Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UNIPROT:P17174 (aspartate aminotransferase)
 14,872 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A method for the purification of two cysteinesulphinate transaminases, A and B (EC 2.6.1), is described. These enzymes catalyse the conversion of cysteinesulphinic acid to beta-sulphinyl pyruvate. The final preparations are homogeneous by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and isoelectrofocusing. The molecular weight of the subunits is 41 000 for cysteinesulphinate transaminase A and 43 400 for B. Both enzymes are unspecific, as L-asparate, L-glutamate and L-cysteic acid serve as substrates in addition to L-cysteinesulphinic acid. Cysteinesulphinate transaminase A has a Km of 9.8 mM for cysteinesulphinic acid and 0.25 mM for aspartic acid, whereas the B enzyme has a Km of 6.5 mM for cysteinesulphinic acid and 1.4 mM for aspartic acid. The Vmax values of the A and B enzymes are respectively 7.1 and 6.2 mmol h-1 mg-1 protein for aspartic acid and 45 and 9.3 mmol h-1 mg-1 protein for cysteinesulphinic acid. Both enzymes exhibit maximum activity at pH 8.6. A high specific activity is found in optimal conditions for these two transaminases, the pI values being 9.06 and 5.70 for cysteinesulphinate transaminase A and B respectively. These results have been compared with those already obtained for purified aspartate aminotransferase. Similarities in the pathways of taurine and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) metabolism are discussed.
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PMID:Similarities between cysteinesulphinate transaminase and aspartate aminotransferase. 26 60

The reactions of two analogues of 4-aminobutyrate, namely 4-aminohex-5-ynoate and 4-aminohex-5-enoate, with three transaminases were studied. Three pure enzymes were used, aminobutyrate transaminase (EC 2.6.1.19), ornithine transaminase (EC 2.6.1.13) and aspartate transaminase (EC 2.6.1.1), and the course of the reactions was studied by observing changes in the absorption spectrum of the bound coenzyme and by observing loss of activity. All of the enzymes were inactivated by either inhibitor, but amino-hexenoate showed a marked specificity for aminobutyrate transaminase. Aminohexynoate was most potent towards ornithine transaminase, and with this enzyme transamination of the inhibitor is an important factor in protecting the enzyme. Most of the reactions could be analysed as first order, with the observed rate constant showing a hyperbolic dependence on inhibitor concentration.
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PMID:Enzyme-induced inactivation of transminases by acetylenic and vinyl analogues of 4-aminobutyrate. 43 62

Incubation of rat brain 4-aminobutyrate aminotransferase with 4-amino-hex-5-enoic acid, a substrate analog of 4-aminobutyric acid, results in a time-dependent irreversible loss of enzymatic activity. In the presence of 0.1 mM inhibitor the half-life of the inactivation process is approximately 6 min. Low concentrations of L-glutamic acid or 4-aminobutyric acid protect against this inactivation, while 2-oxoglutarate prevents this protection, suggesting that only the pyridoxal form of the enzyme is susceptible to inhibition by 4-amino-hex-5-enoic acid. The irreversible inhibition of mammalian 4-aminobutyrate aminotransferase by 4-amino-hex-5-enoic acid is selective. There is no inhibition of this enzyme from Pseudomonas fluorescens with the inhibitor at mM concentrations. Even at 10 mM there is no irreversible inhibition of mammalian glutamate decarboxylase or of aspartate aminotransferase, while alanine aminotransferase is inhibited over 500 times more slowly than rat brain 4-aminobutyrate transaminase.
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PMID:4-amino-hex-5-enoic acid, a selective catalytic inhibitor of 4-aminobutyric-acid aminotransferase in mammalian brain. 85 82

Transient global ischemia was produced in rats by cisternal fluid infusion, producing a negative cerebral perfusion pressure by elevating the intracranial pressure (ICP) 25-50 mm Hg above mean arterial pressure (MAP). Animals were allowed to survive for 2-7 days following a transient ischemic episode of 5-30 min. The brains were examined for signs of ischemic degeneration in Nissl-stained sections and adjacent sections reacted with antisera against glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) or aspartate aminotransferase (AAT). Neurons in the thalamic reticular nucleus (RT), a pure population of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic neurons which project their axons to thalamic relay nuclei, were found to have the lowest threshold for degeneration in this model, consistently undergoing degeneration under conditions which completely spared the hippocampal CA1 from degeneration. Whereas it took up to 30 min of complete ischemia to produce degeneration of CA1 neurons when ICP was raised using room temperature infusion fluids, 15 min of ischemia under these conditions was sufficient to produce extensive degeneration of neurons in the entire ventral 3/4 of the RT. Prolonged (greater than 25 min) episodes of partial ischemia (ICP less than or equal to MAP) were also sufficient to produce massive degeneration of RT neurons. The lesion in the RT was most clearly evident in sections reacted with antisera to GFAP, labeling intensely reactive protoplasmic astrocytes within the regions of the RT where neuronal degeneration had occurred. Neuronal loss and accompanying proliferation of microglial cells were evident in Nissl-stained sections but the extent of the neuronal loss was most clearly obvious in sections reacted with an antisera to AAT, an enzyme present in detectable quantities in GABAergic neurons. Pretreatment with the non-competitive NMDA antagonist MK-801 at doses sufficient to completely prevent massive degeneration of the hippocampal CA1 failed to prevent the degeneration of RT neurons, suggesting that if RT degeneration involves an excitotoxic process it acts through non-NMDA receptors.
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PMID:Degeneration of neurons in the thalamic reticular nucleus following transient ischemia due to raised intracranial pressure: excitotoxic degeneration mediated via non-NMDA receptors? 255 11

The effects of aminooxyacetic acid (AOAA), a transaminase inhibitor, and 2-oxoglutarate, a precursor to glutamate by the activity of aspartate aminotransferase (AAT), on slices of rat medulla oblongata, cerebellum, cerebral cortex, and hippocampus were studied. The slices were superfused and electrically stimulated. There was a Ca2+-dependent stimulus-evoked release of endogenous glutamate, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and beta-alanine in all regions examined. AOAA (10(-4) and 10(-3) M) decreased the release of glutamate in the medulla oblongata and cerebellum but not in the hippocampus. L-Canaline, a specific inhibitor of ornithine aminotransferase, did not affect the glutamate release in the medulla. 2-Oxoglutarate (10(-3) M) increased the release of glutamate in the medulla oblongata and cerebellum but not in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus. Treatment with AOAA (10(-4) M) almost abolished the activities of AAT in all regions studied. AOAA (10(-4) and 10(-3) M) increased the stimulus-evoked release of GABA in the cerebellum, cerebral cortex, and hippocampus, whereas the stimulus-evoked release of beta-alanine was decreased by this agent in all regions studied. These results suggest the participation of AAT in the synthesis of the transmitter glutamate in the medulla oblongata and cerebellum of the rat.
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PMID:Aspartate aminotransferase for synthesis of transmitter glutamate in the medulla oblongata: effect of aminooxyacetic acid and 2-oxoglutarate. 256 22

Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to evaluate the metabolism of [15N]glutamine in isolated rat brain synaptosomes. In the presence of 0.5 mM glutamine, synaptosomes accumulated this amino acid to a level of 25-35 nmol/mg protein at an initial rate greater than 9 nmol/min/mg of protein. The metabolism of [15N]glutamine generated 15N-labelled glutamate, aspartate, and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). An efflux of both [15N]glutamate and [15N]aspartate from synaptosomes to the medium was observed. Enrichment of 15N in alanine could not be detected because of a limited pool size. Elimination of glucose from the incubation medium substantially increased the rate and amount of [15N]aspartate formed. It is concluded that: (1) With 0.5 mM external glutamine, the glutaminase reaction, and not glutamine transport, determines the rate of metabolism of this amino acid. (2) The primary route of glutamine catabolism involves aspartate aminotransferase which generates 2-oxoglutarate, a substrate for the tricarboxylic acid cycle. This reaction is greatly accelerated by the omission of glucose. (3) Glutamine has preferred access to a population of synaptosomes or to a synaptosomal compartment that generates GABA. (4) Synaptosomes maintain a constant internal level of glutamate plus aspartate of about 70-80 nmol/mg protein. As these amino acids are produced from glutamine in excess of this value, they are released into the medium. Hence synaptosomal glutamine and glutamate metabolism are tightly regulated in an interrelated manner.
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PMID:Neuronal glutamine utilization: pathways of nitrogen transfer studied with [15N]glutamine. 274 41

The principles of immunocytochemistry were outlined in 1942 by Coons et al. and in the 1970's immunocytochemistry emerged as a powerful method for identifying structures and tracing pathways in the nervous system. It now plays a fundamental role in the neuroanatomical and histochemical analysis of the central nervous system. The first immunocytochemical studies of the mammalian cochlea were reported in 1980, from three different laboratories. Since then many studies on cochlear immunocytochemistry have been carried out, concerned with questions about neurotransmitter candidates or about structural proteins. This review describes immunoreactivity of enkephalin, choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), glutamate decarboxylase (GAD), gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), aspartate aminotransferase (AATase) and glutaminase (GLNase) in the organ of Corti. ChAT is the enzyme that catalyzes the synthesis of acetylcholine (ACh). GAD is the terminal enzyme in the biosynthesis of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA. AATase and GLNase are two enzymes involved in the metabolism of the excitatory neurotransmitter candidates aspartate and glutamate. We have much relied on surface preparations of the organ of Corti. We have also used cryostat sectioning of the cochlea, particularly when there was a need to apply a number of different antisera to comparable preparations from one and the same cochlea. We have used immunofluorescence and immunoperoxidase procedures. Immunoperoxidase procedures have given us better signal noise ratio for specific immunoreactivity (in surface preparations) than has immunofluorescence. Occasionally, to achieve maximal resolution of surface preparations in light microscopy studies, we have used enhanced contrast video display. We have found immunoreactivity in efferent fibers in the organ of Corti following the application of antisera to enkephalin, ChAT, GAD, GABA, AATase and GLNase. Most of these different antisera give different distributions of immunoreactivity and other antisera have evoked no immunoreactivity in the organ of Corti. To the best of our knowledge, the cells of origin of efferent axons and terminals in the organ of Corti are located in the brainstem. Originally described as crossed and uncrossed olivocochlear neurons, these efferents have recently been classified into a medial and a lateral system predominantly innervating, respectively, the outer hair cell region and the inner hair cell region. However, our findings on the distribution of GAD- and GABA-like immunoreactivity indicate that there may be more than two different systems of efferents in the organ of Corti, as previously suggested by Schwartz and Ryan (1983).
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PMID:Neurotransmitter-related immunocytochemistry of the organ of Corti. 287 25

The metabolism of [15N]glutamate was studied with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in rat brain synaptosomes incubated with and without glucose. [15N]Glutamate was taken up rapidly by the preparation, reaching a steady-state level in less than 5 min. 15N was incorporated predominantly into aspartate and, to a much lesser extent, into gamma-aminobutyrate. The amount of [15N]ammonia formed was very small, and the enrichment of 15N in alanine and glutamine was below the level of detection. Omission of glucose substantially increased the rate and amount of [15N]aspartate generated. It is proposed that in synaptosomes (a) the predominant route of glutamate nitrogen disposal is through the aspartate aminotransferase reaction; (b) the aspartate aminotransferase pathway generates 2-oxoglutarate, which then serves as the metabolic fuel needed to produce ATP; (c) utilization of glutamate via transamination to aspartate is greatly accelerated when flux through the tricarboxylic acid cycle is diminished by the omission of glucose; (d) the metabolism of glutamate via glutamate dehydrogenase in intact synaptosomes is slow, most likely reflecting restriction of enzyme activity by some unknown factor(s), which suggests that the glutamate dehydrogenase reaction may not be near equilibrium in neurons; and (e) the activities of alanine aminotransferase and glutamine synthetase in synaptosomes are very low.
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PMID:Glucose and synaptosomal glutamate metabolism: studies with [15N]glutamate. 290 Aug 79

We measured neurotransmitter markers in autopsied brain of infants with glycine encephalopathy (GE). Because patients with GE develop intractable seizures, special attention was devoted to those neurotransmitter systems implicated in human epilepsy. Mean levels of glycine in the frontal cortex of GE patients were three times higher than control values. No abnormalities were observed for concentrations of gamma-aminobutyric acid (and related receptors), other major neurotransmitter amino compounds, or activities of cholineacetyltransferase and aspartate aminotransferase. Mean acetylcholinesterase activity was significantly elevated by 46%. As experimental data suggest, glycine markedly potentiates the action of the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamic acid. To the extent that the brain seizures in patients with GE can be explained by this mechanism, pharmacotherapy with excitatory amino acid antagonists may represent a new approach to the treatment of GE.
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PMID:Brain neurotransmitters in glycine encephalopathy. 290 30

The mechanism by which pentylenetetrazole provokes convulsions in animals has been investigated by measuring its influence in vitro on the activities of several enzymes of glutamate metabolism in rat brain homogenates. Pentylenetetrazole does not affect the specific activities of glutamine synthetase, glutaminase, or glutamate decarboxylase; it inhibits those of glutamate dehydrogenase and aspartate aminotransferase, and stimulates that of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) aminotransferase. The overall consequence of the action of pentylenetetrazole on the activities of these enzymes should be an increase in the concentration of glutamate and a decrease in that of GABA. This modulation of glutamate and GABA metabolism by pentylenetetrazole could contribute to the triggering of convulsions.
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PMID:Pentylenetetrazole inhibits glutamate dehydrogenase and aspartate aminotransferase, and stimulates GABA aminotransferase in homogenates from rat cerebral cortex. 321 59


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