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Study of amino acid formation during palmitate oxidation in rat brain mitochondria

Neurochemical Research volume 14, pages 9–15 (1989)Cite this article

Abstract

The interrelation of palmitate oxidation with amino acid formation in rat brain mitochondria has been investigated in purified mitochondria of nonsynaptic origin by measuring the formation of aspartate, α-ketoglutarate, and glutamate during palmitate oxidation, and also by assaying14C-products of [1-14C]palmitate oxidation. Oxidation of palmitate (or [1-14C]palmitate) resulted in the formation of aspartate (or14C-aspartate), and the oxidation was inhibited by aminooxyacetate (an inhibitor of transaminase), Palmitate oxidation also resulted in α-ketoglutarate formation, which was sensitive to the effect of aminooxyacetate. Addition of NH4Cl was found to increase14C-products and formation of α-ketoglutarate, whereas glutamate formation was not increased unless the rate of palmitate oxidation was reduced by 50% by aminooxyacetate or α-ketoglutarate was added exogenously. Exogenous α-ketoglutarate was found to decrease14C-products, but not aspartate formation. These results indicated that palmitate oxidation was closely related to aspartate formation via aspartate aminotransferase. During palmitate oxidation without aminooxyacetate or added α-ketoglutarate, however, α-ketoglutarate was not available for glutamate formation via glutamate dehydrogenase. We discuss the possibility that this was because (a) oxidative decarboxylation of α-ketoglutarate to form succinyl-CoA was favored over glutamate formation for the competition for α-ketoglutarate in the same pool, and (b) the pool of α-ketoglutarate produced in the aspartate aminotransferase reaction did not serve as substrate for glutamate formation.

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Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 21205, Baltimore, Maryland

    Nariko Kawamura

  2. The Kennedy Institute, 707 North Broadway, 21205, Baltimore, Maryland

    Nariko Kawamura

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  1. Nariko Kawamura
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Kawamura, N. Study of amino acid formation during palmitate oxidation in rat brain mitochondria. Neurochem Res 14, 9–15 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00969751

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00969751

Key Words

  • Brain mitochondria
  • palmitate oxidation
  • aspartate
  • glutamate
  • α-ketoglutarate