Pyruvate carboxylase activity in chorionic villi: possibility of application to prenatal diagnosis |
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| Authors: | V Barash S Khassis M Granat A Gutman |
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| Institution: | Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Hadassah University Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel. |
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| Abstract: | Pyruvate carboxylase (PC) activity was assayed in 27 chorionic villi samples (CVS) obtained at 9-12 weeks of gestation. The kinetic properties of the CVS enzyme were similar to those of liver PC; more than 75% of PC activity was recovered in the mitochondrial fraction of CVS. Apparent Km for pyruvate, ATP, acetyl CoA and HCO3- in the presence of saturation concentrations of the other reactants, were 0.3, 0.44, 0.015 and 6.0 mmol/l, respectively. The optimum pH was 7.5-8.0. The activity of PC in CVS was 3.2 +/- 0.3 nmol/min/mg protein, which is severalfold higher than that of amniotic fluid fibroblasts. |
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