El(-). The levels of GABA and glycine were almost the same in ddY and El(-). Compared to El(+), the levels of aspartate, glutamate, glutamine, and GABA in El(-) were either the same or higher. In the case of taurine and glycine, the levels in El(-) were either the same or lower than El(+). Alanine is special in that El(-) have a higher level than El(+) in hippocampus but lower in cerebellum. Furthermore, while marked changes were registered in several brain regions, none of the amino acids investigated showed any significant differences in the hypothalamus of three different groups of mice.