Skip to main content
PMC home page
Biochemical Journal logoLink to Biochemical Journal
. 1971 Jun;123(2):211–218. doi: 10.1042/bj1230211

A simulation study of brain compartments. Metabolism of glutamate and related substances in mouse brain

C J Van Den Berg 1,*, D Garfinkel 1
PMCID: PMC1176925  PMID: 5164952

Abstract

A computer model of the metabolism of glutamate, glutamine, γ-aminobutyrate, and the tricarboxylic acid cycle in mouse brain has been constructed in terms of 39 reactions among 19 substances or groups of substances (permitting manipulation of 30 independent variables). The model is divided into two compartments, in conformity with previous models based on indirect evidence, and it is found that this compartmentation is indeed the same as that indicated directly with specifically 14C-labelled acetate and glucose. The movement of materials between the large and small compartments has been studied; glutamine appears to flow from the small to the large compartment, γ-aminobutyrate in the reverse direction.

Full text

PDF
211

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. BERL S., TAKAGAKI G., CLARKE D. D., WAELSCH H. Metabolic compartments in vivo. Ammonia and glutamic acid metabolism in brain and liver. J Biol Chem. 1962 Aug;237:2562–2569. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Balázs R., Machiyama Y., Hammond B. J., Julian T., Richter D. The operation of the gamma-aminobutyrate bypath of the tricarboxylic acid cycle in brain tissue in vitro. Biochem J. 1970 Feb;116(3):445–461. doi: 10.1042/bj1160445. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Berl S., Frigyesi T. L. The turnover of glutamate, glutamine, aspartate and GABA labeled with [1-14C]acetate in caudate nucleus, thalamus and motor cortex (cat). Brain Res. 1969 Feb;12(2):444–455. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(69)90012-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Dzubow L. M., Garfinkel D. A simulation study of brain compartments. II. Atom-by-atom simulation of the metabolism of specifically labeled glucose and acetate. Brain Res. 1970 Oct 28;23(3):407–417. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(70)90066-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. GAITONDE M. K., DAHL D. R., ELLIOTT K. A. ENTRY OF GLUCOSE CARBON INTO AMINO ACIDS OF RAT BRAIN AND LIVER IN VIVO AFTER INJECTION OF UNIFORMLY 14-C-LABELLED GLUCOSE. Biochem J. 1965 Feb;94:345–352. doi: 10.1042/bj0940345. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. GAITONDE M. K. RATE OF UTILIZATION OF GLUCOSE AND 'COMPARTMENTATION' OF ALPHA-OXOGLUTARATE AND GLUTAMATE IN RAT BRAIN. Biochem J. 1965 Jun;95:803–810. doi: 10.1042/bj0950803. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Garfinkel D. A simulation study of brain compartments. I. Fuel sources, and GABA metabolism. Brain Res. 1970 Oct 28;23(3):387–406. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(70)90065-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Garfinkel D. A simulation study of the metabolism and compartmentation in brain of glutamate, aspartate, the Krebs cycle, and related metabolites. J Biol Chem. 1966 Sep 10;241(17):3918–3929. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Goldberg N. D., Passonneau J. V., Lowry O. H. Effects of changes in brain metabolism on the levels of citric acid cycle intermediates. J Biol Chem. 1966 Sep 10;241(17):3997–4003. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. LOWRY O. H., PASSONNEAU J. V., HASSELBERGER F. X., SCHULZ D. W. EFFECT OF ISCHEMIA ON KNOWN SUBSTRATES AND COFACTORS OF THE GLYCOLYTIC PATHWAY IN BRAIN. J Biol Chem. 1964 Jan;239:18–30. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. LOWRY O. H., PASSONNEAU J. V. THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN SUBSTRATES AND ENZYMES OF GLYCOLYSIS IN BRAIN. J Biol Chem. 1964 Jan;239:31–42. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Minard F. N., Mushahwar I. K. Synthesis of gamma-aminobutyric acid from a pool of glutamic acid in brain after decapitation. Life Sci. 1966 Aug;5(15):1409–1413. doi: 10.1016/0024-3205(66)90116-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Neidle A., van den Berg C. J., Grynbaum A. The heterogeneity of rat brain mitochondria isolated on continuous sucrose gradients. J Neurochem. 1969 Feb;16(2):225–234. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1969.tb05940.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. O'Neal R. M., Koeppe R. E. Precursors in vivo of glutamate, aspartate and their derivatives of rat brain. J Neurochem. 1966 Sep;13(9):835–847. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1966.tb05879.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. O'neal R. M., Koeppe R. E., Williams E. I. Utilization in vivo of glucose and volatile fatty acids by sheep brain for the synthesis of acidic amino acids. Biochem J. 1966 Dec;101(3):591–597. doi: 10.1042/bj1010591. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Patel A. J., Balázs R., Richter D. Contribution of the GABA bypath to glucose oxidation, and the development of compartmentation in the brain. Nature. 1970 Jun 20;226(5251):1160–1161. doi: 10.1038/2261160a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. SALGANICOFF L., DEROBERTIS E. SUBCELLULAR DISTRIBUTION OF THE ENZYMES OF THE GLUTAMIC ACID, GLUTAMINE AND GAMMA-AMINOBUTYRIC ACID CYCLES IN RAT BRAIN. J Neurochem. 1965 Apr;12:287–309. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1965.tb06766.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Salganicoff L., Koeppe R. E. Subcellular distribution ot pyruvate carboxylase, diphosphopyridine nucleotide and triphosphopyridine nucleotide isocitrate dehydrogenases, and malate enzyme in rat brain. J Biol Chem. 1968 Jun 25;243(12):3416–3420. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Van den Berg C. J., Krzalić L., Mela P., Waelsch H. Compartmentation of glutamate metabolism in brain. Evidence for the existence of two different tricarboxylic acid cycles in brain. Biochem J. 1969 Jun;113(2):281–290. doi: 10.1042/bj1130281. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Van den Berg C. J., Mela P., Waelsch H. On the contribution of the tricarboxylic acid cycle to the synthesis of glutamate, glutamine and aspartate in brain. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1966 May 25;23(4):479–484. doi: 10.1016/0006-291x(66)90753-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. van Kempen G. M., van den Berg C. J., van der Helm H. J., Veldstra H. Intracellular localization of glutamate decarboxylase, gamma-aminobutyrate transaminase and some other enzymes in brain tissue. J Neurochem. 1965 Jul;12(7):581–588. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1965.tb04250.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Biochemical Journal are provided here courtesy of The Biochemical Society

RESOURCES