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F Bontemps

Publications and source records attributed to F Bontemps.

45 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1986

Pathways of adenine nucleotide catabolism in erythrocytes.

The exact pathway whereby the initial catabolism of the adenine nucleotides proceeds from AMP and the possibility of a recycling of adenosine were investigated in human erythrocytes. Adenine nucleotide catabolism, reflected by the production of hypoxanthine, is very slow under physiologic conditions and can be greatly increased by suppression of glucose or alkalinization of the medium. Experiments with inhibitors of adenosine deaminase and adenosine kinase demonstrated that under physiologic conditions the initial catabolism of AMP proceeds by way of a deamination of AMP, followed by dephosphorylation of inosine monophosphate, and that no recycling occurs between AMP and adenosine. Under glucose deprivation, approximately 75% of the 20-fold increase of the catabolism of the adenine nucleotides proceeded by way of a dephosphorylation of AMP followed by deamination of adenosine, and a small recycling of this nucleoside could be evidenced. Inhibition of adenosine transport showed that the dephosphorylation of AMP occurred intracellularly. When the incubation medium was alkalinized in the presence of glucose, the 15-fold increase in the conversion of AMP to hypoxanthine proceeded exclusively by way of AMP deaminase but a small recycling of adenosine could also be evidenced. The threefold elevation of intraerythrocytic inorganic phosphate (Pi) during glucose deprivation and its 50% decrease during alkalinization as well as experiments in which extracellular Pi was modified, indicate that the dephosphorylation of red blood cell AMP is mainly responsive to variations of AMP, whereas its deamination is more sensitive to Pi.

Adenine Nucleotides↗
PubMed1983

Evidence for a substrate cycle between AMP and adenosine in isolated hepatocytes.

The effect of adenosine on the metabolism of prelabeled adenine nucleotides was investigated in isolated hepatocytes. Adenosine caused an approximately equal to 2-fold increase in the ATP content of the cells. This effect was in part counteracted by an increased rate of adenine nucleotide catabolism that could be explained by a stimulation of both AMP deaminase (AMP aminohydrolase, EC 3.5.4.6) and the cytoplasmic 5'-nucleotidase (5'-ribonucleotide phosphohydrolase, EC 3.1.3.5) because of the increased concentration of ATP. The unexpected finding that labeled adenosine was formed immediately after the addition of the unlabeled nucleoside could be explained by the trapping effect of adenosine. An accumulation of labeled adenosine was observed also in the presence of 5-iodotubercidin, a potent inhibitor of adenosine kinase (ATP:adenosine 5'-phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.1.20). Under these conditions, there was a decrease in the concentration of ATP in the cell and a 2- to 3-fold increase in the rate of formation of allantoin. This formation of adenosine was only slightly decreased by inhibition of the membranous 5'-nucleotidase; it led to the accumulation of S-adenosylhomocysteine in the presence of coformycin and an excess of L-homocysteine. It was concluded that, under basal conditions, the cytoplasmic 5'-nucleotidase present in the liver cell continuously produces adenosine, which is immediately reconverted into AMP by adenosine kinase, without giving rise to allantoin. This futile cycle between AMP and adenosine amounts to at least 20 nmol/min per g of liver and, thus, exceeds the basic rate of allantoin formation.

AMP Deaminase↗
PubMed1980

Purine catabolism in isolated rat hepatocytes. Influence of coformycin.

1. The catabolism of purine nucleotides was investigated by both chemical and radiochemical methods in isolated rat hepatocytes, previously incubated with [(14)C]adenine. The production of allantoin reached 32+/-5nmol/min per g of cells (mean+/-s.e.m.) and as much as 30% of the radioactivity incorporated in the adenine nucleotides was lost after 1h. This rate of degradation is severalfold in excess over values previously reported to occur in the liver in vivo. An explanation for this enhancement of catabolism may be the decrease in the concentration of GTP. 2. In a high-speed supernatant of rat liver, adenosine deaminase was maximally inhibited by 0.1mum-coformycin. The activity of AMP deaminase, measured in the presence of its stimulator ATP in the same preparation, as well as the activity of the partially purified enzyme, measured after addition of its physiological inhibitors GTP and Pi, required 50mum-coformycin for maximal inhibition. 3. The production of allantoin by isolated hepatocytes was not influenced by the addition of 0.1mum-coformycin, but was decreased by concentrations of coformycin that were inhibitory for AMP deaminase. With 50mum-coformycin the production of allantoin was decreased by 85% and the formation of radioactive allantoin from [(14)C]adenine nucleotides was completely suppressed. 4. In the presence of 0.1mum-coformycin or in its absence, the addition of fructose (1mg/ml) to the incubation medium caused a rapid degradation of ATP, without equivalent increase in ADP and AMP, followed by transient increases in IMP and in the rate of production of allantoin; adenosine was not detectable. In the presence of 50mum-coformycin, the fructose-induced breakdown of ATP was not modified, but the depletion of the adenine nucleotide pool proceeded much more slowly and the rate of production of allantoin increased only slightly. No rise in IMP concentration could be detected, but AMP increased manyfold and reached values at which a participation of soluble 5'-nucleotidase in the catabolism of adenine nucleotides is most likely. 5. These results are in agreement with the hypothesis that the formation of allantoin is controlled by AMP deaminase. They constitute further evidence that 5'-nucleotidase is inactive on AMP, unless the concentration of this nucleotide rises to unphysiological values.

AMP Deaminase↗
PubMed1978

Phosphorylation of glucose in isolated rat hepatocytes. Sigmoidal kinetics explained by the activity of glucokinase alone.

The conversion of glucose into glucose 6-phosphate in an extract of isolated rat hepatocytes incubated in the presence of MgATP was studied spectrophotometrically at 340nm and also by a radiochemical procedure based on the release of (3)H from [2-(3)H]glucose. Both methods gave similar results. The glucose-saturation curve was sigmoidal and the shape of this curve was not influenced by the ionic composition of the incubation medium. The activity at 0.5mm-glucose was only 1-2% of V(max.), indicating a virtual absence of low-K(m) hexokinase in the preparation. The radiochemical method was also used for the determination of glucose phosphorylation by intact hepatocytes. The glucose-saturation curve was also markedly sigmoidal, but the s(0.5) (substrate concentration at half-maximal velocity) and the Hill coefficient were larger than in extracts of hepatocytes. These two parameters became smaller when cells were incubated in a medium in which Na(+) ions were replaced by K(+) ions. The increased rate of phosphorylation at low glucose concentration in a K(+) medium was accompanied by an increased rate of metabolite recycling between glucose and glucose 6-phosphate and also by an increased uptake of glucose. In both media phosphorylation of glucose was inhibited co-operatively by N-acetylglucosamine. Calculations indicate that this inhibition would reach 100% at saturation of the inhibitor, although at lower concentrations of N-acetylglucosamine it was smaller than expected from the known K(i) of N-acetylglucosamine for glucokinase. The rate of phosphorylation of glucose was proportional to the amount of glucokinase in hepatocytes from newborn rats and in conditions such as starvation and diabetes in which the total amount of glucokinase in the liver is decreased. In the same conditions, glucose 6-phosphatase activity was either normal or increased. It is concluded that the phosphorylation of glucose in isolated hepatocytes follows sigmoidal kinetics, which can be explained by the activity of glucokinase alone with no participation of low-K(m) hexokinase or of glucose 6-phosphatase.

Acetylglucosamine↗
PubMed1975

The effects of glucose and of potassium ions on the interconversion of the two forms of glycogen phosphorylase and of glycogen synthetase in isolated rat liver preparations.

In the isolated perfused rat liver, increasing glucose concentration from 5.5 to 55 mm in the perfusion medium caused a sequential inactivation of glycogen phosphorylase and activation of glycogen synthetase. The latter change was preceded by a lag period which corresponded to the time required to inactivate the major part of the phosphorylase. 2. The same sequence of events was observed in isolated rat hepatocytes incubated at 37C. In this preparation, the rate of phosphorylase inactivation was greatly increased by increasing the concentration of glucose and/or of K+ ions in the external medium. The same agents also caused the activation of glycogen synthetase, but this effect was secondary to the inactivation of phosphorylase. 3. In both types of preparations, the rate of synthetase activation was modulated by the residual amount of phosphorylase a that remained after the initial phase of rapid inactivation and was independent of glucose concentration. 4. In isolated hepatocytes, the rate of conversion of glucose into glycogen was propotional to the activity of synthetase a in the preparation. This conversion was preceded by a lag period which could be shortened by increasing either glucose or K+ concentration in the medium. The incorporation of labelled glucose into glycogen was simultaneous with a glycogenolytic process which could not be attributed to the activity of phosphorylase a.

Animals↗