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Sodium-dependent high-affinity uptake of taurine by isolated rat brain capillaries.

Transport of taurine has been demonstrated in capillary preparations from adult rat brains using [3H]taurine. Taurine transport is mediated by a saturable high-affinity system which is entirely dependent on sodium ions. The apparent maximal influx (Vmax) and half-saturation concentration (Km) corresponded to 1.06.10(-4) mumol/min per mg protein and 27.5 microM, respectively. Competition experiments in the presence of sodium ion showed that [3H]taurine uptake was strongly inhibited by 0.1 mM unlabeled structural analogues of taurine such as beta-alanine and hypotaurine as well as unlabeled taurine. gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) (0.1 mM) inhibited the uptake of labeled taurine by 30%, whereas isethionic acid, L-methionine, L-2,4-diaminobutyric acid, glycine, L-cysteinesulfonic acid and cystamine did not exhibit any inhibitory effect. The results suggest that the Na+ gradient is the principal source of energy for taurine transport into isolated brain capillaries. This transport system may play an active role in the regulation of taurine concentration in the brain extracellular space.

Amino Acids↗

Tichocarpols A and B, two novel phenylpropanoids with feeding-deterrent activity from the red alga Tichocarpus crinitus.

Two novel phenylpropanoic acid derivatives, tichocarpol A (1) and tichocarpol B (2), were isolated along with floridoside and isethionic acid from the red alga Tichocarpus crinitus. The structures of these novel metabolites were elucidated using a combination of spectral (1D and 2D NMR techniques and ESIMS) and chemical methods. Compounds 1, 2, and floridoside exhibited feeding-deterrent activity against the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus intermedius.

Animals↗

Comparison of the effects of taurine with those of related sulfur-containing compounds on pyridoxal-induced adrenomedullary catecholamine release and glycogenolysis in the rat.

Taurine (2-aminoethanesulfonic acid) is known to attenuate the release of adrenomedullary catecholamines and ensuing hepatic glycogenolysis and hyperglycemia induced by pyridoxal in the rat. Using this animal model, the present study was undertaken to assess the impact that simple structural modifications of the taurine molecule might have on its antagonistic actions against PL. Removal of the amino group (ethanesulfonic acid) or shortening the carbon chain by one methylene (2-aminomethanesulfonic acid) raised the protective actions of taurine. While N-alkylation (N-methyltaurine) or replacement of the amino group by hydroxyl (isethionic acid) had a lowering effect, substituting a sulfhydryl group (2-mercaptoethanesulfonic acid) for the 2-amino group abolished all antagonistic properties associated with taurine. The sulfinic acid analog (hypotaurine) was equipotent with taurine, but the carboxylate isostere (beta-alanine) was inactive. Propranolol, a nonspecific beta-adrenoceptor antagonist, enhanced the antiglycogenolytic effect of taurine and of all structurally related compounds capable of attenuating the outflow of adrenal catecholamines elicited by pyridoxal.

Adrenal Medulla↗

Regulation of calcium homeostasis in the heart by taurine.

The role of taurine in maintaining calcium and potassium homeostasis in excitable tissues is discussed. These effects of taurine appear to be related to its interaction with a low affinity binding protein of the cell membrane. This conclusion is based on the observation that the sulfinic acid analog of taurine, hypotaurine, also interacts with this protein and mimics these actions of taurine, whereas two other analogs, beta-alanine and isethionic acid, have little affinity for the binding protein and fail to exhibit taurine-like activity. The possibility that a relationship exists between the low affinity protein and sarcolemmal calcium pools is considered.

Animals↗

Characteristics of taurine transport system and its developmental pattern in mouse cerebral cortical neurons in primary culture.

Developmental patterns and pharmacological and biochemical properties of taurine transport system were investigated using developing primary cultured neurons prepared from mouse cerebral cortex by trypsin treatment. [3H]Taurine was incorporated into neurons via a high-affinity transport system of which the Km value as well as the Vmax value increased during neuronal development in vitro. This transport system was also inhibited by sodium withdrawal from incubation medium and exposures for 15 h to several metabolic inhibitors such as 2,4-dinitrophenol and monoiodoacetate. In addition, [3H]taurine uptake in both neurons cultured for 3 and 14 days was competitively inhibited by beta-alanine, guanidinoethanesulfonate and hypotaurine. Cysteic acid and cysteine sulfinic acid, metabolic intermediates produced in the process of taurine biosynthesis in the brain from cysteine, induced significant reductions in [3H]taurine uptake in both types of cultured neurons, while cysteine, isethionic acid, cysteamine and cystamine exhibited no alterations in [3H]taurine transport. Moreover, non-competitive inhibition of [3H]taurine uptake by cysteic acid was observed in both neurons. These results clearly indicate that taurine uptake was mediated by the sodium- and energy-dependent transport system with high affinity in 14-day-old neurons as well as neurons cultured for 3 days and that both the Km and Vmax values of this transport system increase during neuronal development in vitro. The results described above suggest that the decrease in taurine content observed in developing brain is unlikely to be due to alteration in the capacity of the taurine transport system during neuronal development.

Amino Acids↗

Attenuation of oxidative damage to DNA by taurine and taurine analogs.

Taurine has been suggested to have cytoprotective actions via a number of different mechanisms. The role of taurine in protecting DNA from oxidative damage has received only limited attention. The aim of the present studies was to test the hypothesis that taurine might act to attenuate oxidative damage to DNA caused by free radicals generated by iron-stimulated catecholamine oxidation in the presence of H2O2. Calf thymus DNA (100 microg/tube) was exposed to a reaction mixture containing: ferric chloride (60 microM), H2O2 (2.8 mM) and L-dopa (100 microM). Taurine and taurine analogs were added simultaneously to determine their effects to prevent oxidative damage to DNA. The reaction was carried out for 1 hour at 37 degrees C and terminated by rapid freezing in an ethanol/dry ice bath. The DNA was precipitated with ethanol and subsequently hydrolyzed with formic acid under vacuum. The hydroxylated bases were separated by HPLC and detected electrochemically. All experiments were replicated a minimum of 5 times. Taurine (20 mM) was found to reduce (p<0.05) damage to DNA as indexed by reductions in the formation of 5-OH-uracil (49% decrease), 8-OH adenine (37% decrease), and 8-OH guanine (21% decrease). Taurine had minimal effects to reduce the formation of 5-OH cytosine (<7% decrease). Taurine (20 mM) also increased total DNA recovery after damage 36-40% and increased total undamaged guanine approximately 32%. 5-OH Uracil formation could be reduced (p<0.05) by 1 mM taurine and 8-OH-adenine formation was reduced (p<0.05) by 5 mM taurine. Studies were conducted with various amino acid analogs and total base adduct formation was reduced by 20 mM beta-alanine (30% decrease), lysine (58% decrease) and glutathione (88% decrease). When tested at 20 mM, both hypotaurine and homotaurine provided greater protection against DNA damage than taurine, whereas isethionic acid provided a similar level of protection as taurine. Using identical conditions as the assays for base hydroxylation, we tested whether inhibition of quinone formation could account for taurine's mechanism of action. Taurine (49% decrease), homotaurine (24% decrease) and hypotaurine (79% decrease) all reduced quinone formation. Thus, inhibition of quinone formation could account for part of taurine's mechanism of action to inhibit oxidative damage, but it could not account for homotaurine's greater efficacy in preventing DNA damage. Overall, these studies show that taurine at concentrations normally found in cells can inhibit oxidative damage to DNA.

Adenine↗

Amino acid neurotransmitters and dopamine in brain and pituitary of the goldfish: involvement in the regulation of gonadotropin secretion.

An isocratic high-performance liquid chromatographic technique was developed to measure levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutamate, and taurine in the brain and pituitary of goldfish. Accuracy of this procedure for quantification of these compounds was established by evaluating anesthetic and postmortem effects and by selectively manipulating GABA concentrations by intraperitoneal administration of the glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) inhibitor 3-mercaptopropionic acid or the GABA transaminase inhibitor gamma-vinyl GABA. The technique provided a simple, rapid, and reliable method for evaluating the concentrations of these amino acids without the use of complex gradient chromatographic systems. To investigate the relationship between neurotransmitter amino acids and the control of pituitary secretion of gonadotropin, the effects of injection of taurine, GABA, or monosodium glutamate on GABA, glutamate, taurine, and, in some instances, monoamine concentrations in the brain and pituitary were evaluated and related to serum gonadotropin levels. Injection of taurine caused an elevation in serum gonadotropin concentrations. In addition, injection of the taurine precursor hypotaurine but not the taurine catabolite isethionic acid elevated serum gonadotropin levels. Intracerebroventricular injection of either GABA or taurine also elevated serum gonadotropin concentrations. Pretreatment of recrudescent fish with alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine reduced pituitary dopamine concentrations and also potentiated the serum gonadotropin response to taurine. Injection of monosodium glutamate caused an increase of glutamate content in the pituitary at 24 h; this was followed by a decrease at 72 h after administration. Pituitary GABA, taurine, and dopamine concentrations underwent a transient depletion after monosodium glutamate administration, and this was associated with an elevation of serum gonadotropin content.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

3-Mercaptopropionic Acid↗

Weak organic acids induce taurine release through an osmotic-sensitive process in in vivo rat hippocampus.

Isotonic media containing sodium salts from weak organic acids induce cell swelling in several experimental preparations (Grinstein et al., 1984; Jakubovicz et al., 1987). In vivo perfusion of rat dentate gyrus, using a microdialysis probe, with modified Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate solutions in which 50 mM NaCl was isotonically substituted by the sodium salts from organic acids with a pKa value of greater than 2 (acetate, propionate, or pyruvate), induced a reversible increase in the extracellular taurine concentration. By contrast, similar NaCl substitutions with sodium salts from the stronger organic acids isethionate and methane-sulfonate did not change extracellular taurine levels. Extracellular taurine increases evoked by acetate, propionate, or pyruvate were almost completely abolished when the perfusion liquid was made hypertonic by adding sucrose (50 mM). A 30% reduction of the acetate-induced extracellular taurine increase was observed both when amiloride was present or when the [Na+]0 was lowered. Both conditions are known to inhibit Na+/H+ exchange. These results are compatible with the hypothesis that acid load-induced taurine release is stimulated by an osmotic sensitive mechanism, part of which is dependent on activation of the Na+/H+ exchange.

Acetates↗

Taurine stimulation of isolated hamster brain Na+,K+-ATPase: activation kinetics and chemical specificity.

Epileptic foci are associated with locally reduced taurine (2-aminoethanesulfonic acid) concentration and Na+,K+-ATPase (EC 3.6.1.3) specific activity. Topically applied and intraperitoneally administered taurine can prevent the development and/or spread of foci in many animal models. Taurine has been implicated as a possible cytosolic modulator of monovalent ion distribution, cytosolic "free" calcium activity, and neuronal excitability. Taurine may act in part by modulating Na+,K+-ATPase activity of neuronal and glial cells. We characterized the requirements for in vitro modulation of Na+,K+-ATPase by taurine. Normal whole brain homogenate Na+,K+-ATPase activity is 5.1 +/- 0.4 (4) mumol Pi X h-1 X mg-1 Lowry protein. Partial purification of the plasma membrane fraction to remove cytosolic proteins and extrinsic proteins and to uncouple cholinergic receptors yields a membrane-bound Na+,K+-ATPase activity of 204.6 +/- 5.8 (4) mol Pi X h-1 X mg-1 Lowry protein. Taurine activates the Na+,K+-ATPase at all levels of purification. The concentration dependence of activation follows normal saturation kinetics (K1/2 = 39 mM taurine, activation maximum = +87%). The activation exhibits chemical specificity among the taurine analogues and metabolites: taurine = isethionic acid greater than hypotaurine greater than no activation = beta-alanine = methionine = choline = leucine. Taurine can act as an endogenous activator/modulator of Na+,K+-ATPase. Its action is mediated by a membrane-bound protein.

Age Factors↗

Taurine is a weak scavenger of peroxynitrite and does not attenuate sodium nitroprusside toxicity to cells in culture.

Many studies have suggested an antioxidant role for taurine, but few studies have directly measured its free radical scavenging activity. The aim of the present study was to directly determine the action of taurine and taurine analogs to inhibit peroxynitrite-mediated oxidation of dihydrorhodamine 123 (DHR) to rhodamine. Taurine was also tested to determine if it could attenuate the toxicity of sodium nitroprusside (SNP) to neuronal cultures. Taurine at concentrations above 30 mM had a modest ability to inhibit peroxynitrite formation derived from SIN-1. Hypotaurine could inhibit peroxynitrite formation from both SIN-1 (decrease 75%) and SNP (decrease 50%) at 10 mM. Other taurine analogs (homotaurine, beta-alanine & isethionic acid) slightly potentiated DHR oxidation by SIN-1. Short-term (1-hour) treatment of PC12 cultures with either SNP (1-2mM) or taurine (20-40 mM) appeared to induce cellular proliferation. In contrast, 24-hour treatment with SNP (1 mM) induced cell death. Combination treatments with taurine and SNP appeared to interact in an additive fashion for both cell proliferation and neurotoxic actions. It appears unlikely that taurine is a major endogenous scavenger of peroxynitrite.

Animals↗

Taurine allosterically inhibits binding of [35S]-t-butylbicyclophosphorothionate (TBPS) to rat brain synaptic membranes.

The modulatory effects of taurine on [35S]-t-butylbicyclophosphorothionate (TBPS) binding to rat brain synaptic membranes were evaluated and compared with that of GABA. Taurine allosterically inhibited TBPS binding by interacting with a bicuculline-sensitive site, similar to GABA. Taurine was as effective as GABA but less potent. The potency of taurine inhibition of TBPS binding varied among brain regions with cerebellum > olfactory bulb > cortex, similar to that of GABA. Inhibition of TBPS binding to cortical membranes measured under nonequilibrium conditions yielded a dynamic biphasic inhibition curve that was similarly shaped for GABA and taurine. The effect of taurine on TBPS binding was pharmacologically specific in that beta-alanine and guanadinoethanesulfonate were as effective as taurine, while hypotaurine and alpha-aminoethylhydrogen sulfate were only partially effective at high concentrations, and isethionic acid was without effect. Taurine, similar to GABA, enhanced the effects of pentobarbital on TBPS binding when present at concentrations that were otherwise ineffective on their own. The results of these studies support the notion that taurine interacts with the GABA recognition site of the GABAA receptor complex.

Allosteric Regulation↗

Effects of taurine on calcium ion uptake and protein phosphorylation in rat retinal membrane preparations.

The effects of taurine on ATP-dependent calcium ion uptake and protein phosphorylation of rat retinal membrane preparations were investigated. Taurine (20 mM) stimulates ATP-dependent calcium ion uptake by twofold in crude retinal homogenates. In contrast, it inhibits the phosphorylation of specific membrane proteins as shown by acrylamide gel electrophoresis and autoradiography. The close structural analogue of taurine, 2-aminoethylhydrogen sulfate, demonstrates similar effects in both systems, i.e., stimulation of ATP-dependent calcium ion uptake and inhibition of protein phosphorylation, whereas isethionic acid and guanidinoethanesulfonate have no effect on either system. A P1 subcellular fraction of the retinal membrane preparation that contains photoreceptor cell synaptosomes has a higher specific activity for the uptake of calcium ions. Phosphorylation of specific proteins in the P1 fraction is also inhibited by the addition of 20 mM taurine. Taurine has no effect on retinal ATPase activities or on phosphatase activity, thus suggesting that it directly affects a kinase system.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

ATP-dependent glutamate uptake into synaptic vesicles from cerebellar mutant mice.

The ATP-dependent glutamate uptake system in synaptic vesicles prepared from mouse cerebellum was characterized, and the levels of glutamate uptake were investigated in the cerebellar mutant mice, staggerer and weaver, whose main defect is the loss of cerebellar granule cells, and the nervous mutant, whose main defect is the loss of Purkinje cells. The ATP-dependent glutamate uptake is stimulated by low concentrations of chloride, is insensitive to aspartate, and is inhibited by agents known to dissipate the electrochemical proton gradient. These properties are similar to those of the glutamate uptake system observed in the highly purified synaptic vesicles prepared from bovine cortex. The ATP-dependent glutamate uptake system is reduced by 68% in the staggerer and 57-67% in the weaver mutant; these reductions parallel the substantial loss of granule cells in those mutants. In contrast, the cerebellar levels of glutamate uptake are not altered significantly in the nervous mutant, which has lost Purkinje cells, but not granule cells. In view of evidence that granule cells are glutamatergic neurons and Purkinje cells are GABAergic neurons, these observations support the notion that the ATP-dependent glutamate uptake system is present in synaptic vesicles of glutamatergic neurons.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Taurine transport rates between plasma and tissues in adult and 7-day-old mice.

Transport rates for taurine from plasma to liver, kidney, heart, spleen and femoral muscle were evaluated in adult and 7-day-old mice in vivo. The mice were injected with [35S]taurine and the specific radioactivity of taurine was determined in the above tissues at varying intervals from 10 min up to 48 hr after the injection. A multicompartment model was fitted to the data and the transport rates with their confidence limits were estimated using a digital computer. The tissue-plasma exchange rate was generally faster in adult mice than in 7-day-old mice. The transport rates between the plasma and the brain or muscle were low, while taurine penetrated into the liver and kidneys very rapidly. There was no distinct correlation between the calculated transport rates and the tissue taurine concentrations. The metabolic breakdown of taurine in the tissues was slow, since only negligible amounts of radioactivity were recovered in the metabolites of taurine, isethionic acid and inorganic sulphate. It seems unlikely that either the magnitudes of the transport rates between the plasma and the tissues or taurine breakdown rates in situ act as the primary factor determining the taurine levels in tissues.

Animals↗

Induction of settlement of larvae of the sea urchin Holopneustes purpurascens by histamine from a host alga.

Larvae of the Australian sea urchin Holopneustes purpurascens are induced to settle and metamorphose (termed settlement herein) by a water-soluble compound produced by the red alga Delisea pulchra, the main host plant of new recruits. The settlement cue for H. purpurascens had previously been identified as a floridoside-isethionic acid complex, and this paper presents new evidence correcting that finding. The actual settlement cue produced by D. pulchra was isolated from the polar extract by cation-exchange chromatography and identified as histamine, using one- and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry. The chemical identity of the cue was confirmed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Synthetic histamine and histamine at 4.5 microM isolated from D. pulchra both induced rapid settlement in 80%-100% of the larvae of H. purpurascens. Lower concentrations of histamine (0.9-2.3 micro M) induced larval settlement, but this response varied from 0%-90%. The histamine content of two host plants of H. purpurascens--D. pulchra and Ecklonia radiata--and of four other common species was quantified using GC-MS. D. pulchra had the highest histamine content, which is consistent with H. purpurascens recruiting to this species. Histamine was also detected in the seawater surrounding these host algae. This is the first time that a settlement cue has been quantified in the habitat of a marine organism.

Animals↗

Characteristics of the release of the surface coat protein from bloodstream forms of Trypanosoma brucei.

Bloodstream forms of the African trypanosomes undergo antigenic variation in their mammalian host. This process involves removal of the existing variant coat protein and its replacement with another. The mechanism by which the surface coat protein is released to the external supporting medium has been shown to depend in vitro specifically on the presence of calcium ions together with the calcium ionophore. A-23187, and to be inhibited by Zn2+. Release of the surface coat protein was not stimulated by conditions designed to alter the plasma membrane potential or the major ionic gradients across that membrane. Release could be stimulated by inhibiting the energy metabolism of these glycolysing cells with 2-deoxyglucose, which probably prevents the energy-dependent mechanisms that normally keep the cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration low. These results and the finding that the release process was strongly temperature dependent suggested the possible mediation of some as yet undefined enzymatic reaction.

Animals↗