Branched-chain keto-acids and pyruvate in blood: measurement by HPLC with fluorimetric detection and changes in older subjects. (17/535)

BACKGROUND: Measurement of keto-acids is important in various clinical situations. The aim of the present work was to develop a rapid HPLC method for the determination of keto-acids in human serum and to assess the concentrations of these acids in young adults and institutionalized elderly adults. This method was applied to the determination of blood keto-acid concentrations of young adults and institutionalized elderly people, divided into age groups METHODS: Four keto-acids (alpha-ketoisocaproate, alpha-ketoisovalerate, alpha-keto-beta-methylvalerate, and pyruvate) were derivatized with o-phenylenediamine to give fluorescent derivatives. After the sample preparation step (75 min to prepare 20 samples), the derivatives were separated chromatographically on a reversed-phase column using a binary gradient. RESULTS: The fluorometric detection of the four keto-acids was rapid, <12 min. The method is repeatable and reproducible: the CVs were <6% and <11%, respectively, for each of the keto-acids. We found no significant difference between males and females. Concentrations of the branched-chain keto-acids decreased after age 60 years, especially alpha-ketoisocaproate, which decreased approximately 40%. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed method allows rapid and reliable measurement of keto-acids. The data demonstrate that changes in branched-chain keto-acids concentrations in serum occur with age.  (+info)

Glucose-induced insulin secretion from islets of fasted rats: modulation by alternate fuel and neurohumoral agonists. (18/535)

Islets from fed and 24-h-fasted rats were studied immediately after collagenase isolation. (1) After a 24-h fast, the insulin secretory responses to 8 mM glucose measured during perifusion were reduced by more than 90% from islets of fasted donors. (2) Increasing glucose to 11 or 27.5 mM resulted in enhanced insulin secretion from islets of fasted animals. (3) Fasting did not reduce islet insulin content. (4) Responses to 8 or 27.5 mM glucose were not affected if fatty acid-free albumin was used during the perifusion. (5) Inclusion of alpha-ketoisocaproate (5 mM), monomethyl succinate (10 mM) or carbachol (10 microM) significantly amplified insulin release from fasted islets in the simultaneous presence of 8 mM glucose. (6) Phospholipase C activation by glucose, carbachol or their combination was not adversely affected by fasting. (7) The response to the protein kinase C activator, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (500 nM), was reduced by about 60% after fasting. (8) Extending the fast to 48 h resulted in a severe decline in response to 11 mM glucose; however, the further addition of 10 microM carbachol still enhanced release from these islets. The results confirm that caloric restriction impairs islet sensitivity to glucose stimulation and that protein kinase C may be involved in the reduction of glucose-induced insulin release from these islets. The activation of phospholipase C by cholinergic stimulation may contribute to the maintenance of insulin secretion from calorically restricted animals. These results also demonstrate that free fatty acids are not essential for glucose to evoke secretion from isolated islets of fasted donors.  (+info)

Mitochondria present in excised patches from pancreatic B-cells may form microcompartments with ATP-dependent potassium channels. (19/535)

Experiments with inside-out patches excised from pancreatic B-cells have yielded evidence that mitochondria are often contained in the cytoplasmic plug protruding into the tip of patch pipette. When intact B-cells were loaded with the fluorescent mitochondrial stain, rhodamine 123, and membrane patches excised from these cells, a green fluorescence could be observed in the lumen at the tip of the patch pipette. The same result was obtained with the mitochondrial stain, MitoTracker Green FM, which is only fluorescent in a membrane-bound state. Furthermore, the open probability of ATP-dependent potassium (K(ATP)) channels in inside-out patches was influenced by mitochondrial fuels and inhibitors. Respiratory substrates like tetramethyl phenylene diamine (2 mM) plus ascorbate (5 mM) or alpha-ketoisocaproic acid (10 mM) reduced the open probability of K(ATP) channels in inside-out patches significantly (down to 57% or 65% of control, respectively). This effect was antagonized by the inhibitor of cytochrome oxidase, sodium azide (5 mM). Likewise, the inhibitor of succinate dehydrogenase, malonate (5 mM), increased the open probability of K(ATP) channels in the presence of succinate (1 mM). However, oligomycin in combination with antimycin and rotenone did not increase open probability. Although it cannot be excluded that these effects result from a direct interaction with the K(ATP) channels, the presence of mitochondria in the close vicinity permits the hypothesis that changes in mitochondrial metabolism are involved, mitochondria and K(ATP) channels thus forming functional microcompartments.  (+info)

Purification and properties of 7, 8-diaminopelargonic acid aminotransferase. (20/535)

The enzyme 7, 8-diaminopelargonic acid aminotransferase utilizes S-adenosyl-L-methionine to transaminate the biotin precurson 7-keto-8-aminopelargonic acid and form the next intermediate in the pathway, 7, 8-diaminopelargonic acid. The enzyme has been purified nearly 1000-fold from an extract of a regulatory mutant of Escherichia coli which is derepressed for the enzymes of the biotin operon. The extract was treated with protamine sulfate, ammonium sulfate, and subjected to acid and heat treatments. Subsequently, the enzyme was chromatographed on columns of DEAE-cellulose, phosphocellulose, hydroxylapatite, and two Sephadex G-100. The resulting purified preparation was judged 86% homogeneous by the scanning of of a stained disc gel. The enzymatic activity was associated with the major band in gels run at two different gel concentrations and two different pH values. The cofactor, pyridoxal phosphate, can be resolved from the enzyme in the presence of phosphate buffer after incubation with the amino donor, S-adenosyl-L-methionine. A molecular weight estimation of 94,000 plus or minus 10, 000 has been obtained by gel filtration and sucrose gradient sedimentation studies. Gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate, shows a single subunit with a molecular weight of 47, 000 plus or minus 3, 000 indicating a dimeric enzyme. A neutral compound was detected in the acidified reaction mixture which was derived from the methionine moiety of S-adenosyl-L-methionine and was present in amounts equivalent to the 7, 8-diaminopelargonic acid produced in the reaction mixture. It is suggested that the keto product of the reaction, i.e. S-adenosyl-2-oxo-4-methylthiobutyric acid, may decompose nonenzymatically under the conditions of the reaction to form 5'-methylthioadenosine and the neutral compound, 2-oxo-3-butenoic acid.  (+info)

Biosynthesis of 7, 8-diaminopelargonic acid from 7-keto-8-aminopelargonic acid and S-adenosyl-L-methionine. The kinetics of the reaction. (21/535)

The transamination of 7-keto-8-aminopelargonic acid by 7, 8-diaminopelargonic acid aminotransferase of Escherichia coli requires S-adenosyl-L-methionine as the amino donor. Initial velocity studies of this reaction revealed a parallel pattern of reciprocal plots characteristic of a ping-pong mechanism. m-Keto-8-aminopelargonic acid showed strong substrate inhibition which was competitive with S-adenosyl-L-methionine. The Michaelis constants determined for S-adenosyl-L-methionine and 7-keto-8-aminopelargonic acid were 0.20 mM and 1.2 muM, respectively. The Vmax of 0.16 mumol/mg/min corresponds to a turnover number for the enzyme of only 17 molecules/molecule enzyme/min. The Km values for the interaction of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate and pyridoxamine 5'-phosphate with the apoenzyme were determined to be 32 muM and 21 muM, respectively. Two classes of inhibitors were observed: (a) those which showed competitive inhibition with respect to S-adenosynd (b) those which showed noncompetitive inhibition with respect to both substrates. In the former group were S-adenosyl-L-(2-hydroxy-4-methylthio)butyric acid and adenosine. In the latter were S-adenosyl-L-ethionine, adenine, and 8-keto-7-aminopelargonic acid. L-Methionine, S-methyl-L-methionine, inosine, and hypoxanthine were not significantly inhibitory. Certain conformations of the substrates in the active site of the enzyme have been proposed which explain: (a) the requirement for the sulfonium ion of S-adenosyl-L-methionine for activity but not for binding to the enzyme, and (b) the ability of 7-keto-8-aminopelargonic acid to bind to the pyridoxal form of the enzyme as a potent substrate inhibitor.  (+info)

The effect of culture age, chloramphenicol and B6 inhibitors on intra- and extracellular keto and amino acids of Escherichia coli B. (22/535)

Keto acids and free amino acids were assayed in the cells and the medium of Escherichia coli B growing in the presence of chloramphenicol, cycloserines, aminooxyacetate, and limiting nitrogen source. Under these growth-limiting conditions the cells accumulated ketoglutarate and 'ketovaline' but no other keto acids. In all experiments only ketoglutarate, pyruvate, and 'ketovaline' were found in the medium. Amino acids are released into the medium in the early phases of growth and the composition of the extracellular amino acids is similar to that of the amino acid pool. The concentrations of free amino acids were 10-3-10-4 times higher in the cell than in the medium. The internal pool composition is fixed under all growth-limiting conditions. In the presence of the drugs the cells release amino acids into the medium.  (+info)

Mode of action of alpha-dehydrobiotin, a biotin analogue. (23/535)

Alpha-Dehydrobiotin, like biotin, represses coordinately the 7,8-diaminopelargonic acid aminotransferase and the dethiobiotin synthetase enzymes that are encoded on the l and r strands, respectively, of the bioA operon. The rate of synthesis for both enzymes is inhibited about 80% in the presence of alpha-dehydrobiotin. Homobiotin and alpha-methylbiotin are less effective than alpha-dehydrobiotin in repressing the synthesis of the two enzymes. The selective repression of transcription from l and by alpha-dehydrobiotin and homobiotin, previously reported in hybridization experiments, is not observed at the enzyme level. A combination of equal concentrations of biotin and alpha-dehydrobiotin which was reported to enhance selectively the level of messenger ribonucleic acid transcribed from the l strand does not increase the rate of synthesis of the aminotransferase enzyme. Instead, the enzymes encoded on both strands are essentially completely inhibited as with biotin alone. Strain differences have been ruled out to account for the different results obtained by the two methodologies. Our evidence would suggest that alpha-dehydrobiotin acts like biotin, presumably as the co-repressor, in the repression of the bioA operon. The low rates of enzyme synthesis observed in the presence of the biotin analogue is the result of incomplete repression due to a lower affinity of either the analogue for the repressor or of the co-repressor/repressor complex for the operator. While our evidence would support the concept of a two promoter/operator complex, both would have to respond equally to biotin and its analogues. The evidence, however, does not rule out other possible alternative models for the regulation of the biotin operon.  (+info)

Response of glutamine metabolism to glutamine-supplemented parenteral nutrition. (24/535)

BACKGROUND: Increasing evidence suggests that glutamine is important for the function of many organ systems and supports the use of glutamine-enriched total parenteral nutrition (TPN) during severe illness. However, the effect of prolonged glutamine supplementation on glutamine kinetics has not been studied. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the effect of 8-10 d of TPN enriched with glutamine dipeptides on glutamine kinetics. DESIGN: Twenty-three preoperative patients were randomly allocated to receive either TPN enriched with glutamine dipeptides (60 micromol glutamine*kg body wt(-1)*h(-1)) or isonitrogenous, isoenergetic, glutamine-free TPN. A primed, continuous, 6-h intravenous infusion of L-[5-(15)N]glutamine and L-[1-(13)C]leucine was given before (baseline) and 8-10 d after the TPN solutions were administered. Baseline measurements were performed after a 40-h administration of a standard solution of glucose and amino acids (no glutamine). RESULTS: Glutamine-enriched TPN increased the total appearance rate of glutamine (P: < 0.05) but did not inhibit or increase the endogenous appearance rate. The standard TPN solution also increased the glutamine appearance rate (P: < 0.05), but the change was much smaller than in the glutamine-supplemented group (P: < 0.01). The plasma glutamine concentration did not rise significantly during either treatment, suggesting increased tissue glutamine utilization, especially in the glutamine-supplemented group. CONCLUSION: In view of the enhanced glutamine requirements in response to trauma and disease by tissues such as those of the gut, the immune system, and the liver, increased glutamine availability during glutamine-enriched TPN may be beneficial preoperatively in patients with gastrointestinal disease.  (+info)