New insights into intravenous peptide metabolism.

A new study of the possible advantages of each of the eight dipeptides for intravenous nutrition focuses on kinetics of tyrosine and glutamine injected intravenously. Tyrosine and glutamine are two of the three amino acids that are difficult to use directly in the preparation of nutrient solutions due to low solubility (tyrosine) and limited stability during autoclaving or storage (glutamine).

Hepatic amino acid transport primary to the urea cycle in regulation of biologic neutrality.

A biologic determination appears to be made as to whether the nitrogenous portion of food amino acids reaches the kidney for excretion as ammonium ion, or whether it is sent to the liver to form urea. It now becomes likely that this determination occurs primarily by hydrogen ion inhibition of at least one transport system by which the liver receives amino acids, and not by regulation applied directly to the liver-ornithine cycle.

Special transport and neurological significance of two amino acids in a configuration conventionally designated as D.

We point out an ability of certain amino acids to be recognized at a biological receptor site as though their amino group bore, instead of an alpha relationship to a carboxylate group, a beta, gamma or delta relationship to the same or a second carboxylate group. For aspartate, the unbalanced position of its amino group between a pair of carboxylates allows its occasional biorecognition as a beta-rather than as an alpha-amino acid, whereas for proline and its homologs, their cyclic arrangement may allow the imino group, without its being replicated, to be sensed analogously as falling at either of two distances from the single carboxylate group. The greater separation might allow proline to be seen as biologically analogous to gamma-aminobutyric acid. This more remote positioning of the imino group would allow the D-form of both amino acids to present its amino group in the orientation characteristic of the natural L-form. The dual modes of recognition should accordingly be signalled by what appears to be low stereospecificity, actually due to a distinction in the enantiorecognition of the two isomers. Competing recognition for transport between their respective D- and L-forms, although it does not prove that phenomenon, has been shown for proline and, significantly, even more strongly for its lower homolog, 2-azetidine carboxylate. Such indications have so far revealed themselves rather inconspicuously for the central nervous system binding of proline, reviewed here as a possible feature of a role suspected for proline in neurotransmission.

Gene-product designations for amino acid transporters.

The molecular cloning of genes that encode amino acid transporters presents the scientific community with the opportunity to name their gene products using a scheme that could usefully recall the well-defined transport system most similar in properties to the newly identified cloned gene product. To avoid the problem of rising confusion, we propose to take advantage of established designation methods that indicate the types of amino acids transported and the co-substrate ion requirement of their transport. The economy obligated by the necessity to keep the number of symbols in a gene name to a minimum will rarely permit a listing of the full range of substrates, since amino acid transport systems have broad substrate specificities with co-substrate requirements that can differ in a substrate-specific manner. Hence, the use of established systems to codify groups of amino acid transport systems, which allow identification of the substrate range by using 1-3 letters, e.g. A, L or even ASC, could be integrated with a system used to indicate the ion-dependence of transport. The discoverers of transporters are mainly proceeding with commendable reserve and are inviting discussion, a desire which this essay urges be facilitated by more formal arrangements for further planning. These discoverers have also shown, along with an expressed desire for guidance, well-advised spontaneity in making reference to the substrate range, two trends that together suggest that a good set of designations can evolve that will be highly descriptive.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Is PQQ a significant nutrient in addition to its role as a therapeutic agent in the higher animal?

The controversy as to the nutritional status of pyroloquinoline (PQQ) has now been broadened to include various animal tissues by evidence of its vitamin status in mice, a mammalian PQQ reductase, and evidence that this enzyme participates in mechanisms protecting tissues against oxidative stress.

Riboflavin can protect tissue from oxidative injury.

Elevated riboflavin levels have been reported to provide protection against oxidative damage caused by oxidized forms of hemeproteins. This effect of riboflavin may be mediated by an NADPH-dependent methemoglobin reductase.

Amino acid nutrition: a two-step absorptive process.

A linkage between intestinal and tissue absorption of amino acids was perceived by Donald D. Van Slyke and Gustave M. Meyer in 1913, but soon overlooked by later authors. Today, on the 110th anniversary of Van Slyke's birth and the 80th anniversary of publication of their now-classic paper in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, the observation gains in nutritional significance and tells us, incidentally, why we should not dose ourselves with an isolated amino acid.

What is the physiological origin of free D-amino acids in mammals?

A previously unknown metabolite of vitamin B6, tentatively identified as adenosine-N6-diethylthioether-N1-pyridoximine-5'-phosphate, accounts for up to 30% of the total intracellular vitamin B6 observed in tumor cells cultured in the presence of radiolabeled pyridoxine. When various animal and human tumor cells were incubated with radiolabeled pyridoxine, the formation of this metabolite was greatest in rapidly growing cells that were the least differentiated. If analytical methods are verified, the presence of the compound in serum may provide an indicator of in vivo tumor growth.

Membrane transport properties of L-2,4-diaminobutyrate revisited.

We explore here the special structural features of certain diamino acid analogs which may account for their intense accumulation into tumor cells, first observed for the Ehrlich ascites tumor cell for in vitro suspensions. This accumulation, which ordinarily occurs mainly by system A for its dipolar substrates, is so intense for these tripolar diamino acids accompanied by the chloride ion as well as by displacement, especially of the cellular potassium ion, that the cells swell to several times their normal volume and osmotic destruction arises. These structural features receive our reconsideration here toward understanding the energization of amino acid transport into cells, also toward identifying among them possible superior 11C-labeled tracers for imaging tumors in situ by positron emission tomography (PET). The possibility of therapeutic, perhaps osmotic, destruction of inoperable terminal gliomas by topical application of such amino acids by microdialysis has also been considered in preliminary tests by one of us (G.R.) and his associates.

Leucine and tissue distribution of bulky and small neutral amino acids in rats: dissociation between transport and insulin-mediated effects.

The mechanism of the observed decrease in the plasma concentration of several amino acids in the presence of high levels of Leu has remained unexplained. In the present study a decrease in the plasma concentration of Ile, Val, Phe, Tyr, Met, Ala, Pro and Gly was observed after the intraperitoneal injection of Leu to weanling rats. Decreases in net intracellular concentrations in muscle accompanied the decrease in plasma of all of these amino acids except Pro and Gly. An increase in the distribution ratio muscle/plasma was observed exclusively for Gly after administration of Leu or of a non-insulinogenic transport system L analogue. Diazoxide suppressed the Leu-induced decreases in plasma and muscle intracellular concentrations of Ile and Val as well as of Pro in plasma. An increase in the distribution ratio liver/plasma was observed for Pro and Gly in the absence but not in the presence of diazoxide. All the above changes were statistically significant. Hence insulin probably mediates Leu effects, promoting an increased utilization of Ile and Val in muscle and of Pro in liver. A more direct effect of Leu appears to be involved in the apparent increased utilization of Phe, Tyr and Ala in the same tissue. Gly depletion in plasma can be explained by its trapping by inhibitory action of Leu on the exodus of Gly through transport system L.

Amino acid nutrition across the placenta.

The placenta participates by metabolism, and not simply by transport to and from the fetus, in providing fetal needs for several amino acids, including leucine, glutamine, glutamate, serine, and glycine.

Characterization of a transport system for anionic amino acids in human fibroblast lysosomes.

L-Aspartate and L-glutamate are transported into human fibroblast lysosomes by a single, low Km, Na(+)-independent transport system, which has been provisionally named lysosomal system d. This system resembles the Na(+)-dependent plasma membrane system chi-AG, although these differences have been observed: (1) lysosomal system d recognizes the D- as well as the L-isomers of both aspartate and glutamate, whereas only for aspartate is the D-isomer recognized by system chi-AG; (2) the anion L-homocysteate is not accepted by system chi-AG, but is an effective inhibitor of lysosomal system d; (3) N-methyl, alpha-methyl, and omega-hydroxamate derivatives of both aspartate and glutamate inhibit lysosomal system d, but only the aspartate derivatives are accepted by system chi-AG; (4) lysosomal system d shows a preference for the substrate amino group in the alpha-position, a preference not seen for system chi-AG. These points imply differences at the two recognition sites with respect to substrate length, size, and rotation, with the lysosomal site generally being the less restrictive.

Separate and shared lysosomal transport of branched and aromatic dipolar amino acids.

Transport systems analogous to the T and L carriers for aromatic and bulky dipolar amino acids in plasma membranes have been characterized in the membranes of intact lysosomes isolated from human fetal skin fibroblasts. While system L appears ubiquitous in plasma membranes, system T has previously been discriminated only in the plasmalemma of human red blood cells and freshly isolated rat hepatocytes. Our findings with the lysosomal systems, provisionally designated t and l, reveal both shared and dissimilar properties with the plasma membrane systems. These properties include a lack of dependency on extralysosomal Na+, differential sensitivities to the classical system L analog, 2-aminobicyclo[2.2.1]heptane-2-carboxylic acid (BCH), and the system T analog, D-tryptophan, as well as susceptibility to thiol modification at the membrane by reactivity with N-ethylmaleimide. A transport system in lysosomes from the FRTL-5 rat thyroid cell line has been described by Bernar et al. ((1986) J. Biol. Chem. 261, 17107-17112) resembles a composite of both carrier systems reported in this work.

Evidence for inhibition of exodus of small neutral amino acids from non-brain tissues in hyperphenylalaninaemic rats.

The mechanism of the depletion of several plasma amino acids in PKU has remained unexplained. In the present study, a statistically significant decrease in the plasma concentration of several amino acids was observed 2 h after the intraperitoneal injection of Phe to weanling rats. The pattern was very similar to the one observed in PKU patients. Statistically significant increases in the distribution ratios liver/plasma and, mainly, muscle/plasma ratios accompanied in most of the cases the corresponding decreases in plasma concentrations. Equimolar injection under the same conditions of the non-insulinogenic transport system L analogue, the a(+/-) isomer of the 2-aminonorbornane-2-carboxylic acid, produced, in a parallel effect to Phe, statistically significant increases in the distribution ratios of Ala and Gly, and probably of Pro in muscle, as well as of Ala in liver. These results seem to indicate that the high intracellular Phe attained inhibits the exodus of small neutral amino acids through system L, causing their depletion in plasma and ultimately in the brain. This effect may be additive to the inhibition by Phe of the entry of bulky neutral amino acids at the level of the blood-brain barrier. Further study is needed to assess the relevance of these effects to PKU.