Skip to main content
PMC home page
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1973 May;70(5):1447–1449. doi: 10.1073/pnas.70.5.1447

The γ-Glutamyl Cycle in the Choroid Plexus: Its Possible Function in Amino Acid Transport

Suresh S Tate 1,2, Leonard L Ross 1,2, Alton Meister 1,2
PMCID: PMC433516  PMID: 4145786

Abstract

Various anatomic regions of rabbit brain have been examined for activities of the enzymes of the γ-glutamyl cycle. While these enzyme activities were widely distributed in the brain, they are present in much higher concentrations in the choroid plexus than in other parts of the brain. The activities observed are of about the same order of magnitude as found in the kidney. These observations and other considerations suggest that the γ-glutamyl cycle may play a significant role in the transport of amino acids between blood and cerebrospinal fluid.

Keywords: brain, rabbit, enzymes, cerebrospinal fluid, glutathione

Full text

PDF
1447

Selected References

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

  1. Albert Z., Orlowski M., Rzucidlo Z., Orlowska J. Studies on gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase activity and its histochemical localization in the central nervous system of man and different animal species. Acta Histochem. 1966;25(5):312–320. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Ball C. R. Estimation and identification of thiols in rat spleen after cysteine or glutathione treatment: relevance to protection against nitrogen mustards. Biochem Pharmacol. 1966 Jul;15(7):809–816. doi: 10.1016/0006-2952(66)90157-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Dickinson J. C., Hamilton P. B. The free amino acids of human spinal fluid determined by ion exchange chromatography. J Neurochem. 1966 Nov;13(11):1179–1185. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1966.tb04275.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Eldjarn L., Jellum E., Stokke O. Pyroglutamic aciduria: studies on the enzymic block and on the metabolic origin of pyroglutamic acid. Clin Chim Acta. 1972 Sep;40(2):461–476. doi: 10.1016/0009-8981(72)90359-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Jellum E., Kluge T., Börresen H. C., Stokke O., Eldjarn L. Pyroglutamic aciduria--a new inborn error of metabolism. Scand J Clin Lab Invest. 1970 Dec;26(4):327–335. doi: 10.3109/00365517009046241. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. KAKIMOTO Y., NAKAJIMA T., KANAZAWA A., TAKESADA M., SANO I. ISOLATION OF GAMMA-L-GLUTAMYL-L-GLUTAMIC ACID AND GAMMA-L-GLUTAMYL-L-GLUTAMINE FROM BOVINE BRAIN. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1964 Nov 8;93:333–338. doi: 10.1016/0304-4165(64)90383-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Kanazawa A., Kakimoto Y., Nakajima T., Sano I. Identification of gamma-glutamylserine, gamma-glutamylalanine, gamma-glutamylvaline and S-methylglutathione of bovine brain. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1965 Nov 15;111(1):90–95. doi: 10.1016/0304-4165(65)90475-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Maren T. H. Carbonic anhydrase: chemistry, physiology, and inhibition. Physiol Rev. 1967 Oct;47(4):595–781. doi: 10.1152/physrev.1967.47.4.595. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Meister A. On the enzymology of amino acid transport. Science. 1973 Apr 6;180(4081):33–39. doi: 10.1126/science.180.4081.33. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Mooz E. D., Meister A. Tripeptide (glutathione) synthetase. Purification, properties, and mechanism of action. Biochemistry. 1967 Jun;6(6):1722–1734. doi: 10.1021/bi00858a022. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. ORLOWSKI M., MEISTER A. GAMMA-GLUTAMYL-P-NITROANILIDE: A NEW CONVENIENT SUBSTRATE FOR DETERMINATION AND STUDY OF L- AND D-GAMMA-GLUTAMYLTRANSPEPTIDASE ACTIVITIES. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1963 Aug 6;73:679–681. doi: 10.1016/0006-3002(63)90348-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Oldendorf W. H. Brain uptake of radiolabeled amino acids, amines, and hexoses after arterial injection. Am J Physiol. 1971 Dec;221(6):1629–1639. doi: 10.1152/ajplegacy.1971.221.6.1629. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Orlowski M., Meister A. Isolation of highly purified gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase from rat kidney. Biochemistry. 1971 Feb 2;10(3):372–380. doi: 10.1021/bi00779a003. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Orlowski M., Meister A. The gamma-glutamyl cycle: a possible transport system for amino acids. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1970 Nov;67(3):1248–1255. doi: 10.1073/pnas.67.3.1248. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Orlowski M., Richman P. G., Meister A. Isolation and properties of gamma-L-glutamylcyclotransferase from human brain. Biochemistry. 1969 Mar;8(3):1048–1055. doi: 10.1021/bi00831a036. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. PERRY T. L., JONES R. T. The amino acid content of human cerebrospinal fluid in normal individuals and in mental defectives. J Clin Invest. 1961 Aug;40:1363–1372. doi: 10.1172/JCI104367. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Reichelt K. L. The isolation of gamma-glutamyl peptides from monkey brain. J Neurochem. 1970 Jan;17(1):19–25. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1970.tb00497.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. VATES T. S., Jr, BONTING S. L., OPPELT W. W. NA-K ACTIVATED ADENOSINE TRIPHOSPHATASE FORMATION OF CEREBROSPINAL FLUID IN THE CAT. Am J Physiol. 1964 May;206:1165–1172. doi: 10.1152/ajplegacy.1964.206.5.1165. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Van der Werf P., Orlowski M., Meister A. Enzymatic conversion of 5-oxo-L-proline (L-pyrrolidone carboxylate) to L-glutamate coupled with cleavage of adenosine triphosphate to adenosine diphosphate, a reaction in the -glutamyl cycle. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1971 Dec;68(12):2982–2985. doi: 10.1073/pnas.68.12.2982. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Van der Werf P., Stephani R. A., Orlowski M., Meister A. Inhibition of 5-oxoprolinase by 2-imidazolidone-4-carboxylic acid. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1973 Mar;70(3):759–761. doi: 10.1073/pnas.70.3.759. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. van Sande M., Mardens Y., Adriaenssens K., Lowenthal A. The free amino acids in human cerebrospinal fluid. J Neurochem. 1970 Feb;17(2):125–135. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1970.tb02193.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America are provided here courtesy of National Academy of Sciences

RESOURCES