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Metabolism of [U-13C]Aspartate by Astroglial Cultures: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Analysis of the Culture Media

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Abstract

In brain the amino acid L-aspartate serves roles as: (1) putative transmitter, (2) protein precursor, (3) donor of atoms for the biosynthesis of pyrimidine and purine bases, and (4) fuel for energy metabolism. Astrocytes dominate aspartate clearance in brain, and in culture they take up aspartate and quickly metabolize it. In brain, only astrocytes were shown to express the enzymes for de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis. To gain more details about the spectrum of metabolites generated from aspartate and subsequently released by cultured astrocytes a 13C-nuclear magnetic resonance analysis was performed of [U-13C]aspartate supplemented incubation media exposed to astroglial cultures. The results show that astrocytes readily metabolize aspartate and release into their culture media 13C-isotopomers of lactate, glutamine, citrate and alanine. Despite the presence in astroglial cells of two tandem enzymes of pyrimidine biosynthesis and their mRNAs, pyrimidine nucleotide-related heterocyclic compounds such as dihydroorotate and orotate could not be detected in the culture media.

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Acknowledgments

We should like to thank Dr. Abel Lajtha for founding this journal and for fostering it with admirable dedication for 35 years. B.H. is deeply grateful to Abel Lajtha for his friendship over so many years. We are indebted to Professor Monika Löffler, University of Marburg, for helpful discussions.

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Author notes

  1. Radovan Murín & Bhavani S. Kowtharapu

    Present address: Institute for Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Magdeburg, Leipziger Str. 44, 39120, Magdeburg, Germany

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Interfaculty Institute for Biochemistry, University of Tuebingen, Hoppe-Seyler-Str. 4, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany

    Radovan Murín, Bhavani S. Kowtharapu & Bernd Hamprecht

  2. Institute for Organic Chemistry, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany

    Ghasem Mohammadi & Dieter Leibfritz

  3. Department of Vectorology and Experimental Gene Therapy, Biomedical Research Center, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany

    Bhavani S. Kowtharapu

Authors
  1. Radovan Murín
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  2. Ghasem Mohammadi
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  3. Bhavani S. Kowtharapu
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  4. Dieter Leibfritz
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  5. Bernd Hamprecht
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Correspondence to Bernd Hamprecht.

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Dedicated with admiration to Dr. Abel Lajtha.

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Murín, R., Mohammadi, G., Kowtharapu, B.S. et al. Metabolism of [U-13C]Aspartate by Astroglial Cultures: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Analysis of the Culture Media. Neurochem Res 35, 2053–2061 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11064-010-0326-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11064-010-0326-9

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