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)

Glutathione (GSH) synthetase activities and GSH turnover rates were examined during severe oxidative stress in the mouse brain as induced by t-butylhydroperoxide (t-BuOOH). Brain GSH synthetase activities in 8-mo-old mice in the cortex, striatum, thalamus, hippocampus, midbrain, and cerebellum were found to increase following t-BuOOH treatment. The effect of GSH synthesis on brain GSH turnover rates for 2- and 8-mo-old mice were determined after intracerebroventricular (icv) injection of [35S]cysteine. Rate constants for GSH turnover were determined by least-squares iterative minimization from the specific activity data from 20 min to 108 h after [35S]cysteine administration. GSH and glutathione disulfide (GSSG) specific activities were determined after separation by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). The half-life of GSH in the 2-mo-old mouse was 59.5 h and in the 8-mo-old mouse was 79.1 h. In summary, defense mechanisms against oxidative stress in the brain differ with age. Young mice can increase the cellular availability of GSH, whereas mature mice can increase GSH synthetase activity during oxidative stress. These differences make mature mice more susceptible to brain oxidative damage.
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PMID:The effects of oxidative stress on in vivo brain GSH turnover in young and mature mice. 916 85

The hybrid poplar (Populus tremula x P. alba) was transformed to express the Escherichia coli gene for gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase (EC 6.3.2.2: gamma-ECS) in the cytosol. Four transformed lines of poplar were obtained. These were phenotypically indistinguishable from untransformed poplars. Three lines, ggs28 (Noctor et al. 1996, Plant Physiol 112: 1071-1078), ggs11 and ggs5 possessed high levels of bacterial gene transcripts. Line ggs17 had lower transcript levels. Antisera were prepared against bacterial gamma-ECS and bacterial glutathione synthetase (EC 6.3.2.3: GS). Using the antiserum prepared against the purified His-tagged E. coli gamma-ECS, lines ggs28, ggs11 and ggs5 were shown to possess abundant quantities of the bacterial protein, whereas ggs17 contained lower amounts. The antiserum prepared against the purified His-tagged E. coli GS was also effective in screening poplars transformed with the E. coli gene coding for this enzyme. Immunoblots of leaf extracts from poplars overexpressing GS using this antibody revealed two bands. The extractable foliar gamma-ECS activities of the gamma-ECS transformants were in quantitative agreement with the protein levels. Lines ggs28, ggs11 and ggs5 had approximately 30-fold higher gamma-ECS activity than untransformed poplars, whereas in ggs17 this activity was only augmented about 3-fold. The lines strongly overexpressing gamma-ECS, ggs28, ggs11 and ggs5, contained enhanced foliar levels of cysteine (up to 2-fold), gamma-glutamylcysteine (5- to 20-fold) and glutathione (2- to 4-fold). Foliar thiol contents in ggs17 were no different to those of untransformed plants.
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PMID:Modification of thiol contents in poplars (Populus tremula x P. alba) overexpressing enzymes involved in glutathione synthesis. 943 83

To gain insight into cellular metabolism underlying the glutathione (GSH) alterations induced by surgical trauma, we assessed postoperative skeletal muscle GSH metabolism and its redox status in 10 patients undergoing elective abdominal surgery. Muscle biopsy specimens were taken from the quadriceps femoris muscle before and at 24 and 72 h after surgery. GSH concentrations decreased by 40% at 24 h postoperatively compared with the paired preoperative values (P < 0.001) and remained low at 72 h (P < 0.01). The concentration of GSH disulfide (GSSG) did not significantly change throughout the study period, whereas the total GSH (as GSH equivalent) concentration decreased after surgery. Of the GSH constituent amino acids, the concentration of cysteine remained unchanged throughout the study period (from 28.2 +/- 10.1 preoperatively to 29.4 +/- 13.9 at 24 h postoperatively and to 28.3 +/- 15.6 micromol/kg wet wt at 72 h postoperatively). Despite a reduction in glutamate concentration by 40% 24 h after surgery, no correlation was established between GSH and glutamate concentrations postoperatively. Activity of gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase did not change significantly after surgery, whereas GSH synthetase activity decreased postoperatively (from 66.4 +/- 19.1 preoperatively to 41.0 +/- 10.5 24 h postoperatively, P < 0.01, and to 46.0 +/- 11.7 microU/mg protein 72 h postoperatively, P < 0.05). The decrease of GSH was correlated to the reduced GSH synthetase activity seen at 24 h postoperatively. These results indicate that the skeletal muscle GSH pool is diminished in patients after surgical trauma. The depletion of the GSH pool is associated with a decreased activity of GSH synthetase, indicating a decreased GSH synthetic capacity in skeletal muscle tissue.
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PMID:Surgical trauma decreases glutathione synthetic capacity in human skeletal muscle tissue. 968 40

Poplars (Populus tremula x Populus alba) were transformed to overexpress Escherichia coli gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase (gamma-ECS) or glutathione synthetase in the chloroplast. Five independent lines of each transformant strongly expressed the introduced gene and possessed markedly enhanced activity of the gene product. Glutathione (GSH) contents were unaffected by high chloroplastic glutathione synthetase activity. Enhanced chloroplastic gamma-ECS activity markedly increased gamma-glutamylcysteine and GSH levels. These effects are similar to those previously observed in poplars overexpressing these enzymes in the cytosol. Similar to cytosolic gamma-ECS overexpression, chloroplastic overexpression did not deplete foliar cysteine or methionine pools and did not lead to morphological changes. Light was required for maximal accumulation of GSH in poplars overexpressing gamma-ECS in the chloroplast. High chloroplastic, but not cytosolic, gamma-ECS activities were accompanied by increases in amino acids synthesized in the chloroplast. We conclude that (a) GSH synthesis can occur in the chloroplast and the cytosol and may be up-regulated in both compartments by increased gamma-ECS activity, (b) interactions between GSH synthesis and the pathways supplying the necessary substrates are similar in both compartments, and (c) chloroplastic up-regulation of GSH synthesis is associated with an activating effect on the synthesis of specific amino acids formed in the chloroplast.
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PMID:Manipulation of glutathione and amino acid biosynthesis in the chloroplast 976 32

This paper reports that the glutathione (GSH)-deficient mutant, cad2-1, of Arabidopsis is deficient in the first enzyme in the pathway of GSH biosynthesis, gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase (GCS). The mutant accumulates a substrate of GCS, cysteine, and is deficient in the product, gamma-glutamylcysteine. In vitro enzyme assays showed that the cad2-1 mutant has 40% of wild-type levels of GCS activity but is unchanged in the activity of the second enzyme in the pathway, GSH synthetase. The CAD2 locus maps to chromosome 4 and is tightly linked to a gene, GSHA, identified by a previously isolated cDNA. A genomic clone of GSHA complements both the phenotypic and biochemical deficiencies of the cad2-1 mutant. The nucleotide sequence of the gene has been determined and, in the mutant, this gene contains a 6 bp deletion within an exon. These data demonstrate that the CAD2 gene encodes GCS. The cad2-1 mutation is close to the conserved cysteine which is believed to bind the substrate glutamate and the specific inhibitor L-buthionine-[S,R] sulfoximine (BSO). Both root growth and GCS activity of the cad2-1 mutant was less sensitive than the wild-type to inhibition by BSO, indicating that the mutation may alter the affinity of the inhibitor binding site.
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PMID:The glutathione-deficient, cadmium-sensitive mutant, cad2-1, of Arabidopsis thaliana is deficient in gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase. 980 29

Pyroglutamic aciduria (5-oxoprolinuria) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder caused by either glutathione synthetase deficiency (GSSD) or 5-oxoprolinase deficiency. GSSD results in low glutathione levels in erythrocytes and may present with hemolytic anemia alone or together with pyroglutamic aciduria, metabolic acidosis, and CNS damage. Five patients with pyroglutamic aciduria were studied. All presented with hemolytic anemia and metabolic acidosis. Two (brothers) also had Fanconi nephropathy, which is not seen in pyroglutamic aciduria. Molecular analyses of the GSS gene was performed in 3 patients. RT-PCR and heteroduplex analysis identified a homozygous deletion in 1 patient and a homozygous mutation in 2 others (brothers with Fanconi nephropathy). Sequencing of glutathione synthetase (GSS) cDNA from the first patient showed a 141-bp deletion corresponding to the entire exon 4, whilst the corresponding genomic DNA showed a G491 --> A homozygous splice site mutation. Sequencing of GSS cDNA from the Fanconi nephropathy patients showed a C847 --> T [ARG283 --> CYS] mutation in exon 9.
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PMID:Clinical, biochemical, and molecular characterization of patients with glutathione synthetase deficiency. 1045 Aug 61

Glutathione (L-gamma-glutamyl-L-cysteinylglycine, GSH) is synthesized from its constituent amino acids by the sequential action of gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase (gamma-GCS) and GSH synthetase. The intracellular GSH concentration, typically 1-8 mM, reflects a dynamic balance between the rate of GSH synthesis and the combined rate of GSH consumption within the cell and loss through efflux. The gamma-GCS reaction is rate limiting for GSH synthesis, and regulation of gamma-GCS expression and activity is critical for GSH homeostasis. Transcription of the gamma-GCS subunit genes is controlled by a variety of factors through mechanisms that are not yet fully elucidated. Glutathione synthesis is also modulated by the availability of gamma-GCS substrates, primarily L-cysteine, by feedback inhibition of gamma-GCS by GSH, and by covalent inhibition of gamma-GCS by phosphorylation or nitrosation. Because GSH plays a critical role in cellular defenses against electrophiles, oxidative stress and nitrosating species, pharmacologic manipulation of GSH synthesis has received much attention. Administration of L-cysteine precursors and other strategies allow GSH levels to be maintained under conditions that would otherwise result in GSH depletion and cytotoxicity. Conversely, inhibitors of gamma-GCS have been used to deplete GSH as a strategy for increasing the sensitivity of tumors and parasites to certain therapeutic interventions.
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PMID:Biologic and pharmacologic regulation of mammalian glutathione synthesis. 1056 25

We used mice deficient in gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) to analyze the effects of GGT deficiency and altered thiol levels on gene expression in liver. GGT-deficient mice have markedly reduced levels of glutathione (GSH), cysteine, methionine, and cysteinylglycine in liver. Steady-state RNA levels of the catalytic subunit of gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase (gamma-GCS), the rate-limiting enzyme in GSH synthesis, are elevated 4-fold in these mice, while those for glutathione synthetase (GSH syn) are elevated 2-fold. RNA levels of cystathionase (cystathionine gamma-lyase), a key enzyme in the synthesis of cysteine from methionine, are elevated approximately 3.5-fold. In contrast, levels of RNA coding for multidrug resistance protein 2 (MRP2), which transports GSH into bile, are half wild-type values. We found no change in RNA levels of enzymes related to oxidative injury (CuZn and Mn superoxide dismutases [SOD], catalase, and glutathione peroxidase). Similarly, RNA levels of glutathione reductase and ribonucleotide reductase were unchanged. Furthermore, in contrast to previous in vitro results, methyl methanesulfonate did not induce stress-activated signal transduction as measured by c-jun phosphorylation in livers of GGT-deficient mice, despite further depletion of GSH by buthionine sulfoximine. Our findings indicate that GGT deficiency itself and/or altered thiol levels regulate expression of genes involved in GSH metabolism, but have no effect on the expression of other antioxidant genes.
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PMID:Altered gene expression in the liver of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase-deficient mice. 1096 Apr 49

In Arabidopsis thaliana, trichome cells are specialized unicellular structures with uncertain functions. Based on earlier observations that one of the genes involved in cysteine biosynthesis (Atcys-3A) is highly expressed in trichomes, we have extended our studies in trichome cells to determine their capacity for glutathione (GSH) biosynthesis. First, we have analyzed by in situ hybridization the tissue-specific expression of the genes Atcys-3A and sat5, which encode O-acetylserine(thio)lyase (OASTL) and serine acetyltransferase (SAT), respectively, as well as gsh1 and gsh2, which encode gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase and glutathione synthetase, respectively. The four genes are highly expressed in leaf trichomes of Arabidopsis, and their mRNA accumulate to high levels. Second, we have directly measured cytoplasmic GSH concentration in intact cells by laser-scanning microscopy after labeling with monochlorobimane as a GSH-specific probe. From these measurements, cytosolic GSH concentrations of 238+/-25, 80+/-2, and 144+/-19 microM were estimated for trichome, basement, and epidermal cells, respectively. Taking into account the volume of the cells measured using stereological techniques, the trichomes have a total GSH content more than 300-fold higher than the basement and epidermal cells. Third, after NaCl treatment, GSH biosynthesis is markedly decreased in trichomes. Atcys-3A, sat5, gsh1, and gsh2 mRNA levels show a decrease in transcript abundance, and [GSH](cyt) is reduced to 47+/-5 microM. These results suggest the important physiological significance of trichome cells related to GSH biosynthesis and their possible role as a sink during detoxification processes.
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PMID:Glutathione biosynthesis in Arabidopsis trichome cells. 1099 73

GSH is the major low-molecular-mass thiol in most organisms. The tripeptide maintains a reduced intracellular environment and protects cellular components from damaging oxidation. GSH is synthesized by the action of two ATP-dependent enzymic steps, in which gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase (gamma-GCS) catalyses the ligation of glutamate and cysteine and subsequently glutathione synthetase (GS) adds glycine to the dipeptide. Recently it was shown that the synthesis of gamma-glutamylcysteine is crucial for the survival of the erythrocytic stages of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum by using the specific gamma-GCS inhibitor buthionine sulphoximine. In order to investigate further the synthetic pathway of the tripeptide in the parasite, GS was cloned and expressed recombinantly. The deduced amino acid sequence of P. falciparum GS shares only a moderate degree of identity with other known GSs, but the residues responsible for substrate and co-factor binding are almost all conserved, with the exception of the ones involved in gamma-glutamylcysteine binding. The protein is active as a dimer, with a subunit molecular mass of 77 kDa, and the addition of reducing reagents such as dithiothreitol is essential in maintaining enzymic activity, indicating that thiol groups are important for stability and enzymic activity. The K(app)(m) values for gamma-glutamyl-alpha-aminobutyrate, ATP and glycine were determined to be 107.1 microM, 59.1 microM and 5.04 mM, respectively, and the V(max) of 5.24 +/- 0.7 micromol.min(-1).mg(-1) was in the same range as that of the mammalian enzymes. However, the negative co-operativity observed for gamma-glutamylcysteine binding to the rat enzyme was not found for the parasite protein. This may be due to the alteration of several amino acids in the gamma-glutamylcysteine-binding site.
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PMID:Glutathione synthetase from Plasmodium falciparum. 1196 86


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