Transaminases in rat retina during development

Aspartate, alanine and tyrosine aminotransferase activities have been determined in rat retina during postnatal development. Aspartate transaminase activity is rather low at birth; however, it increases as a function of age, reaching its maximum value at the 23rd day. Alanine transaminase activity increases more rapidly than aspartate transaminase, reaching its maximal value 15 days after birth, but, unlike the latter, this activity considerably decreases during further development. Neonatal tyrosine aminotransferase activity increases by 3 fold between the 5th and 15th day of life.The behaviour of the three enzymes investigated has been related to functional and morphological differentiation of retinal cellular layers.     

Glycerolkinase--a regulatory enzyme of gluconeogenesis?

1. The development of glycerolkinase before and after birth was investigated in liver and kidney of rat and hamster. In rat liver, enzyme activity increased very slowly before birth and rapidly thereafter, reaching adult values at the 6th day of postnatal life. In hamster liver, glycerolkinase was considerably elevated already in utero, increased dramatically within the 1st day of postnatal life and reached adult values at the end of the 1st week. The development of hepatic glycerolkinase was compared with that of hepatic phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase of rat and hamster up to the 20th day of postnatal life. The different time-courses of the levels of these two enzymes before and after birth as well as the known kinetics of serum insulin, glucagon and corticosterone during that time suggested that none of these hormones is involved in the perinatal development of hepatic glycerolkinase activity. In contrast to liver, kidney glycerolkinase activity in both, rat and hamster, showed a delayed increase during the first week of postnatal life followed by a more pronounced elevation to adult values within the following 2 weeks. 2. When liver and kidney glycerolkinase activity was investigated during starvation (+/- refeeding), in alloxan diabetes(+/- insulin) and after adrenalectomy (+/- cortisol) no significant change in enzyme activity per g tissue could be detected either in liver or in kidney. However, total hepatic glycerolkinase activity was diminished during starvation as a consequence of decreasing liver weight. 3. Incorporation of U-[14C]-glycerol into CO2, lipids and glucose + glycogen by rat liver and kidney cortex slices was studied under the above gluconeogenetic conditions. Despite unchanged glycerolkinase activity in both organs, gluconeogenesis from glycerol was enhanced during starvation and in chronic alloxan diabetes, and could be reversed by refeeding and insulin replacement, respectively. 4. Feeding 20% of linolic acid to normal, alloxan-diabetic or adrenalectomized rats resulted in a significant increase in glycerolkinase activity in liver but not in kidney. 5. From the present findings it is suggested that the first step of gluconeogenesis from glycerol in liver and kidney is not influenced by glucagon, insulin and glucocorticoids, which are generally believed to regulate the rate of gluconeogenesis from non-glycerol precursors, but probably by the change in blood glycerol concentration.     

Gluconeogenesis in isolated liver cells of the eel,Anguilla japonica

Summary The pathway of gluconeogenesis from pyruvate, lactate and alanine was investigated in isolated liver cells of the eel. Amino-oxyacetate, a transaminase inhibitor, inhibited gluconeogenesis not only from lactate, but also from pyruvate by 60%.d-Malate did not inhibit gluconeogenesis from either of the substrates (Table 1 A).The effects of various amino acids on gluconeogenesis were investigated. Leucine accelerated gluconeogenesis from pyruvate or alanine (Table 2). Leucine promoted the incorporation of¹⁴C-pyruvate into glutamate and aspartate, and increased the glutamate content. The specific activity of¹⁴C-aspartate was increased markedly by leucine (Table 5).From the investigation of subcellular distribution of enzymes unique to gluconeogenesis, it was found that pyruvate carboxylase was located almost exclusively in the mitochondrial fraction, and that phophoenolpyruvate carboxykinase and aspartate transaminase were located in both the mitochondrial and the cytosolic fractions (Table 7).From these results it is concluded that the oxaloacetate-aspartate pathway is a major route in gluconeogenesis from any of the substrates in the eel liver.Abbreviations AOA amino-oxyacetate - PEP phosphoenolpyruvate     

Concentrations of free glucogenic amino acids in livers of rats subjected to various metabolic stresses

1. The concentrations of alanine, aspartate, glutamate, glutamine and serine plus threonine have been measured by enzymic methods in ;quick-frozen' livers from normal, starved, alloxan-diabetic and phlorrhizin-treated rats. 2. The hepatic concentrations of alanine and serine plus threonine were decreased in rats starved for 48hr. Treatment of these rats with phlorrhizin resulted in a rapid fall (within 2(1/2)hr.) in the concentrations of all the glucogenic amino acids except serine plus threonine, which increased. The pattern for alloxan-diabetic rats was similar to that for phlorrhizin-treated animals, except that here serine plus threonine also decreased in concentration. 3. The effects of anoxia on the hepatic concentrations of the glucogenic amino acids are reported. 4. Inhibition of glutamate-pyruvate transaminase in vivo by l-cycloserine resulted in the accumulation of alanine in situations involving high rates of gluconeogenesis from endogenous amino acids. 5. Measurements of the concentrations of the reactants of the glutamate-pyruvate transaminase and glutamate-oxoglutarate transaminase systems in various metabolic states suggest that they are both at or near equilibrium in rat liver. 6. New enzymic methods are described for the determination of serine plus threonine and alanine.     

Effect of 3-mercaptopicolinic acid on gluconeogenesis and gluconeogenic metabolite concentrations in the isolated perfused rat liver.

3-Mercaptopicolinic acid inhibited gluconeogenesis from lactate and alanine, but not dihydroxyacetone, in the perfused rat liver. Hepatic metabolite concentrations suggested that gluconeogenesis was inhibited at phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase. The compound is very effective at low concentrations, and seems an ideal agent for use in studying metabolic regulation involving gluconeogenesis and anaplerotic mechanisms.     

Development of gluconeogenesis in neonatal rat liver. Effect of triamcinolone

1. The normal development of the key enzymes of gluconeogenesis in rat liver, glucose 6-phosphatase, hexose diphosphatase, phosphopyruvate carboxylase and pyruvate carboxylase, was measured during the neonatal period. 2. Glucose 6-phosphatase, hexose diphosphatase and pyruvate carboxylase are all present in the late foetal liver, but all the enzymes show an increase in activity after birth. 3. Phosphopyruvate carboxylase is not present in liver extracts from foetal rats, but activity appears immediately after birth and increases rapidly over the first day and then more slowly to reach its maximum at the fourth postnatal day. 4. The fluorinated synthetic glucocorticoid, triamcinolone, was administered to foetal rats at various gestation times by intraperitoneal injection in utero and the animals were killed at intervals between 4 and 48hr. later. 5. The administration of triamcinolone results in slight depression of glucose 6-phosphatase, and a more significant depression of hexose diphosphatase to about one-half its normal activity in foetal rat liver. 6. Triamcinolone injection is without effect on pyruvate carboxylase activity and does not result in premature appearance of phosphopyruvate carboxylase in foetal rat liver. 7. Pyruvate kinase and aspartate amino-transferase activities in foetal rat liver are both depressed by triamcinolone treatment, whereas phosphofructokinase activity is elevated. 8. Tyrosine amino-transferase activity in foetal rat liver is markedly elevated in animals exposed to triamcinolone for 10hr. or more, but the effect is only observed in animals close to term. 9. The results are discussed in relation to mechanisms involved in the initial synthesis of tissue-specific enzymes in developing tissues, and it is concluded that glucocorticoids do not initiate the synthesis of the gluconeogenic enzymes.     

Anabolic regulation of gluconeogenesis by insulin in isolated rat hepatocytes

The role of substrate availability in the regulation of gluconeogenesis in isolated rat hepatocytes was studied using [U-14C]alanine as a tracer in the presence of different concentrations of L-alanine in the incubation medium. At low alanine concentrations (0.5 mM) insulin decreased the 14C incorporation into the glucose pool and increased the incorporation of tracer carbons into the protein and lipid pools and into CO2. The net radioactivity lost from the glucose pool was only a small percentage of the total increase in the activity of the protein, lipid, CO2, or glycogen pools, supporting the notion that the effect of insulin in diminishing gluconeogenesis is secondary to its effects on pathways using pyruvate. At higher concentrations of alanine (2.5, 5.0, and 10.0 mM) in the incubation medium insulin increased the movement of alanine carbons into protein and glucose. This suggests that at higher substrate concentrations the ability of the liver to synthesize proteins is overwhelmed and the pyruvate carbons are forced into the gluconeogenesis pathway. These results were further confirmed by using [U-14C]lactate. The increases in observed specific activity of glucose following insulin administration would not be possible if insulin acted by affecting the activity of any enzyme directly involved in the formation or utilization of pyruvate, most of which have been proposed as sites of insulin action. Data presented show that insulin "inhibits" gluconeogenesis by affecting a change in substrate availability.     

Postnatal development of amino acid metabolism enzymes in the liver and muscle of 'cafeteria' rats

The effect of feeding a high-energy highly palatable cafeteria diet on the liver and muscle ontogenesis of serine dehydratase, alanine transaminase, glutamine synthetase and adenylate deaminase during postnatal development of the rat has been studied. The results are in agreement with the lower amino acid utilization in cafeteria rats, both adults and during postnatal development. The feeding of excess energy coupled with high-quality protein resulted in changes in the ontogenesis of the studied enzymes that coincide with the development of protein synthesis and overall pup growth even before they had direct access to this rich diet, suggesting that cafeteria feeding already affects the amino acid metabolism of the pup through the dam's milk.     

Differential effects of tryptophan on glucose synthesis in rats and guinea pigs.

1. Tryptophan inhibition of gluconeogenesis in isolated rat liver cells is characterized by a 20 min lag period before linear rates of glucose output are attained. 2. Half-maximal inhibition of gluconeogenesis in isolated rat hepatocytes is produced by approx. 0.1 mM-tryptophan. 3. Tryptophan inhibits gluconeogenesis from all substrates giving rise to oxaloacetate, but stimulates glycerol-fuelled glucose production. 4. Gluconeogenesis in guinea-pig hepatocytes is insensitive to tryptophan. 5. Changes in metabolite concentrations in rat liver cells are consistent with a locus of inhibition at the step catalysed by phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase. 6. Inhibition of gluconeogenesis persists in cells from rats pretreated with tryptophan in vivo. 7. Tryptophan has no effect on urea production from alanine, but decreases [1-14C]palmitate oxidation to 14CO2 and is associated with an increased [hydroxybutyrate]/[acetoacetate] ratio. 8. These results are discussed with reference to the control of gluconeogenesis in various species.     

Postnatal changes of cathepsin D activity in rat liver and brain

Total and specific activity of cathepsin D (EC. 3.4.23.5) were measured in rat liver and brain from 1 to 98 days of age. The activity of cathepsin D in the liver of adult and newborn rats was the same while in the rat brain it was higher in adult than in newborn rats. In the liver maximum specific activity of cathepsin D occurred on the 10th postnatal day and minimum on the fourth day of age. In the brain maximum specific activity of the enzyme occurred on the 14th postnatal day. Total activity of cathepsin D increased after birth in rat liver and brain. These results are discussed in relation to the functional role of cathepsin D in the rat liver and the brain.     

Influence of the time of intake of a high fat diet on gluconeogenesis

Male Wistar rats aged 75 and 150 days were given high fat diet (36.5 weight % and 30 weight % fat) over a period of 14 days. The growth (PER, NPR) and utilization (NPU, LPU) parameters of protein biological value and liver phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) activity were determined. In another experiment, the time dependence of liver gluconeogenesis enzyme (PEPCK and fructose-1,6-diphosphatase /FDP-ase/) and transaminase (alanine and aspartate aminotransferase /ALT, AST/) activities during 24 days' administration of the diet were determined. A 14 days' high fat intake had a negative effect on protein utilization in the organism of 75- and 150-day-old animals, which was more pronounced in the younger age group (a bigger drop in net protein utilization /NPU/ and greater stimulation of PEPCK activity). In 150-day-old animals the negative effect of a high fat intake was already manifested on the 6th to 10th day of the diet to the same degree as in the younger animals on the 14th day, as seen from the increase in all the enzyme activities. The paper presents findings on differences in the degree of the negative effect of a high fat intake on protein utilization with reference to age.     

Evidence for the generation of transaminase inhibitor(s) during ethanol metabolism by rat liver homogenates: a potential mechanism for alcohol toxicity

Since ethanol consumption decreases hepatic aminotransferase activities in vivo, mechanisms of ethanol-mediated transaminase inhibition were explored in vitro using mitochondria-depleted rat liver homogenates. When homogenates were incubated at 37 degrees with 50 mM ethanol for 1 hr, alanine aminotransferase decreased by 20%, while aspartate aminotransferase was unchanged. After 2 hr, aspartate aminotransferase decreased by 20% and by 3 hr, alanine and aspartate aminotransferases were decreased by 31 and 23%, respectively. Levels of acetaldehyde generated during ethanol oxidation were 525 +/- 47 microM at 1 hr, 855 +/- 14 microM at 2 hr, and 1293 +/- 140 microM at 3 hr. Although inhibition of alcohol oxidation with methylpyrazole or cyanide markedly decreased ethanol-mediated transaminase inhibition, neither incubation with acetate nor generation of reducing equivalents by oxidation of lactate, malate, xylitol, or sorbitol altered the activity of either enzyme. However, semicarbazide, an aldehyde scavenger, prevented inhibition of both aminotransferases by ethanol. Moreover, incubation with 5 mM acetaldehyde for 1 hr inhibited alanine and aspartate aminotransferases by 36 and 26%, respectively. Cyanamide, an aldehyde dehydrogenase inhibitor, had little effect on ethanol-mediated transaminase inhibition. Thus, metabolism of ethanol by rat liver homogenates produces transaminase inhibition similar to that described in vivo and this effect requires acetaldehyde generation but not acetaldehyde oxidation. Since addition of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate to assay mixes did not reverse ethanol effects, aminotransferase inhibition does not result from displacement of vitamin B6 coenzymes.     

Inhibition of hepatic gluconeogenesis by ethanol

1. Gluconeogenesis from 10mm-lactate in the perfused liver of starved rats is inhibited by ethanol. The degree of inhibition reached a maximum of 66% at 10mm-ethanol under the test conditions and decreased at higher ethanol concentrations. The concentration-dependence of the inhibition is paralleled by the concentration-dependence of the activity of alcohol dehydrogenase. The enzyme is also inhibited by ethanol concentrations above 10mm. 2. Gluconeogenesis from pyruvate is not inhibited by ethanol. 3. The degree of the inhibition of gluconeogenesis from lactate by ethanol depends on the concentration of lactate and other oxidizable substances, e.g. oleate, in the perfusion medium. 4. Ethanol also inhibits, to different degrees, gluconeogenesis from glycerol, dihydroxyacetone, proline, serine, alanine, fructose and galactose. 5. The inhibition of gluconeogenesis from lactate by ethanol is reversed by acetaldehyde. 6. Pyrazole, a specific inhibitor of alcohol dehydrogenase, also reverses the inhibition of gluconeogenesis by ethanol. 7. Gluconeogenesis in kidney cortex, where the activity of alcohol dehydrogenase is very low, is not inhibited by ethanol. 8. Kidney cortex, testis, ovary, uterus and certain tissues of the alimentary tract were the only rat tissues, apart from the liver, that showed measurable alcohol dehydrogenase activity. 9. The concentrations of pyruvate in the liver were decreased to about one-fifth by ethanol. 10. The concentration of lactate in the perfused liver was about 3mm below that of the perfusion medium 30min. after the addition of 10mm-lactate. 11. The great majority of the findings support the view that the inhibition of gluconeogensis by ethanol is caused by the alcohol dehydrogenase reaction, which decreases the [free NAD(+)]/[free NADH] ratio. The decrease lowers the concentration of pyruvate and this is the immediate cause of the inhibition of gluconeogenesis from lactate, alanine and serine: the fall in the concentration of pyruvate lowers the rate of the pyruvate carboxylase reaction, one of the rate-limiting reactions of gluconeogenesis. The cause of the inhibition of gluconeogenesis from other substrates is discussed.     

Activities of enzymes involved in amino-acid metabolism in developing rat placenta

Aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase, glutamate dehydrogenase, arginase, serine dehydratase, tyrosine transaminase, glutamine synthetase, glutaminase and adenylate deaminase activities were measured in crude homogenates of 12, 19 and 21-day rat placentae. There is a considerable quantitative importance in enzymes able to produce free ammonia, such as adenylate deaminase and glutamate dehydrogenase, activity that progressively decrease with the age of placenta. The glutamine synthetase and tyrosine transaminase activities increase with age, while serine dehydratase decreases considerably and aspartate and alanine transaminase do not change practically. Arginase shows a maximum at 19, with lower 12 and 21-day activities. No measurable glutaminase activity has been found. The possible implications of the enzymes studied upon the ammonia-producing activity of rat placenta are discussed together with the relative decreasing role of placenta for the overall metabolic activity of the foetus, especially during the last phases of its development.     

The appearance, properties, and functions of gluconeogenic enzymes in the liver and kidney of the guinea pig during fetal and early neonatal development.

The changes in the activity and properties of the four gluconeogenic enzymes have been followed during development of the guinea pig. Pyruvate carboxylase was almost exclusively mitochondrial and kinetically identical to the adult liver enzyme and did not appear in significant activity until after day 50 when it rose to values several times higher than those in the adult liver, then fell after birth. Little activity was detected in the fetal kidney. Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase appeared in the fetal liver from day 30 on, both in the mitochondrial and cytoplasmic fractions. The cytoplasmic enzyme was kinetically and chromatographically identical to the mitochondrial enzyme of the fetal and maternal liver. After birth the activity of the cytoplasmic enzyme increased and that of the particulate enzyme fell. Fetal kidney activity appeared several days before birth. Fructose 1,6-diphosphatase and glucose 6-phosphatase appeared in the fetal liver and kidney after day 40; the former showed no postnatal change while the latter rose 10-fold after birth. Fetal liver fructose 1,6-diphosphatase was more sensitive to AMP and fructose 1,6-diphosphate inhibition but was chromatographically indistinguishable from the maternal liver enzyme. Despite the presence of the gluconeogenic enzymes, gluconeogenesis and glyconeogenesis were not detected in the fetal liver until 7–9 days before birth. While the synthesis of glyceride-glycerol from 3-carbon compounds was detected from 35–40 days onwards and some of the gluconeogenic enzymes participate in that pathway, gluconeogenesis was not detected in the fetal kidney.     

Studies on Hormonal Effects on Hepatic Histidase and Alanine Transaminase of Rats Fed on Either Histidine Controlled or Imbalanced Diet

Effects of several hormones on liver histidase activity were investigated to study the mechanism of elevation of the activity of histidase when rats were fed on a histidine imbalanced diet.

Continuous injection of thyroxine (5~10 µg/rat/day) diminished histidase activity, and hypophysectomy increased histidase activity as compared with that of non treated animals. No change was observed on alanine transaminase (GPT) by above treatments.

Neither histamine, insulin, triamcinolone, adrenaline, nor adrenalectomy affected on the activity of histidase. Injection of histidine to rats fed on a histidine imbalanced diet made the activities of histidase and GPT tend to decrease.     

Use of 3H and 14C doubly labeled glucose and amino acids in the study of hormonal regulation of gluconeogenesis in rats.

Double isotope procedures (3H and 14C) were used in vivo to investigate a) slow long-term gluconeogenic actions of adrenal glucocorticoids, and b) rapid stimulation of gluconeogenesis by glucagon. [U-14C,6-3H]Glucose was administered to normal and adrenalectomized rats. No effect was observed on the [6-3H]glucose half-life suggesting the dicarboxylic acid shuttle is unaffected by adrenalectomy; the Cori cycle is also not influenced. Loads of [14C]aspartate, [14C]glutamate, or [14C]alanine were given to normal and adrenalectomized rats. Simultaneously, in vivo transaminase activity was studied by measuring the appearance of 3H2O in body water after administration of [2-3H]aspartate, [2-3H]glutamate, or [2-3H]alanine, Adrenalectomy has no influence on the incorporation of glutamate or aspartate into glucose or on their in vivo transaminases. Diminution of incorporation of [14C]alanine into glucose and alanine transaminase activities occurs only when rats are given unphysiological loads. These studies support the contention that glucocorticoid rate-limiting actions occur in extrahepatic tissues to produce an increased flow of glucose precursors to the liver. [U-14C,3-3H]Glucose was used to investigate the effect of glucagon on the hepatic fructose-6-phosphate (F-6-P) cycle. Glucagon administration resulted in a rapid drop in the 3H/14C ratio of circulating glucose, suggesting an increase in F-6-P recycling caused by activation of FDPase with little or no decrease in phosphofructokinase. Such a change would direct substrate flux toward gluconeogenesis.     

Creatine biosynthesis enzymes in the postnatal development of rats: the role of cyclo-3',5'-AMP and glucagon in the postnatal induction of liver guanidine acetate-N-methyltransferase]

The activity of enzymes of creatin biosynthesis in the rat liver and kidneys has been studied during the postnatal development. The activity of transamidinase of kidneys (E.C. 2.1.4.1.) increases gradually and linearly up to the 20th day after birth, then decreases on the 12th--25th days and increases again up to the level characteristic of the adult organism. The activity of guanidine acetate-N-methyl transferase (E.C. 2.1.1.2.) is rather high during the first days of postnatal development, then decreases and from the 15th day on increases again attaining the maximal level by the 23rd--25th day. The second period of the increase in the enzyme activity begins on the 29th--30th day of postnatal development. The results obtained suggest that the sharp increase of activity of guanidine acetate-N-methyl transferase of the rat liver during the early postnatal development is realized with the participation of cyclic 3',5'-AMP which appears to mediate the glucagon action.     

Glutamine Transaminase K and ω-Amidase Activities in Primary Cultures of Astrocytes and Neurons and in Embryonic Chick Forebrain: Marked Induction of Brain Glutamine Transaminase K at Time of Hatching

Abstract: Glutamine transaminase K and ω-amidase activities are present in the chick brain and in the brains of adult mice, rats, and humans. However, the activity of gluta-mine transaminase K in adult mouse brain is relatively low. In the chick embryo, cerebral glutamine transaminase K activity is low between embryonic days 5 and 17, but by day 23 (day of hatching) activity rises dramatically (< 15-fold). Cerebral ω-amidase activity is relatively high at embryonic day 5 but lower between days 5 and 17; at embryonic day 23 the activity rises to a maximum. Both glutamine transaminase K and ω-amidase are present in cultured chick, rat, and mouse astrocytes and neurons. For each species, the activity of glutamine transaminase K is higher in the astrocytes than in the neurons. The activity of ω-amidase is about the same in the cultured chick astrocytes and neurons but significantly higher in rat astrocytes than in rat neurons. The data suggest that the rise in brain glutamine transaminase K activity in the chick embryo at hatching correlates with maturation of astrocytes. Glutamine transaminase K may be involved in glutamine cycling in astrocytes. Glutamine transaminase K appears to be a major cysteine S-conjugate β-lyase of the brain and may play a role in the neurotoxicity associated with exposure to dichloroacetylene and perhaps to other toxins.