Aspartate aminotransferase and glutaminase activities in rat olfactory bulb and cochlear nucleus; comparisons with retina and with concentrations of substrate and product amino acids

Glutaminases

Mammalian glutaminases catalyze the stoichiometric conversion of L-glutamine to L-glutamate and ammonium ions. In brain, glutaminase is considered the prevailing pathway for synthesis of the neurotransmitter pool of glutamate. Besides neurotransmission, the products of glutaminase reaction also fulfill crucial roles in energy and metabolic homeostasis in mammalian brain. In the last years, new functional roles for brain glutaminases are being uncovered by using functional genomic and proteomic approaches. Glutaminases may act as multifunctional proteins able to perform different tasks: the discovery of multiple transcript variants in neurons and glial cells, novel extramitochondrial localizations, and isoform-specific proteininteracting partners strongly support possible moonlighting functions for these proteins. In this chapter, we present a critical account of essential works on brain glutaminase 80 years after its discovery. We will highlight the impact of recent findings and thoughts in the context of the glutamate/glutamine brain homeostasis.

Mapping and morphometric analysis of synapses and spines on fusiform cells in the dorsal cochlear nucleus

Fusiform cells are the main integrative units of the mammalian dorsal cochlear nucleus (DCN), collecting and processing inputs from auditory and other sources before transmitting information to higher levels of the auditory system. Despite much previous work describing these cells and the sources and pharmacological identity of their synaptic inputs, information on the three-dimensional organization and utltrastructure of synapses on these cells is currently very limited. This information is essential since an understanding of synaptic plasticity and remodeling and pathologies underlying disease states and hearing disorders must begin with knowledge of the normal characteristics of synapses on these cells, particularly those features that determine the strength of their influence on the various compartments of the cell. Here, we employed serial block face scanning electron microscopy (SBFSEM) followed by 3D reconstructions to map and quantitatively characterize synaptic features on DCN fusiform cells. Our results reveal a relative sparseness of synapses on the somata of fusiform cells but a dense distribution of synapses on apical and basal dendrites. Synapses on apical dendrites were smaller and more numerous than on basal dendrites. The vast majority of axosomatic terminals were found to be linked to other terminals connected by the same axon or different branches of the same axon, suggesting a high degree of divergent input to fusiform cells. The size of terminals was correlated with the number of mitochondria and with the number of active zones, which was highly correlated with the number of postsynaptic densities, suggesting that larger terminals exert more powerful influence on the cell than smaller terminals. These size differences suggest that the input to basal dendrites, most likely those from the auditory nerve, provide the most powerful sources of input to fusiform cells, while those to apical dendrites (e.g., parallel fiber) are weaker but more numerous.

Cisplatin binding and inactivation of mitochondrial glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase in cisplatin-induced rat nephrotoxicity

Cisplatin is a widely used chemotherapeutic agent, but its use is limited by nephrotoxicity associated with mitochondrial dysfunction. Because its mechanisms are poorly understood, we aimed to identify the mitochondrial proteins targeted by cisplatin. We isolated renal mitochondrial proteins from Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats and performed cisplatin-affinity column chromatography. The proteins eluted were detected on SDS-PAGE and subjected to in-gel tryptic digestion and LC-MS/MS analysis. We identified glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT) and mitochondrial malate dehydrogenase (MDH). Next, we administered cisplatin intraperitoneally to SD rats to induce nephrotoxicity and assayed the activities of the enzymes. The results indicated that cisplatin caused a severe decrease in mitochondrial GOT activity on day 1 after cisplatin administration. Three d later, we also identified a decrease in mitochondrial MDH activity. Our results indicate that cisplatin binds to mitochondrial GOT and inhibits its activity, causing mitochondrial dysfunction and subsequent nephrotoxicity.

Changes of amino acid concentrations in the rat vestibular nuclei after inferior cerebellar peduncle transection

Although there is a close relationship between the vestibular nuclear complex (VNC) and the cerebellum, little is known about the contribution of cerebellar inputs to amino acid neurotransmission in the VNC. Microdissection of freeze-dried brain sections and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were combined to measure changes of amino acid concentrations within the VNC of rats following transection of the cerebellovestibular connections in the inferior cerebellar peduncle. Distributions of 12 amino acids within the VNC at 2, 4, 7, and 30 days after surgery were compared with those for control and sham-lesioned rats. Concentrations of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) decreased by 2 days after unilateral peduncle transection in nearly all VNC regions on the lesioned side and to lesser extents on the unlesioned side and showed partial recovery up to 30 days postsurgery. Asymmetries between the two sides of the VNC were maintained through 30 days. Glutamate concentrations were reduced bilaterally in virtually all regions of the VNC by 2 days and showed complete recovery in most VNC regions by 30 days. Glutamine concentrations increased, starting 2 days after surgery, especially on the lesioned side, so that there was asymmetry generally opposite that of glutamate. Concentrations of taurine, aspartate, and glycine also underwent partially reversible changes after peduncle transection. The results suggest that GABA and glutamate are prominent neurotransmitters in bilateral projections from the cerebellum to the VNC and that amino acid metabolism in the VNC is strongly influenced by its cerebellar connections.

Co-localization of glutamic acid decarboxylase and phosphate-activated glutaminase in neurons of lateral reticular nucleus in feline thalamus

Immunohistochemical methods were used to label singly and/or in combination glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD, the sole synthesizing enzyme for the inhibitory neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid) and phosphate-activated glutaminase (GLN, a synthesizing enzyme for glutamate) in neurons of lateral reticular nucleus (LRN) of thalamus of adult cats. (1) GAD- and GLN-immunoreactivity (IR) exhibited matching regional patterns of organization within LRN. (2) GAD- and GLN-IR co-localized within most if not all LRN neuronal cell bodies as shown by light microscopy. (3) GAD- and GLN-IR had distinct subcellular localizations in LRN neurons as shown by correlative light/electron microscopy. LRN neurons are important conceptual models where strongly inhibitory cells receive predominant excitatory glutamatergic afferents (from neocortex). Consistent with known actions of intermediary astrocytes, LRN neurons demonstrate GLN enrichment synergistically coupled with glutamatergic innervation to supplement the glutamate pool for GABA synthesis (via GAD) and for metabolic utilization (via the GABA shunt/tricarboxylic acid cycle) but not, apparently, for excitatory neurotransmission.

Effects of unilateral vestibular ganglionectomy on glutaminase activity in the vestibular nerve root and vestibular nuclear complex of the rat

The metabolism of glutamate, the most likely neurotransmitter of vestibular ganglion cells, includes synthesis from glutamine by the enzyme glutaminase. We used microdissection combined with a fluorometric assay to measure glutaminase activity in the vestibular nerve root and nuclei of rats with unilateral vestibular ganglionectomy. Glutaminase activity in the lesioned-side vestibular nerve root decreased by 62% at 4 days after ganglionectomy and remained at similar values through 30 days. No change occurred in the contralateral vestibular nerve root. Glutaminase activity changes in the vestibular nuclei were lesser in magnitude and more complex, including contralateral increases as well as ipsilateral decreases. At 4 days after ganglionectomy, glutaminase activity was 10-20% lower in individual lesioned-side nuclei compared with their contralateral counterparts. By 14 and 30 days after ganglionectomy, there were no statistically significant differences between the nuclei on the two sides. This transient asymmetry of glutaminase activities in the vestibular nuclei contrasts with the sustained asymmetry in the vestibular nerve root and suggests that intrinsic, commissural, or descending pathways are involved in the recovery of chemical symmetry. This recovery resembles our previous finding for glutamate concentrations in the vestibular nuclei and may partially underlie central vestibular compensation after peripheral lesions.

Effect of betaxolol on aspartate aminotransferase activity in hypoxic rat retina in vitro

We investigated the effect of betaxolol on the decrease of mitochondrial aspartate aminotransferase (mAAT) activity in rat retinas induced by hypoxia in vitro. It is reported that mAAT decreases in ischemic or hypoxic retina and that the decrease is caused by Ca(2+)-dependent proteases such as calpain. Betaxolol is a compound that has beta(1)-adrenergic receptor blocking and voltage-dependent calcium channel blocking properties. The rat eye cups were maintained with Locke's solution saturated with 95% air - 5% CO(2). The eye cups were immersed in glucose-free Locke's solution saturated with 95% N(2) / 5% CO(2) (hypoxic solution). Ninety minutes of hypoxia caused a 20% decrease in mAAT activity. The eye cups incubated with the hypoxic solution containing 1 mM EGTA, 10 micro M MK-801 or 100 micro M betaxolol were protected from the decrease in mAAT activity, so that the residual mAAT activity was 50%, 45% or 40%, respectively, compared to the eye cups incubated in hypoxic solution alone, which had a 100% decrease in mAAT activity. In addition, co-incubation with EGTA and betaxolol had a greater protective effect against the mAAT decrease than a single application. This additive effect of betaxolol was dose-dependent. These results suggested that betaxolol had a protective effect against the decrease of mAAT caused by hypoxia and indicated that betaxolol might inhibit the Ca(2+) release from intracellular Ca(2+) stores.

Kinetics and localization of brain phosphate activated glutaminase

The cellular concentration of phosphate, the main activator of phosphate activated glutaminase (PAG) is rather constant in brain and kidney. The enzyme activity, however, is modulated by a variety of compounds affecting the binding of phosphate, such as glutamate, calcium, certain long chain fatty acids, fatty acyl CoA derivatives, members of the tricarboxylic acid cycle and protons (Kvamme et al. [2000] Neurochem. Res. 25:1407-1419). Therefore, the kinetic and allosteric properties of the enzyme are essential for regulating the enzyme activity in situ, especially because the enzymically active pool of PAG is assumed to have an external localization in the inner mitochondrial membrane, being exposed to cytosolic variation in the content of effectors. This has largely been overlooked. A hypothetical model for the allosteric interactions based on the sequential induced fit allosteric model by Koshland et al. ([1966] Biochemistry 5:365-385) is presented. Furthermore, it has been generally accepted that there exist only two isoforms of PAG, the kidney PAG that is similar to brain PAG, and the liver PAG. Therefore, the immunoreactivity of brain cells against kidney PAG antibodies has been considered a measure of PAG protein. Gomez-Fabre et al. ([2000] Biochem. J. 345:365-375) recently found, however, that a PAG mRNA from human breast cancer ZR75 cells is present in human brain and liver, but not in the kidney. We observed only traces of PAG immunoreactivity in cultured astrocytes and cultured neuroblastoma cells, regardless whether antibodies against the C- and N-termini of kidney PAG or antibodies against liver PAG were used, but considerable enzyme activity, demonstrating hitherto unknown isoforms of PAG (Torgner et al. [2001] FEBS Lett. 268(Suppl 1):PS2-031).

Amino acid concentrations in rat cochlear nucleus and superior olive

Distributions of 10 amino acids were mapped in the cochlear nucleus and superior olive of rats by microdissection of freeze-dried sections combined with high performance liquid chromatography. Glutamate concentrations were relatively high in regions containing granule cell bodies, axons and terminals, whereas aspartate concentrations were higher in the rest of the cochlear nucleus. The distribution of glutamine, a metabolic precursor of glutamate, correlated highly with that of glutamate. In the superior olive, glutamate concentrations were similar among the nuclei, whereas aspartate concentrations were higher in the more dorsal nuclei. Glycine concentrations were relatively high in dorsal portions of the cochlear nucleus and superior olive and were much higher in all regions than those of gamma-aminobutyrate (GABA). Both GABA and taurine showed decreasing gradients from superficial to deep layers of the dorsal cochlear nucleus. Concentrations of serine, threonine, arginine and alanine were generally lower than those of the other six amino acids. The results support other evidence for prominent roles of glutamate and glycine as neurotransmitters in the cochlear nucleus and superior olive. They support a neurotransmitter role also for GABA, especially in the superficial layers of the dorsal cochlear nucleus, but less in the superior olive. The literature related to our results is reviewed.

Phosphate-activated glutaminase and mitochondrial glutamine transport in the brain

A review of the properties of purified and tissue bound phosphate activated glutaminase (PAG) in brain and kidney (pig and rat) is presented, based on kinetic, electron microscopic and immunocytochemical studies. PAG is a mitochondrial enzyme and two pools can be separated, a soluble and membrane associated one. Intact mitochondria appear to express PAG accessible only to the outer phase of the inner mitochondrial membrane. This PAG has properties similar to that of the membrane fraction and polymeric form of purified enzyme. PAG in the soluble fraction has properties similar to that of the monomeric form of purified enzyme and is assumed to be dormant due to the high matrix concentration of the inhibitor glutamate. A hypothetical model for the localization of PAG in the mitochondria is presented. The activity of PAG in vivo is assumed to be regulated by cytosolic glutamate and other compounds, that affect the activation by phosphate. Glutamine is transported into brain and kidney mitochondria by a protein catalyzed energy requiring process, which may be mediated by more than one protein. There is no correlation between glutamine hydrolysis and transport.

Effects of high-potassium-induced depolarization on amino acid chemistry of the dorsal cochlear nucleus in rat brain slices

High K+ was used to depolarize glia and neurons in order to study the effects on amino acid release from and concentrations within the dorsal cochlear nucleus (DCN) of brain slices. The release of glutamate, gamma-aminobutyrate (GABA) and glycine increased significantly during exposure to 50 mM K+, while glutamine and serine release decreased significantly during and/or after exposure, respectively. After 10 min of exposure to 50 mM K+, glutamine concentrations increased in all three layers of DCN slices, to more than 5 times the values in unexposed slices. In the presence of a glutamate uptake blocker, L-trans-pyrrolidine-2,4-dicarboxylic acid (PDC), glutamine concentrations in all layers did not increase as much during 50 mM K+. Similar but smaller changes occurred for serine. Mean ATP concentrations were lower in 50 mM K(+)-exposed slices compared to control. The results suggest that depolarization, such as during increased neural activity, can greatly affect amino acid metabolism in the cochlear nucleus.

Metabolism of the dorsal cochlear nucleus in rat brain slices

In vitro brain slices of the cochlear nucleus have been used for electrophysiological and pharmacological studies. More information is needed about the extent to which the slice resembles in vivo tissue, since this affects the interpretation of results obtained from slices. In this study, some chemical parameters of the dorsal cochlear nucleus (DCN) in rat brain slices were measured and compared to the in vivo state. The activities of malate dehydrogenase and lactate dehydrogenase were reduced in some DCN layers of incubated slices compared to in vivo brain tissue. The activities of choline acetyltransferase and acetylcholinesterase were increased or unchanged in DCN layers of slices. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) concentrations for in vivo rat DCN were similar to those of cerebellar cortex. Compared with in vivo values, ATP concentrations were decreased in the DCN of brain slices, especially in the deep layer. Vibratome-cut slices had lower ATP levels than chopper-cut slices. Compared with the in vivo data, there were large losses of aspartate, glutamate, glutamine, gamma-aminobutyrate and taurine from incubated slices. These amino acid changes within the slices correlated with the patterns of release from the slices.

Possible mechanism for the decrease of mitochondrial aspartate aminotransferase activity in ischemic and hypoxic rat retinas

Glutamate is believed to be an excitatory amino acid neurotransmitter in the retina. Enzymes for glutamate metabolism, such as glutamate dehydrogenase, ornithine aminotransferase, glutaminase, and aspartate aminotransferase (AAT), exist mainly in the mitochondria. The abnormal increase of intracellular calcium ions in ischemic retinal cells may cause an influx of calcium ions into the mitochondria, subsequently affecting various mitochondrial enzyme activities through the activity of mitochondrial calpain. As AAT has the highest level of activity among enzymes involved in glutamate metabolism, we investigated the change of AAT activity in ischemic and hypoxic rat retinas and the protection against such activity by calpain inhibitors. We used normal RCS (rdy+/rdy+) rats. For the in vivo studies, we clamped the optic nerve of anesthetized rats to induce ischemia. In the in vitro studies, the eye cups were incubated with Locke's solution saturated with 95% N2/5% CO2. The activity of cytosolic AAT (cAAT) was about 20% of total activity, whereas mitochondrial AAT (mAAT) was about 75% in rat retina. Ninety minutes of ischemia or hypoxia caused a 20% decrease in mAAT activity, whereas cAAT activity remained unchanged. To examine the contribution of intracellular calcium ions to the degradation of mAAT, we used Ca2+-free Locke's solution containing 1 mM EGTA, ryanodine (Ca2+ channel blocker), and thapsigargin (Ca2+-ATPase inhibitor). In the present study, thapsigargin in Ca2+-free Locke's solution, but not ryanodine in this solution, was found to prevent AAT degradation. AAT degradation was also prevented by calpain inhibitors (Ca2+-dependent protease inhibitor) such as calpeptin at 1 nM, 10 nM, 0.1 microM, 1 microM and 10 microM, and by calpain inhibitor peptide, but not by other protease inhibitors (10 microM leupeptin, pepstatin, chymostatin). Additionally, we determined the subcellular localization of calpain activity and examined the change of calpain activity in ischemic rat retinas. Our results suggest that decreased activity of mAAT in ischemic and hypoxic rat retinas might be evoked by the degradation by calpain-catalyzed proteolysis in mitochondria.

Effects of parallel fiber stimulation on neurons of rat dorsal cochlear nucleus

We have compared the effects of parallel fiber stimuli on extracellularly recorded neurons showing regular or bursting spontaneous activity patterns in the dorsal cochlear nucleus of rat brainstem slices. Ninety percent of regular neurons failed to respond to stimulus currents (1.4 +/- 0.28 mA, mean +/- SEM) significantly greater than those (0.4 +/- 0.07 mA) that elicited responses from 96% of bursting neurons. Responses of bursting neurons were elicited from widely separated loci along the molecular layer. Kynurenic acid and CNQX or DNQX blocked both spontaneous firing and responses to parallel fiber stimuli of bursting neurons. The same agents also blocked responses of regular neurons but had little or no effect on their spontaneous firing rates. AP-5 caused small decreases in spontaneous rates of both bursting and regular neurons but did not appear to affect responses to stimuli. The data support the hypothesis that the responses of both regular and bursting neurons to parallel fiber stimulation are mediated by glutamate, acting mainly through non-NMDA receptors. Spontaneous activity of bursting, but not regular, neurons also requires non-NMDA glutamatergic transmission, suggesting that the spontaneous firing of bursting neurons, consisting largely of cartwheel cells, may depend upon granule cell activity.

Amino acid concentrations and selected enzyme activities in rat auditory, olfactory, and visual systems

Homogenates of specific brain regions of three sensory systems (auditory, olfactory, and visual) were prepared from pigmented Long-Evans Hooded rats and assayed for amino acid concentrations and activities of glutaminase, aspartate aminotransferase (total, cytosolic, and by difference, mitochondrial), malate dehydrogenase, lactate dehydrogenase, and choline acetyltransferase. Comparing the quantitative distributions among regions revealed significant correlations between AAT and aspartate, between glutaminase and glutamate, between glutamate and glutamine, and between AAT plus glutaminase, or glutaminase alone, and the sum of aspartate, glutamate, and GABA, suggesting a metabolic pathway involving the synthesis of a glutamate pool as precursor to aspartate and GABA. Of the inhibitory transmitter amino acids, GABA concentrations routinely exceeded those of glycine, but glycine concentrations were relatively high in brainstem auditory structures.

Glutamate is concentrated in and released from parallel fiber terminals in the dorsal cochlear nucleus: a quantitative immunocytochemical analysis in guinea pig

The present paper addresses the identity of the neurotransmitter(s) of the parallel fibers in the molecular layer of the dorsal cochlear nucleus, a brainstem center in the pathway for sound perception. The distribution of putative neurotransmitter amino acids was studied by using postembedding single- and double-immunolabeling procedures. Perfusion-fixed brains and immersion-fixed slices from in vitro release experiments were evaluated. Quantitative immunogold analyses revealed that the parallel fiber terminals were significantly enriched with glutamate immunoreactivity compared with other terminals, dendrites, and glial processes. Within the parallel fiber terminals, the gold particles signaling the presence of glutamate were concentrated over vesicle clusters relative to the axoplasmic matrix. Furthermore, the parallel fiber terminals, but not the parent granule cell bodies, could be depleted of glutamate immunoreactivity by exposure to depolarizing concentrations of K+ in vitro. This depletion was partly dependent on Ca2+. In double-labeled preparations, the glutamine:glutamate ratio was by far higher in glial processes than in other types of profile. Aspartate immunoreactivity was mainly concentrated in neuronal cell bodies and dendrites and was very low in fiber terminals, particularly in those of the parallel fibers. These data indicate that parallel fiber terminals contain a glutamate pool that is associated with synaptic vesicles and that can be subject to release. The glial processes that are found in proximity to the terminals may provide them with the glutamine required for glutamate replenishment. No evidence was found for a neurotransmitter role of aspartate in the parallel fibers.