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The subcellular distribution of rat liver L-alanine-glyoxylate aminotransferase in relation to a pathway for glucose formation involving glyoxylate.

1. The distribution of l-alanine-glyoxylate aminotransferase activity between subcellular fractions prepared from rat liver homogenates was investigated. The greater part of the homogenate activity (about 80%) was recovered in the ;total-particles' fraction sedimented by high-speed centrifugation and the remainder in the cytosol fraction. 2. Subfractionation of the particles by differential sedimentation and on sucrose density gradients revealed a specific association between the aminotransferase and the mitochondrial enzymes glutamate dehydrogenase and rhodanese. 3. The aminotransferase activities in the cytosol and the mitochondria are due to isoenzymes. The solubilized mitochondrial enzyme has a pH optimum of 8.6, an apparent K(m) of 0.24mm with respect to glyoxylate and is inhibited by glyoxylate at concentrations above 5mm. The cytosol aminotransferase shows no distinct pH optimum (over the range 7.0-9.0) and has an apparent K(m) of 1.11mm with respect to glyoxylate; there is no evidence of inhibition by glyoxylate. 4. The mitochondrial location of the bulk of the rat liver l-alanine-glyoxylate aminotransferase activity is discussed in relation to a pathway for gluconeogenesis involving glyoxylate.

Acid Phosphatase↗

Effect of high- and low-protein diets on the regulation of rat liver tyrosine aminotransferase and tryptophan oxygenase activities by L-tyrosine and L-tryptophan.

Induction of rat liver tyrosine aminotransferase by l-tyrosine and tryptophan oxygenase by l-tryptophan was studied in groups of rats fed on diets containing 18 or 5% protein. The basal activity of hepatic tyrosine aminotransferase of rats receiving 5% protein gradually increased with the age of the animals but that of rats receiving 18% protein did not. l-Tyrosine induced hepatic tyrosine aminotransferase in rats receiving 18% protein when tested at ages from 4 to 20 weeks. When induction by l-tyrosine was carried out in rats receiving the 5% protein diet, significant induction of tyrosine aminotransferase occurred only in 4- or 6-week-old rats. Induction by l-tryptophan of tryptophan oxygenase in liver or the basal activity of this enzyme in liver did not differ between the groups fed on 5 and 18% protein. On changing the diet from 0 to 18% protein, the above-mentioned effects on the induction of hepatic tyrosine aminotransferase were reversed.

Animals↗

Stabilization of rat liver tyrosine aminotransferase by tetracycline.

Rat liver tyrosine aminotransferase was purified 200-fold and an antiserum raised against it in rabbits. 2. Hepatic tyrosine aminotransferase activity was increased fourfold by tyrosine, twofold by tetracycline, 2.5-fold by cortisone 21-acetate and ninefold by a combination of tyrosine and cortisol administered intraperitoneally to rats. 3. Radioimmunoassay with 14C-labelled tyrosine aminotransferase, in conjunction with rabbit antiserum against the enzyme, revealed that cortisol stimulates the synthesis of the enzyme de novo, but that tetracycline has no such effect. 4. Incubation of rat liver homogenates with purified tyrosine aminotransferase in vitro leads to a rapid inactivation of the enzyme, which tetracycline partially inhibits. 5. The inactivation is brought about by intact lysosomes, and the addition of 10mM-cysteine increases the rate of enzyme inactivation, which is further markedly increased by 10mM-Mg2+ and 10mM-ATP. Here again tetracycline partially inhibits the decay rate, leading to the inference that the increase of tyrosine aminotransferase activity in vivo by tetracycline is brought about by the latter inhibiting the lysosomal catheptic action.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Purification and characterization of kynurenine--2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase from the liver, brain and small intestine of rats.

1. Kynurenine-2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase (isoenzyme 1) was purified to homogeneity from the liver, brain and small intestine of rats by the same procedure. The three enzyme preparations had nearly identical pH optima, substrate specificities and molecular weights. Isoenzyme 1 was active with 2-oxoglutarate but not with pyruvate as amino acceptor, and utilized a wide range of amino acids as amino donors. Amino acids were effective in the following order to activity: L-aspartate greater than L-tyrosine greater than L-phenylalanine greater than L-tryptophan greater than 5-hydroxy-L-tryptophan greater than L-kynurenine. The molecular weight was approximately 88 000 as determined by sucrose-density-gradient centrifugation. The pH optimum was between 8.0 and 8.5. On the basis of substrate specificity, substrate inhibition, subcellular distribution and polyacrylamide-disc-gel electrophoresis, it is suggested that liver, brain and small intestinal kynurenine-2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase (isoenzyme 1) is identical with mitochondrial tyrosine-2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase and also with mitochondrial aspartate-2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase. 2. An additional kynurenine-2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase (isoenzyme 2) was purified from the liver. This enzyme was specific for 2-oxoglutarate and L-kynurenine. Sucrose-density-gradient centrifugation gave a molecular weight of approximately 100 000. The pH optimum was between 6.0 and 6.5. This enzyme was not detected in the brain or small intestine.

Animals↗

Tryptophan aminotransferase activity in rat liver.

By using an antiserum raised against rat liver tyrosine aminotransferase, it was shown that about 60% of tryptophan aminotransferase activity in rat liver extracts is catalysed by this enzyme. Induction of tryptophan aminotransferase activity by intraperitoneal injections of tryptophan or triamcinolone can be entirely attributed to the effects of these agents on tyrosine aminotransferase. The origin of the other 40% of tryptophan aminotransferase activity remains to be established. This activity increases after starvation for 48 h. It is unlikely that tryptophan transamination plays a quantitatively important role in the metabolism of tryptophan by the liver.

Animals↗

Effects of cyclic AMP, glucocorticoids and insulin on the activities of phosphatidate phosphohydrolase, tyrosine aminotransferase and glycerol kinase in isolated rat hepatocytes in relation to the control of triacylglycerol synthesis and gluconeogenesis.

Rat hepatocytes were incubated in monolayer culture in modified Leibovitz L-15 medium containing either 10% (v/v) newborn-calf serum or 0.2% (w/v) fatty-acid-poor bovine serum albumin. The addition of 100 nM-dexamethasone increased the activities of both phosphatidate phosphohydrolase and tyrosine aminotransferase by about 3.5-fold after 8h, and these activities continued to rise until at least 24h. Incubating the hepatocytes in the albumin-containing medium with 10 microM- or 100 microM-8-(4-chlorophenylthio)adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate increased the activities of the phosphohydrolase and aminotransferase by 2.6- and 3.4-fold respectively after 8h. These increases were blocked by actinomycin D. The increases in the activities that were produced by the cyclic AMP analogue and dexamethasone were independent and approximately additive. Insulin when added alone did not alter the phosphohydrolase activity, but it increased the aminotransferase activity by 34%. The dexamethasone-induced increase in the phosphohydrolase activity was completely blocked by 7-144 microM-insulin, whereas that of the aminotransferase was only partly suppressed. Insulin had no significant Effects on the increases in the activities of phosphatidate phosphohydrolase and tyrosine aminotransferase that were produced by the cyclic AMP analogue, but this may be because the analogue is fairly resistant to degradation by the phosphodiesterase. The activity of glycerol kinase was not significantly changed by incubating the hepatocytes with insulin, dexamethasone and the cyclic AMP analogue alone or in combinations. It is proposed that high concentrations of cyclic AMP and glucocorticoids increase the total activity of phosphatidate phosphohydrolase in the liver and provide it with an increased capacity for synthesizing triacylglycerols and very-low-density lipoproteins, which is expressed when the availability of fatty acids is high. There appears to be a co-ordinated hormonal control of triacyglycerol synthesis and gluconeogenesis in diabetes and in metabolic stress to enable the liver to supply other organs with energy.

Animals↗

Purification and partial structural and kinetic characterization of tyrosine aminotransferase from epimastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi.

Tyrosine aminotransferase was purified to homogeneity from epimastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi by a method involving chromatography on DEAE-cellulose, gel filtration on Sephacryl S-200 and chromatography on Mono Q in an f.p.l.c. system. The purified enzyme showed a single band in SDS/PAGE, with an apparent molecular mass of 45 kDa. Since the apparent molecular mass of the native enzyme, determined by gel filtration, is 91 kDa, the native enzyme is a dimer of similar subunits. The amino-acid composition was determined, as well as the sequences of three internal peptides obtained by CNBr cleavage at Met residues. Both criteria suggest considerable similarity with the tyrosine aminotransferases from rat and from human liver. The enzyme contains nine 1/2 Cys residues, three free and the others forming three disulphide bridges. The enzyme is not N-glycosylated. The isoelectric point is 4.6-4.8. The optimal pH for the reaction of the enzyme with tyrosine as a substrate is 7.0. The apparent Km values for tyrosine, phenylalanine and tryptophan, with pyruvate as a co-substrate, were 6.8, 17.9 and 21.4 mM, respectively, whereas those for pyruvate, alpha-oxoglutarate and oxaloacetate, with tyrosine as a substrate, were 0.5, 38 and 16 mM respectively. The purified tyrosine aminotransferase acts as an alanine aminotransferase as well and the activity seems to reside in the same enzyme molecule. The results suggest that the enzyme is a general aromatic-amino-acid transaminase, with high sequence similarity to tyrosine aminotransferases from rat and human liver.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Serum alanine aminotransferase in hepatitis c screening of patients on hemodialysis.

It is recommended that patients on hemodialysis (HD) therapy undergo regular screening for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection by using alanine aminotransferase (ALT) values. However, the utility of using ALT values in this setting is unknown. The aim of this prospective study at the University of California Los Angeles Hepatitis Screening Program is to determine the sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values of an elevated ALT level for the diagnosis of HCV infection in HD patients. We screened 2,440 HD patients from 39 dialysis centers for viral infection by using hepatitis antibody serological testing and ALT values. We found the sensitivity and specificity of a newly elevated ALT level for acute HCV infection to be 83% and 90%, respectively. According to Bayes' theorem, the positive predictive value was 4% and the positive likelihood ratio was 8.74. For chronic HCV infection, the sensitivity of a newly elevated aminotransferase level was 21%, and specificity was 91%. The positive predictive value was 16% (according to Bayes' theorem), and the positive likelihood ratio was 2.47. The negative predictive value of a newly elevated aminotransferase value was 99% for acute HCV infection and 94% for chronic HCV infection. Our results indicate that although a newly elevated aminotransferase level is sensitive and specific for acute HCV infection, its positive predictive value is inadequate. A newly elevated aminotransferase level was neither sensitive nor positively predictive of chronic infection. Therefore, an elevated ALT level is an ineffective method for screening for HCV infection in HD patients.

Alanine Transaminase↗

Calcitonin increases alanine aminotransferase activity related to calcium in the hepatic mitochondria of rats.

The effect of calcitonin (CT) on alanine aminotransferase activity and calcium content in the hepatic mitochondria of intact rats was investigated. A single subcutaneous administration of CT (synthetic [Asu1,7] eel calcitonin; 80 MRC mU/100 g body weight) produced a significant increase in alanine aminotransferase activity and a corresponding elevation of calcium content. Those increases were also observed with the lowest dose of CT (20 MRC mU/100 g). The mitochondrial calcium depletion by 10 mM EGTA treatment produced a remarkable reduction in alanine aminotransferase activity increased by CT, although EGTA treatment did not alter basal enzyme activity. Addition of calcium ion (1-10(3) microM) into the EGTA-treated mitochondria, however, produced a significant increase in alanine aminotransferase activity. The enzyme activity increased by CT was not inhibited by the presence of calmodulin inhibitor, W-7 (1-10(3) microM). These results suggest that the mitochondrial calcium increased by CT administration directly activates alanine aminotransferase in the hepatic mitochondria of rats.

Alanine Transaminase↗

Reducing the incidence of non-A,non-B post-transfusion hepatitis by testing donor blood for alanine aminotransferase: economic considerations.

Recent studies have established a relation between elevated alanine aminotransferase levels in donor blood and the incidence of non-A, non-B hepatitis in recipients of such blood. Routine testing of donor blood for alanine aminotransferase activity in order to reduce hepatitis is not currently supported, largely because the results of such testing are unknown. We assessed the potential economic benefits of screening donor blood for alanine aminotransferase as a means to reduce post-transfusion hepatitis. Benefits, defined as the expected costs of hepatitis potentially avoided, ranged from $898 to $31,629 per 1000 blood units collected. This wide range reflected lack of information about the natural history of non-A, non-B hepatitis. Costs were defined as the direct costs of testing and the indirect costs associated with loss of blood product, additional donor recruitment, and informing donors of their abnormal aminotransferase levels; costs ranged from $3,151 to $4,003 per 1000 units. Our results suggest that if prospective studies demonstrate that exclusion of blood with elevated aminotransferase levels decreases non-A, non-B hepatitis in recipients, the net economic impact may be positive. However, because of major uncertainties about the medical consequences of non-A, non-B hepatitis, the benefit estimates are so broad that they preclude a definitive policy decision.

Alanine Transaminase↗

The appearance and disappearance of the post-transcriptional repressor of tyrosine aminotransferase synthesis during the HTC cell cycle.

The synthesis of the enzyme tyrosine aminotransferase in HTC cells (an established line of rat hepatoma cells) is inducible by glucocorticoid hormones only during the latter part of G1 phase and throughout S phase in the cell generation cycle. We have earlier shown that during the first few hours of G1 phase when the enzyme cannot be induced, its synthesis is constitutive, presumably using as template, preexisting messenger RNA. Our model for tyrosine aminotransferase gene regulation in eukaryotic cells entails a specific post-transcriptional repressor which is formed only during the periods in the cell cycle when tyrosine aminotransferase is inducible. This model predicts that during the noninducible period, G2, the tyrosine aminotransferase repressor would not be present and thus tyrosine aminotransferase synthesis would be constitutive. Data are presented which confirm this prediction in further support of the model.

Animals↗

Cloning and functional expression of a soluble form of kynurenine/alpha-aminoadipate aminotransferase from rat kidney.

Several aminotransferases with kynurenine aminotransferase (KAT) activity are able to convert L-kynurenine into kynurenic acid, a putative endogenous modulator of glutamatergic neurotransmission. In the rat, one of the described KAT isoforms has been found to correspond to glutamine transaminase K. In addition, rat kidney alpha-aminoadipate aminotransferase (AadAT) also shows KAT activity. In this report, we describe the isolation of a cDNA clone encoding the soluble form of this aminotransferase isoenzyme from rat (KAT/AadAT). Degenerate oligonucleotides were designed from the amino acid sequences of rat kidney KAT/AadAT tryptic peptides for use as primers for reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction of rat kidney RNA. The resulting polymerase chain reaction fragment was used to screen a rat kidney cDNA library and to isolate a cDNA clone encoding KAT/AadAT. Analysis of the combined DNA sequences indicated the presence of a single 1275-base pair open reading frame coding for a soluble protein of 425 amino acid residues. KAT/AadAT appears to be structurally homologous to aspartate aminotransferase in the pyridoxal 5'-phosphate binding domain. RNA blot analysis of rat tissues, including brain, revealed a single species of KAT/AadAT mRNA of approximately 2.1 kilobases. HEK-293 cells transfected with the KAT/AadAT cDNA exhibited both KAT and AadAT activities with enzymatic properties similar to those reported for the rat native protein.

2-Aminoadipate Transaminase↗

The molecular structure of hyperthermostable aromatic aminotransferase with novel substrate specificity from Pyrococcus horikoshii.

Aromatic amino acid aminotransferase (ArATPh), which has a melting temperature of 120 degrees C, is one of the most thermostable aminotransferases yet to be discovered. The crystal structure of this aminotransferase from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus horikoshii was determined to a resolution of 2.1 A. ArATPh has a homodimer structure in which each subunit is composed of two domains, in a manner similar to other well characterized aminotransferases. By the least square fit after superposing on a mesophilic ArAT, the ArATPh molecule exhibits a large deviation of the main chain coordinates, three shortened alpha-helices, an elongated loop connecting two domains, and a long loop transformed from an alpha-helix, which are all factors that are likely to contribute to its hyperthermostability. The pyridine ring of the cofactor pyridoxal 5'-phosphate covalently binding to Lys(233) is stacked parallel to F121 on one side and interacts with the geminal dimethyl-CH/pi groups of Val(201) on the other side. This tight stacking against the pyridine ring probably contributes to the hyperthermostability of ArATPh. Compared with other ArATs, ArATPh has a novel substrate specificity, the order of preference being Tyr > Phe > Glu > Trp > His>> Met > Leu > Asp > Asn. Its relatively weak activity against Asp is due to lack of an arginine residue corresponding to Arg(292)* (where the asterisk indicates that this is a residues supplied by the other subunit of the dimer) in pig cytosolic aspartate aminotransferase. The enzyme recognizes the aromatic substrate by hydrophobic interaction with aromatic rings (Phe(121) and Tyr(59)*) and probably recognizes acidic substrates by a hydrophilic interaction involving a hydrogen bond network with Thr(264)*.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Hepatic tyrosine aminotransferase activity is affected by chronic heat stress and dietary tyrosine in broiler chickens.

1. Two experiments were conducted to investigate the impact of high temperature and dietary tyrosine (Tyr) content on performance and activity of hepatic tyrosine aminotransferase (EC 2.6.1.5.), an enzyme that catalyses the first step in the metabolic degradation of Tyr in broiler chickens. 2. Two-week-old birds were allocated to one of three temperature treatments: 24 degrees C (control), 36 degrees C (heat stress, HS) and 24 degrees C pair-fed (24PF) for 2 weeks and fed on diets containing 100% (Experiment 1) and 50, 100 and 200% (Experiment 2) of the NRC requirement for Tyr. 3. In Experiment 1, exposure of chickens to 36 degrees C for 2 weeks caused significant increase in hepatic tyrosine aminotransferase activity but no significant change in activity of hepatic phenylalanine 4-hydroxylase (EC 1.14.16.1) (an enzyme that catalyses conversion of phenylalanine to Tyr) compared with the 24PF birds. No significant changes attributable to heat stress were detected in hepatic glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (EC 2.6.1.1) activity. 4. In Experiment 2, heat stress caused reductions in weight gain and feed intake in chickens on all diets, compared with their control counterparts. Hepatic tyrosine aminotransferase activity was increased by heat stress compared with their 24PF counterparts in chickens fed on the 100 and 200% Tyr diets, while in chickens fed the 50% Tyr diet, it was reduced by heat stress. 5. From these results, it is suggested that hepatic tyrosine aminotransferase activity is affected by heat stress and dietary Tyr content and the increased tyrosine aminotransferase activity with, in part, relatively low phenylalanine hydroxylase activity in hepatic tissues may be involved in the Tyr metabolism characteristic of heat-stressed chickens.

Animals↗

Comparison of the tyrosine aminotransferase cDNA and genomic DNA sequences of normal mink and mink affected with tyrosinemia type II.

Type II tyrosinemia, designated Richner-Hanhart syndrome in humans, is a hereditary metabolic disorder with autosomal recessive inheritance characterized by a deficiency of tyrosine aminotransferase activity. Mutations occur in the human tyrosine aminotransferase gene, resulting in high levels of tyrosine and disease. Type II tyrosinemia occurs in mink, and our hypothesis was that it would also be associated with mutation(s) in the tyrosine aminotransferase gene. Therefore, the transcribed cDNA and the genomic tyrosine aminotransferase gene were sequenced from normal and affected mink. The gene extended over 11.9 kb and had 12 exons coding for a predicted 454-amino-acid protein with 93% homology with human tyrosine aminotransferase. FISH analysis mapped the gene to chromosome 8 using the Mandahl and Fredga (1975) nomenclature and chromosome 5 using the Christensen et al. (1996) nomenclature. The hypothesis was rejected because sequence analysis disclosed no mutations in either cDNA or introns that were associated with affected mink. This suggests that an unlinked gene regulatory mutation may be the cause of tyrosinemia in mink.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Molecular cloning and sequencing of a cDNA encoding alanine-glyoxylate aminotransferase 2 from rat kidney.

Alanine-glyoxylate aminotransferase (AGT) 2 is a pyridoxal 5'-phosphate dependent, mitochondrial enzyme which, in the rat, is expressed at a high level in the kidney. The amino acid sequences of nine tryptic and seven CNBr peptides of the rat kidney AGT2 were determined. Three overlapping cDNAs encoding the AGT2 were cloned on the basis of its partial amino acid sequences by means of a polymerase chain reaction-based approach involving rat kidney poly(A)+ RNA. The complete cDNA sequence comprised 1,919 bases, and contained a 1,536-base open reading frame which encodes a polypeptide of 512 amino acid residues with a putative presequence consisting of 39 amino acid residues at the amino terminus, giving a precursor protein with a molecular mass of 57,150 Da. The sequence of AGT2 exhibits significant homology with neither peroxisomal AGT1 from human liver nor mitochondrial AGT1 from rat liver. However, the sequence of AGT2 exhibited 30.8, 29.2, and 27.1% identity with those of Escherichia coli 4-aminobutyrate aminotransferase, rat ornithine aminotransferase, and Pseudomonas cepacia 2,2-dialkylglycine decarboxylase, respectively. The active site sequences were also well conserved among these aminotransferases. AGT2, thus, is more similar to the other aminotransferases than to AGT1. The results suggest that the rat kidney AGT2 may play a biological role in amino acid metabolism distinct from that of AGT1.

Alanine Transaminase↗

Studies on the turnover rates of ornithine aminotransferase in Morris hepatoma 44 and host liver.

The ornithine aminotransferase [EC 2.6.1.13] content of Morris hepatoma 44 is about 15 times higher than that in normal liver. The turnover rates of ornithine amino-transferase in hepatoma 44 and host liver were determined using L-[14C]leucine. Studies on the incorporation of radioactive leucine into ornithine aminotransferase in rats bearing hepatoma 44 showed that the rate of synthesis of this enzyme in the hepatoma was about 5-fold higher than that in host liver. The half-life of ornithine aminotransferase in host liver was 0.98 day, which was the same as that in normal liver, whereas that in hepatoma 44 was 3.5 days. The rate constant of degradation of ornithine aminotransferase in hepatoma 44 was significantly less than that in host liver. These results show that the high ornithine aminotransferase content of hepatoma 44 is due to both increase in its rate of synthesis and decrease in its rate of degradation.

Animals↗

Uptake and processing of serine: pyruvate aminotransferase precursor by rat liver mitochondria in vitro and in vivo.

Processing and uptake of the precursor of serine: pyruvate aminotransferase [EC 2.6.1.51] by mitochondria were studied in vitro and in vivo. Serine: pyruvate aminotransferase was synthesized mainly on free ribosomes as judged by immunoprecipitation of puromycin-labeled nascent peptides prepared from free and bound ribosomes. The precursor of rat liver serine:pyruvate aminotransferase (pSPT) synthesized in vitro was post-translationally processed to an apparently mature form by isolated rat liver mitochondria. Available evidence indicated that the processed product was localized in the matrix of mitochondria. Mature serine:pyruvate aminotransferase did not inhibit the in vitro processing, suggesting that the extra peptide was necessary for the mitochondrial uptake of the precursor. In the livers of rats fed a vitamin B6-deficient high-protein diet, the induction by glucagon of serine:pyruvate aminotransferase occurred and most of the induced enzyme existed in mitochondria as the apo-form, suggesting that pSPT was taken up by mitochondria and processed in the apo-form under the conditions employed. In the in vitro system, on the other hand, the processing of pSPT proceeded both in the absence and presence of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate. Should the precursor also bind the prosthetic molecule, therefore, it would be transported into mitochondria in both the apo- and holo-forms. When isolated rat hepatocytes were labeled with [35S]methionine, labeled pSPT appeared in the cytosolic fraction and was transported rapidly into mitochondria in association with the processing. This uptake and processing were inhibited by a fluorescent laser dye, rhodamine 123, and the precursor accumulated in the cytosol in the presence of the dye.

Animals↗