Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:6.3.2.3 (glutathione synthetase)
 678 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Human fetal and adult liver were found to have similar concentrations of acid soluble sulfhydryl (SH) groups (7.4 mmol/kg) in the same range as is found in adult mouse and rat liver. The concentration was 4-fold higher than in human fetal adrenal gland tissue. Methods specific for glutathione (GSH) associated SH groups revealed that the postmortem levels of GSH is very low (0.4 mmol/kg) in relation to total SH groups. In contrast, the levels of cysteine were high (2.8 mmol/kg), indicating a rapid cleavage of GSH. Only negligible amounts of gamma-glutamylcysteine and cysteinylglycine were measured. Our findings may be explained by high fetal activity of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (which metabolizes GSH) that has been documented previously both in man and in experimental animals. High activities of the two GSH-synthesizing enzymes, gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase and GSH synthetase were found in the human fetal liver (7.1 and 3.0 mukat/kg, respectively). The activities of these enzymes were in the same range as in human adult liver, whereas that of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase was 3-fold higher in the fetal liver. Our results demonstrate the presence of high concentration of SH groups and capacity to synthesize GSH already in the first and second trimester of the human fetal gestation. This has more than theoretical interest, since we assume that the SH groups (GSH) have importance for the protection of the fetus against drugs and foreign compounds and their (toxic) metabolites, the formation of which is catalyzed by the fetus itself.
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PMID:Glutathione and gamma-glutamyl cycle enzymes in human fetal liver. 611 63

Two brothers, aged 16 and 11 years, had recurrent episodes of vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain, starting in infancy. In spite of extensive investigations no cause of their enterocolitis could be established. After several years symptomatic treatment was discontinued without any recurrence of symptoms. Their father and several paternal relatives have had kidney stones. Both boys developed urolithiasis and an oxalate-containing stone was removed from the elder brother's kidney. He had no hypercalciuria. His glomerular and tubular function tests were normal. Gas chromatography of urine from both brothers revealed massive excretion of L-5-oxoproline (pyroglutamic acid). Glutathione levels in erythrocytes of both patients were normal. The activities of enzymes of the gamma-glutamyl cycle were analysed in erythrocytes, leukocytes and cultured skin fibroblasts. The level of glutathione synthetase was normal, as was the affinity of this enzyme for its substrate gamma-glutamyl-cysteine. Feedback inhibition of gamma-glutamyl-cysteine synthetase by glutathione was also normal. Both patients had a specific deficiency of 5-oxoprolinase, the activity of which was 2-4% of that of control subjects. Their parents had intermediate 5-oxoprolinase activities in fibroblasts, indicating a recessive mode of inheritance. Thus, 5-oxoprolinuria in these two patients was due to a lack of 5-oxoprolinase, i.e., a new inborn error in the gamma-glutamyl cycle.
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PMID:5-oxoprolinuria due to hereditary 5-oxoprolinase deficiency in two brothers--a new inborn error of the gamma-glutamyl cycle. 611 26

The formic acid extracts of several glutathione-deficient strains of Escherichia coli have been assayed for the presence of the mixed disulfide of CoA and glutathione, CoASSG. Strains deficient in gamma-glutamyl-cysteine synthase (EC 6.3.2.2) produced only CoA dimer. Strains deficient in glutathione synthase (EC 6.3.2.3) produced the mixed disulfide of CoA and the gamma-glutamylcysteine dipeptide. The pool size of total CoA in the cell did not change significantly even in the absence of glutathione.
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PMID:Effect of glutathione deficiency on the pool of CoA-glutathione mixed disulfide in Escherichia coli. 611 90

Mutants of Escherichia coli B that contain essentially no detectable glutathione were isolated. These mutants had a very low activity of gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase or glutathione synthetase. No significant differences in growth in minimal medium were observed between the mutants and the parental strain. The mutants lacking gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase activity were more susceptible to toxic compounds than either the parental strain or a glutathione synthetase-deficient strain. The mutants lacking gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase activity were also susceptible to oxygen.
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PMID:Some properties of glutathione biosynthesis-deficient mutants of Escherichia coli B. 612 59

Several biochemical parameters were examined in clear dog and rabbit lenses as functions of age, and in posterior subcapsular cataracts in the Alaskan malamute. Tabulated data include soluble protein, reduced sulfhydryl content of soluble protein, reduced glutathione, water, and activity of five enzymes of glutathione metabolism. The enzymes include the glutathione biosynthesis system consisting of gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase and glutathione synthetase, as well as glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase and glutathione-S-transferase. Each enzyme, acting last in a sequential reaction of either two or three reactions, was in excess activity over the preceding enzyme(s) in every case but one. In the exception, the ratio of glutathione reductase to glutathione peroxidase activity was about 1:600 and 1:155 in the dog and rabbit lens, respectively.
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PMID:Glutathione metabolism in lenses of dogs and rabbits: activities of five enzymes. 613 32

The high levels of both enzymes of glutathione synthesis found in the infant human lens rapidly reached lower levels by age 10, and thereafter the rate of decrease diminished. Glutathione synthetase activity in the 6 month old lens was six-fold (units/g lens), four-fold (units/mg soluble protein) and two-fold (units/lens) higher than that in the 83 year old, clear human lens. gamma-Glutamylcysteine synthetase activity in the 6 month old lens was sixteen-fold (units/g lens), ten-fold (units/mg soluble protein) and six-fold (units/lens) higher than that in the 83 year old, clear human lens. When lenses from the young adult beagle, rabbit, bovine, and humans are compared, glutathione synthetase activity (units/g lens) varies by about two-fold. gamma-Glutamylcysteine synthetase activity (units/g lens) is quite similar in the first three species, whereas the enzyme activity is more than a magnitude less in young adult human lenses, and becomes much less with increasing age and in a high proportion of life-support system organ donors. The enzyme activity was undetectable in a few of the latter lenses. Loss of activity was not due to increased susceptibility to heat denaturation. The low levels of the enzyme, and total loss in some situations, suggest that gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase may be an Achilles' Heel of human lens metabolism.
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PMID:Activity of glutathione synthesis enzymes in human lens related to age. 613 16

Six factors were analyzed which may be involved in the decline of glutathione synthesis in the aging lens and cataract, with special emphasis placed upon the human lens. The factors included: 1) lability of gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase, 2) paucity of gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase in primate lenses as compared to other mammalian lenses, 3) enzyme activity reduction with age in the human lens, 4) rate control by reactant scarcity, especially of cysteine and magnesium ion, 5) rate control by inhibition using 5'-AMP, 5'-ADP and glutathione, and 6) possible dissociation of the multi-enzyme complex. It was concluded that decline of the glutathione synthetic capacity in vivo would be most likely caused by reduction of gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase activity rather than of glutathione synthetase activity.
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PMID:Lenticular glutathione synthesis: rate-limiting factors in its regulation and decline. 614 Jan 27

Pure fetal blood was obtained by direct-vision fetoscopy from 66 fetuses at 17-24 weeks gestation. The concentration of GSH and the activities of the enzymes gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase (GCS), glutathione synthetase (GS), glutathione reductase (GR) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were analysed by established techniques to find the normal ranges for this gestational age. The ranges were relatively narrow and could serve as reference values for the prenatal diagnosis of defects in the GSH metabolism of erythrocytes. The results were compared with those obtained from 38 normal adults and with published values on neonatal blood. In the case of GR a comparison was also made with maternal blood. In comparison with adults, fetal erythrocytes showed higher GSH concentration and GCS activity and lower GS and GPx activities. This pattern resembled that found in neonatal erythrocytes except for the GCS activity, which was higher in the fetal cells. Furthermore the differences between fetal and adult erythrocytes were more pronounced than those between neonatal and adult cells. The GR activity of fetal erythrocytes was also higher than that of either normal adult or maternal blood. This difference, however, was reduced to an insignificant level when the enzyme was activated in vitro by flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) because of a relatively low per cent activation of the GR in the fetal erythrocytes.
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PMID:Normal glutathione content and some related enzyme activities in the fetal erythrocytes. 614 50

Glutathione is not effectively transported into human lymphoid cells, normal human skin fibroblasts, and fibroblasts from patients with genetic deficiencies of gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase or glutathione synthetase. On the other hand, the monoethyl ester of glutathione, in which the carboxyl group of the glycine residue is esterified, is readily transported into these cells and is hydrolyzed intracellularly. This leads to greatly increased cellular levels of glutathione, which often exceed those found normally. Glutathione ester was found to protect human lymphoid cells of the CEM line against the lethal effects of irradiation. Under the conditions employed, complete protection was found when the ester was added prior to irradiation. Addition of the ester after irradiation was partially effective, suggesting that GSH may also function in repair processes.
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PMID:Radioprotection by glutathione ester: transport of glutathione ester into human lymphoid cells and fibroblasts. 614 78

The enzymatic production of glutathione (GSH) has been studied in a bioreactor system using toluene-treated cells of Escherichia coli B transformed with recombinant plasmids for gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase (GSH-I) and glutathione synthetase (GSH-II). As reported previously the genes for both enzymes were separately cloned onto vector plasmid pBR322. The plasmid for GSH-I was designated pGS100-2 and that for GSH-II as pGS200. The effect on GSH production in the bioreactor system, containing an ATP regenerating system, of using cells containing various hybrid plasmids has now been explored. Three kinds of hybrid plasmids, designated pGS300, pGS400, and pGS500, were constructed by subcloning the genes in pGS100-2 and pGS200 onto vector plasmid pBR325. pGS300 contained the E. coli B chromosomal DNA fragment with a gene for GSH-I in the PstI site of pBR325. pGS400 also contained E. coli B chromosomal DNA fragment with a gene for GSH-II in the HindIII site of pBR325. In contrast, pGS500 contained two kinds of DNA fragments with the genes for GSH-I and GSH-II in the PstI and HindIII sites of pBR325, respectively. All the hybrid plasmids thus prepared were stably maintained in E. coli cells when chloramphenicol was included at 10 micrograms/ml in the medium. The activity of the cells containing pGS300 was higher than that of the cells containing pGS400, although the former activity did not come up to that of cells having both pGS300 and pGS400. The highest glutathione-producing activity was found in the case of the cells transformed with pGS500 carrying both genes for GSH-I and GSH-II on the vector plasmid pBR325. About 5 mg/ml of glutathione was produced by E. coli cells with pGS500 from 80 mM L-glutamate, 20 mM L-cysteine, and 20 mM glycine within 3 h at 37 degrees C.
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PMID:Construction of glutathione-producing strains of Escherichia coli B by recombinant DNA techniques. 614 39


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