Evidence for urea cycle activity in Sporosarcina ureae

Sporosarcina ureae BS 860, a motile, sporeforming coccus, possesses the enzymes required for a functioning urea (ornithine) cycle. This is only the second known example of urea cycle activity in a prokaryote. Specific activities are reported for ornithine carbamoyltransferase, argininosuccinase, arginase, and urease. Although argininosuccinate synthetase activity could not be detected directly in crude cell extracts, indirect evidence from radiocarbon tracing data for arginine synthesis from the substrate, l-[1-¹⁴C]-ornithine, strongly suggest the presence of this or other similar enzyme activity. Furthermore, good growth in defined media containing either 1.0% glutamine, ornithine, or citrulline as sole carbon sources suggests argininosuccinate synthetase activity is necessary for arginine synthesis. The effect of varying pH on arginase and urease activities indicate that these two enzymes may function within the context of the urea cycle to generate ammonia for amino acid synthesis, as well as for raising the pH of the growth micro-environment.     

Influence of Forced-Feeding of Individual Essential Amino Acids on the Activities of All Urea Cycle Enzymes in Rat Liver

The response of all urea cycle enzymes, i.e. carbamyl phosphate synthetase, ornithine transcarbamylase, argininosuccinate synthetase, argininosuccinase and arginase, has been determined in the liver of protein-depleted young rats which were forcibly fed individual essential l-amino acids along with or without caloric sources. The feeding of individual amino acids produced different effects on the level of each of the enzymes, and generally the response of carbamyl phosphate synthetase, argininosuccinate synthetase, argininosuccinase and arginase was greater than that of ornithine transcarbamylase. Of all the essential amino acids tested tryptophan was most effective on the elevation of these enzymes. Several amino acids, phenylalanine, leucine, threonine and methionine had also somewhat effect on the increase of some enzyme activities, but other amino acids had little or no effect on the response of these enzymes. On the contrary, histidine and lysine caused appreciable decrease of arginase activity. These enzyme activities in rats fed tryptophan alone were extremely higher than those of animals fed it along with caloric sources. The response level of the enzymes was essentially dependent on the tryptophan content in diets under the proper conditions. Tryptophan feeding did not produce any increase in both levels of urine and plasma urea despite the elevation of all urea cycle enzyme activities occured.     

Effects of citrulline administration on enzymes of liver and brain in rats.

Intraperitoneal administration of citrulline (30 mg/kg body weight) for three days to rats brought about an increase in the activity of hepatic ornithine-aminotransferase without any change in glutamine-synthetase activity. In the brain of the same animals, the activity of the glutamine synthetase in cerebellum and brain stem increased significantly. In cerebral hemispheres the activity of ornithine aminotransferase was increased without a change in glutamine-synthetase activity. Under these conditions, there is a rise in the content of glutamine, citrulline, arginine and ornithine in all the three regions of the brain.     

Decreased glutamine synthetase,increased citrulline–nitric oxide cycle activities,and oxidative stress in different regions of brain in epilepsy rat model

To understand their role in epilepsy, the nitric oxide synthetase (NOS), argininosuccinate synthetase (AS), argininosuccinate lyase (AL), glutamine synthetase (GS), and arginase activities, along with the concentration of nitrate/nitrite (NOx), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), and total antioxidant status (TAS), were estimated in different regions of brain in rats subjected to experimental epilepsy induced by subcutaneous administration of kainic acid (KA). The short-term (acute) group animals were killed after 2 h and the long term (chronic) group animals were killed after 5 days of single injection of KA (15 mg/kg body weight). After decapitation of rats, the brain regions were separated and in their homogenates, the concentration of NOx, TBARS and TAS and the activities of NOS, AS, AL, arginase and glutamine synthetase were assayed by colorimetric methods. The results of the study demonstrated the increased activity of NOS and formation of NO in acute and chronic groups epilepsy. The activities of AS and AL were increased and indicate the effective recycling of citrulline to arginine. The activity of glutamine synthetase was decreased in acute and chronic groups of epilepsy compared to control group and indicate the modulation of its activity by NO in epilepsy. The activity of arginase was not changed in acute group; however it was decreased in chronic group and may favor increased production of NO in this condition. The concentration TBARS were increased and TAS decreased in acute and chronic groups of epilepsy and supports the oxidative stress in epilepsy.     

Metabolic alterations in the red and white muscles of rat to acute ethanol treatment

Lactate (LDH) and succinate (SDH) dehydrogenases activities decreased in red and white muscles of rat under acute ethanol loading indicating the inhibition of energy metabolism and stepped up lactic acid formation under stress conditions. Aspartate aminotransferase (AAT) and glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) were found to increase. In contrast to these, the AMP deaminase activity decreased in white muscle suggestive of decreased deamination of nucleic acids. The ornithine cycle enzymes such as argininosuccinate synthetase (ArSS) and arginase indicated diminished activities showing low level of operation of urea cycle and consequent accumulation of ammonia was observed in red muscle with low production of glutamine, whereas in the case of white muscle this trend is reversed. The possible alterations of ethanol toxicity on energy requirements, transdeamination patterns, ureogenesis and glutamine production have been discussed.     

Influence of pancreatic hormones on enzymes concerned with urea synthesis in rat liver

1. The activities of enzymes of the urea cycle [carbamoyl phosphate synthetase, ornithine transcarbamoylase, argininosuccinate synthetase, argininosuccinase (these last two comprising the arginine-synthetase system) and arginase] have been measured in control, alloxan-diabetic and glucagon-treated rats. In addition, measurements were made on alloxan-diabetic rats treated with protamine–zinc–insulin. 2. Treatment of rats with glucagon for 3 days results in a marked increase in the activities of three enzymes of the urea cycle (carbamoyl phosphate synthetase, argininosuccinate synthetase and argininosuccinase). The pattern of change in the alloxan-diabetic group is very similar to that of the glucagon-treated group, although the magnitude of the change was much greater. 3. Comparison was made of the actual and potential rate of urea synthesis in normal and diabetic rats. In both groups the potential rate of urea production, as measured by the activity of the rate-limiting enzyme, argininosuccinate synthetase, slightly exceeds the actual rate of synthesis by liver slices in the presence of substrates. The relative activities of the actual and potential rates were similar in the two groups of animals, this ratio being 1:0·70. 4. In the alloxan-diabetic rats treated with protamine–zinc–insulin for 2·5 or 4 days there was a marked increase in liver weight. This was associated with a rise in the total hepatic activity of the urea-cycle enzymes located in the soluble fraction of the cell (the arginine-synthetase system and arginase) after 2·5 days of treatment. After 4 days of treatment the concentration of these enzymes/g. of liver decreased, and the total hepatic content then reverted to the untreated alloxan-diabetic value. 5. No effects of glucagon or of insulin in vitro could be found on the rate of urea production by liver slices. 6. The present results are discussed in relation to how far this pattern of change is typical of conditions resulting in a high urea output, and comparison has been made with other values in the literature.     

Immunohistochemical Localization of Arginase II and Other Enzymes of Arginine Metabolism in Rat Kidney and Liver

Arginine is a precursor for the synthesis of urea, polyamines, creatine phosphate, nitric oxide and proteins. It is synthesized from ornithine by argininosuccinate synthetase and argininosuccinate lyase and is degraded by arginase, which consists of a liver-type (arginase I) and a non-hepatic type (arginase II). Recently, cDNAs for human and rat arginase II have been isolated. In this study, immunocytochemical analysis showed that human arginase II expressed in COS-7 cells was localized in the mitochondria. Arginase II mRNA was abundant in the rat small intestine and kidney. In the kidney, argininosuccinate synthetase and lyase were immunostained in the cortex, intensely in proximal tubules and much less intensely in distal tubules. In contrast, arginase II was stained intensely in the outer stripes of the outer medulla, presumably in the proximal straight tubules, and in a subpopulation of the proximal tubules in the cortex. Immunostaining of serial sections of the kidney showed that argininosuccinate synthetase and arginase II were collocalized in a subpopulation of proximal tubules in the cortex, whereas only the synthetase, but not arginase II, was present in another subpopulation of proximal tubules. In the liver, all the enzymes of the urea cycle, i.e. carbamylphosphate synthetase I, ornithine transcarbamylase, argininosuccinate synthetase and lyase and arginase I, showed similar zonation patterns with staining more intense in periportal hepatocytes than in pericentral hepatocytes, although zonation of ornithine transcarbamylase was much less prominent. The implications of these results are discussed.     

Arginine catabolism in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. Strain PCC 6803 involves the urea cycle and arginase pathway

Cells of the unicellular cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803 supplemented with micromolar concentrations of L-[(14)C]arginine took up, concentrated, and catabolized this amino acid. Metabolism of L-[(14)C]arginine generated a set of labeled amino acids that included argininosuccinate, citrulline, glutamate, glutamine, ornithine, and proline. Production of [(14)C]ornithine preceded that of [(14)C]citrulline, and the patterns of labeled amino acids were similar in cells incubated with L-[(14)C]ornithine, suggesting that the reaction of arginase, rendering ornithine and urea, is the main initial step in arginine catabolism. Ornithine followed two metabolic pathways: (i) conversion into citrulline, catalyzed by ornithine carbamoyltransferase, and then, with incorporation of aspartate, conversion into argininosuccinate, in a sort of urea cycle, and (ii) a sort of arginase pathway rendering glutamate (and glutamine) via Delta(1)pyrroline-5-carboxylate and proline. Consistently with the proposed metabolic scheme (i) an argF (ornithine carbamoyltransferase) insertional mutant was impaired in the production of [(14)C]citrulline from [(14)C]arginine; (ii) a proC (Delta(1)pyrroline-5-carboxylate reductase) insertional mutant was impaired in the production of [(14)C]proline, [(14)C]glutamate, and [(14)C]glutamine from [(14)C]arginine or [(14)C]ornithine; and (iii) a putA (proline oxidase) insertional mutant did not produce [(14)C]glutamate from L-[(14)C]arginine, L-[(14)C]ornithine, or L-[(14)C]proline. Mutation of two open reading frames (sll0228 and sll1077) putatively encoding proteins homologous to arginase indicated, however, that none of these proteins was responsible for the arginase activity detected in this cyanobacterium, and mutation of argD (N-acetylornithine aminotransferase) suggested that this transaminase is not important in the production of Delta(1)pyrroline-5-carboxylate from ornithine. The metabolic pathways proposed to explain [(14)C]arginine catabolism also provide a rationale for understanding how nitrogen is made available to the cell after mobilization of cyanophycin [multi-L-arginyl-poly(L-aspartic acid)], a reserve material unique to cyanobacteria.     

Role of dexamethasone and insulin on the development of the five urea-cycle enzymes in cultured rat foetal hepatocytes.

The activity changes of the urea-cycle enzymes were monitored in cultured foetal hepatocytes after dexamethasone and insulin treatments. Addition of dexamethasone induced the development of carbamoyl-phosphate synthetase, argininosuccinate synthetase, argininosuccinase and arginase activities as soon as day 16.5 of gestation. When insulin was added together with dexamethasone, it markedly inhibited the steroid-induced increase in carbamoyl-phosphate synthetase, argininosuccinate synthetase and argininosuccinase activities.     

Submitochondrial localization of arginase and other enzymes associated with urea synthesis and nitrogen metabolism, in liver of Squalus acanthias

The submitochondrial localization of the four mitochondrial enzymes associated with urea synthesis in liver of Squalus acanthias (spiny dogfish), a representative elasmobranch, was determined. Glutamine- and acetylglutamate-dependent carbamoyl-phosphate synthetase, ornithine carbamoyltransferase, glutamine synthetase, and arginase were all localized within the matrix of liver mitochondria. The subcellular and submitochondrial localization and activities of several related enzymes involved in nitrogen metabolism and gluconeogenesis in liver and dogfish are also reported. Pyruvate carboxylase and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase were localized in the mitochondrial matrix. Synthesis of citrulline by isolated mitochondria from ornithine proceeds at a near optimal rate at ornithine concentrations as low as 0.08 mM. The same stoichiometry and rates of citrulline synthesis are observed when ornithine is replaced by arginine. The mitochondrial location of arginase does not appear to reflect a mechanism for regulating ornithine availability.     

Subcellular location of glutamine synthetase and urea cycle enzymes in liver of spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias)

Glutamine synthetase and glutamine- and acetylglutamate-dependent carbamoyl-phosphate synthetase, both of which are present in high concentrations in liver of urea-retaining elasmobranchs, have been found to be located exclusively in the mitochondria in liver from the representative elasmobranch Squalus acanthias. This observation is consistent with the view that the function of this unique carbamoyl-phosphate synthetase is related to urea synthesis, and that the initial nitrogen-donating substrate for urea synthesis in these species is glutamine rather than ammonia. The urea cycle enzymes, ornithine carbamoyltransferase and arginase, are also located in the mitochondria, whereas argininosuccinate synthetase and argininosuccinate lyase are located in the cytosol. Glutamine synthetase and arginase are mitochondrial enzymes in uricotelic species, but are normally found in the cytoplasm in ureotelic species. the properties of the elasmobranch arginase, however, are characteristic of arginases from ureotelic species (e.g. the Km for arginine is 1.2 mM, and the enzyme has an Mr congruent to 100,000).     

Effect of Individual Essential Amino Acid-Devoid Diets on the Activities of Liver Urea Cycle Enzymes in Rats

The activities of all urea cycle enzymes (carbamyl phosphate synthetase, ornithine trans- carbamylase, argininosuccinate synthetase, argininosuccinase and arginase) have been determined in the liver of rats forcibly fed diets lacking in individual essential amino acids from amino acid mixture simulating to a casein. In general, these enzyme activities (units/g liver and total units/body wt) in rats fed the single essential amino acid-devoid diet decreased as compared with those activities in animals fed complete diet, but their decreases were not as large as those observed in group of all amino acid-devoid diet. The degree of decrease in these enzyme activities differed somewhat from each other in individual enzymes and each essential amino acie-devoid groups. In contrast, in rats fed the arginine devoid diet, the activities (total units/body wt) of all enzymes expect the case of arginase increased more than those in the group of complete diet.     

An Aspect of Urea Cycle Enzymes in Goat

A large amount of ammonia is produced in the rumen and some portion of the ammonia are absorbed into the portal blood through the rumen mucosa. Accordingly, it seems that ammonia detoxication is more necessary for the ruminant than for the non-ruminant. Activities of the urea cycle enzymes as principal instrument for ammonia detoxication in goat were investigated in this experiment.

The activities of the urea cycle enzymes of goat were found to be very similar to those of rat reported by other authors. The activities of the urea cycle enzymes were affected by the protein level of diet. Administration of magnesium aspartate increased the activities of argininosuccinate synthetase and arginase, and had some effect on the concentrations of citrulline, aspartic acid, and urea in the liver.     

Inhibition of urea cycle enzymes by lysine and saccharopine

Crude and purified preparations of argininosuccinate synthetase, argininosuccinate lyase and arginase were subjected to inhibition studies with L-lysine and saccharopine. Saccharopine proved to be the more potent inhibitor of argininosuccinate synthetase and lyase, whereas lysine had more effect on arginase. Similar results were found with pure enzyme and crude preparations. Computer analysis of the results suggested that inhibition of urea cycle enzymes by saccharopine and lysine might have contributed to the high levels of citrulline found in a human patient with saccharopinuria, a defect of saccharopine metabolism, but that this was unlikely to be the sole explanation.     

Functional significance of the activities of glutaminase and ornithine-ω-aminotransferase in rat brain

The activities of glutaminase, glutamine synthetase (GS), arginase and ornithine amino transferase (orn-T) were studied in three regions of rat brain in heightened neuronal activity by producing convulsions by leptazol. These enzymes were studied in preconvulsive, convulsive and postconvulsive phases. Glutaminase activity was found to increase in all the three regions in the preconvulsive and convulsive phases. GS activity decreased in the preconvulsive phase but rose gradually to the control level when the postconvulsive phase was reached. The activity of arginase decreased in the cerebellum in preconvulsive and convulsive phases. However, in the cerebral cortex there was a decrease in the activity of this enzyme only in the convulsive phase. The results suggest that glutamine acts more likely as a precursor for the neurotransmitter pool of glutamate, while ornithine serves more as a precursor for the neurotransmitter pool of GABA.     

Channeling of urea cycle intermediates in situ in permeabilized hepatocytes

Preferential use of endogenously generated intermediates by the enzymes of the urea cycle was observed using isolated rat hepatocytes made permeable to low molecular weight compounds with alpha-toxin. The permeabilized cells synthesized [14C]urea from added NH4Cl, [14C]HCO3-, ornithine, and aspartate, using succinate as a respiratory substrate; with all substrates saturating, about 4 nmol of urea were formed per min/mg dry weight of cells. Urea usually accounted for about 40-50% of the total (NH3 + ornithine)-dependent counts, arginine for less than 10%, and citrulline for about 30%. Very tight channeling of arginine between argininosuccinate lyase and arginase was shown by the fact that the addition of a 200-fold excess of unlabeled arginine to the incubations did not decrease the percentage of counts found in urea or increase that found in arginine, even though a substantial amount of the added arginine was hydrolyzed inside the cells. The channeling of argininosuccinate between its synthetase and lyase was demonstrated by similar observations; unlabeled argininosuccinate added in 200-fold excess decreased the percentage of counts in urea by only 25%. Channeling of citrulline from its site of synthesis by ornithine transcarbamylase in the mitochondrial matrix to argininosuccinate synthetase in the cytoplasmic space was also shown. These results strongly suggest that the three "soluble" cytoplasmic enzymes of the urea cycle are grouped around the mitochondria and are spatially organized within the cell in such a way that intermediates can be efficiently transferred between them.     

The effect of protein content of the diet on the rate of urea formation in sheep liver

1. In the livers of six sheep given a high-protein diet, the concentrations of certain urea-cycle enzymes [ornithine transcarbamoylase, arginine synthetase (combined activity of argininosuccinate synthetase and argininosuccinase) and arginase] were significantly greater than when the sheep were given a low-protein diet. Alkaline phosphatase activity/mg. of liver protein was not significantly affected by diet. 2. Three sheep previously given the high-protein diet showed no significant rise in the concentration of ammonia in the blood after the administration of urea (0·5g./kg. body wt.). The concentration of ammonia in the blood of the three sheep given the low-protein diet rose exponentially with time after dosing with urea and all sheep died. 3. It is suggested that tolerance to ammonia toxicity in the sheep is at least partly a function of the activity of the urea-cycle enzymes in the liver.     

Factors influencing the development of urea-synthesizing enzymes in rat liver

1. The activities of enzymes of the urea cycle, carbamoyl phosphate synthetase, ornithine transcarbamoylase, argininosuccinate synthetase, argininosuccinase (the last two comprising the arginine synthetase system) and arginase, were measured in the liver during development of the rat. All five enzymes exhibited relatively low activities in foetal liver and a rapid postnatal increase was found. The rate-limiting enzyme of urea synthesis in the rat, the condensing enzyme of the arginine synthetase system, showed the lowest activity at birth and the most rapid postnatal increase, a fivefold increase within 24hr. after birth. A second increase of activity was noted after the tenth day. These results suggest that the postnatal increase of arginine synthetase activity initiates the ability for urea synthesis in the rat. 2. Some factors influencing the development of the rate-limiting arginine synthetase system were studied in more detail. (a) Intraperitoneal administration of puromycin inhibited the postnatal increaseof the enzyme activity. (b) Starvation of newborn animals for 24hr. after birth had no effect on the postnatal development of the enzyme. (c) Bilateral adrenalectomy at birth caused a marked diminution in the postnatal increase of the enzyme activity and injections of triamcinolone were effective in preventing the effect of adrenalectomy. (d) Administration of triamcinolone alone had a marked stimulatory effect on the postnatal development of this enzyme. (e) Premature and postmature birth had virtually no effect on the developmental pattern of the arginine synthetase activity, suggesting that the increase of this enzyme activity after birth is not initiated by the birth process.     

Acute metabolic effects of taurine on the enzymes metabolizing glutamate and gaba

100 mg of taurine per kg body weight had been administered intraperitoneally and 30 min after the administration the animals were sacrificed. Glutamate dehydrogenase, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, glutaminase, glutamine synthetase, glutamate decarboxylase and GABA aminotransferase along with the content of glutamate and GABA in cerebral cortex, cerebellum and brain stem were studied and compared with the same obtained in the rats treated with normal saline in place of taurine. The results indicated a significant decrease in the activity of glutamate dehydrogenase in cerebral cortex and cerebellum and a significant increase in brain stem. Glutaminase and glutamine synthetase were found to increase significantly both in cerebral cortex and cerebellum. The activities of glutamate decarboxylase was found to increase in all the three regions along with a significant decrease in GABA aminotransferase while the content of glutamate showed a decrease in all the three brain regions, the content of GABA was observed to increase significantly. The above effects of taurine on the metabolism of glutamate and GABA are discussed in relation to the functional role of GABA and glutamate. The results indicate that taurine administration would result in a state of inhibition in brain.     

Arginine metabolism in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: subcellular localization of the enzymes.

Subcellular localization of enzymes of arginine metabolism in Saccharomyces cerevisiae was studied by partial fractionation and stepwise homogenization of spheroplast lysates. These enzymes could clearly be divided into two groups. The first group comprised the five enzymes of the acetylated compound cycle, i.e., acetylglutamate synthase, acetylglutamate kinase, acetylglutamyl-phosphate reductase, acetylornithine aminotransferase, and acetylornithine-glutamate acetyltransferase. These enzymes were exclusively particulate. Comparison with citrate synthase and cytochrome oxidase, and results from isopycnic gradient analysis, suggested that these enzymes were associated with the mitochondria. By contrast, enzymatic activities going from ornithine to arginine, i.e., arginine pathway-specific carbamoylphosphate synthetase, ornithine carbamoyltransferase, argininosuccinate synthetase, and argininosuccinate lyase, and the two first catabolic enzymes, arginase and ornithine aminotransferase, were in the "soluble" fraction of the cell.