Functional intracellular glutaminase activity in intact astrocytes

Interactions in the Metabolism of Glutamate and the Branched-Chain Amino Acids and Ketoacids in the CNS

Glutamatergic neurotransmission entails a tonic loss of glutamate from nerve endings into the synapse. Replacement of neuronal glutamate is essential in order to avoid depletion of the internal pool. In brain this occurs primarily via the glutamate-glutamine cycle, which invokes astrocytic synthesis of glutamine and hydrolysis of this amino acid via neuronal phosphate-dependent glutaminase. This cycle maintains constancy of internal pools, but it does not provide a mechanism for inevitable losses of glutamate N from brain. Import of glutamine or glutamate from blood does not occur to any appreciable extent. However, the branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) cross the blood-brain barrier swiftly. The brain possesses abundant branched-chain amino acid transaminase activity which replenishes brain glutamate and also generates branched-chain ketoacids. It seems probable that the branched-chain amino acids and ketoacids participate in a "glutamate-BCAA cycle" which involves shuttling of branched-chain amino acids and ketoacids between astrocytes and neurons. This mechanism not only supports the synthesis of glutamate, it also may constitute a mechanism by which high (and potentially toxic) concentrations of glutamate can be avoided by the re-amination of branched-chain ketoacids.

Ammonia as a Potential Neurotoxic Factor in Alzheimer's Disease

Ammonia is known to be a potent neurotoxin that causes severe negative effects on the central nervous system. Excessive ammonia levels have been detected in the brain of patients with neurological disorders such as Alzheimer disease (AD). Therefore, ammonia could be a factor contributing to the progression of AD. In this review, we provide an introduction to the toxicity of ammonia and putative ammonia transport proteins. We also hypothesize how ammonia may be linked to AD. Additionally, we discuss the evidence that support the hypothesis that ammonia is a key factor contributing to AD progression. Lastly, we summarize the old and new experimental evidence that focuses on energy metabolism, mitochondrial function, inflammatory responses, excitatory glutamatergic, and GABAergic neurotransmission, and memory in support of our ammonia-related hypotheses of AD.

The role of non-synaptic extracellular glutamate

Although there are some mechanisms which allow the direct crossing of substances between the cytoplasm of adjacent cells (gap junctions), most substances use the extracellular space to diffuse between brain cells. The present work reviews the behavior and functions of extracellular glutamate (GLU). There are two extracellular pools of glutamate (GLU) in the brain, a synaptic pool whose functions in the excitatory neurotransmission has been widely studied and an extrasynaptic GLU pool although less known nonetheless is gaining attention among a growing number of researchers. Evidence accumulated over the last years shows a number of mechanisms capable of releasing glial GLU to the extracellular medium, thus modulating neurons, microglia and oligodendrocytes, and regulating the immune response, cerebral blood flow, neuronal synchronization and other brain functions. This new scenario is expanding present knowledge regarding the role of GLU in the brain under different physiological and pathological conditions. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled 'Extrasynaptic ionotropic receptors'.

Potentiation of Excitotoxicity in HIV-1 Associated Dementia and the Significance of Glutaminase

HIV-1 Associated Dementia (HAD) is a significant consequence of HIV infection. Although multiple inflammatory factors contribute to this chronic, progressive dementia, excitotoxic damage appears to be an underlying mechanism in the neurodegenerative process. Excitotoxicity is a cumulative effect of multiple processes occurring in the CNS during HAD. The overstimulation of glutamate receptors, an increased vulnerability of neurons, and disrupted astrocyte support each potentiate excitotoxic damage to neurons. Recent evidence suggests that poorly controlled generation of glutamate by phosphate-activated glutaminase may contribute to the neurotoxic state typical of HAD as well as other neurodegenerative disorders. Glutaminase converts glutamine, a widely available substrate throughout the CNS to glutamate. Inflammatory conditions may precipitate unregulated activity of glutaminase, a potentially important mechanism in HAD pathogenesis.

Formation of extracellular glutamate from glutamine: exclusion of pyroglutamate as an intermediate

A 4.6-fold increase in interstitial glutamate was observed following the reverse microdialysis of 5 mM glutamine into the rat hippocampus. Two possible mechanisms of glutamine hydrolysis were examined: (a) an enzymatic glutaminase activity and (b) a non-enzymatic mechanism. Injection of 14C-glutamine at the site of microdialysis followed by microdialysis with artificial cerebral spinal fluid allowed isolation of 14C-glutamine (63%), 14C-glutamate (14%), and a compound tentatively identified as pyroglutamate (22%). In this study, we determined if non-enzymatic pyroglutamate formation from glutamine contributed to the synthesis of glutamate. Pyroglutamate is in chemical equilibrium with glutamate, although under physiological conditions, the chemical equilibrium is strongly in the direction of pyroglutamate. In vitro stability studies indicated that 14C-glutamine and 14C-pyroglutamate are not subject to significant non-enzymatic breakdown at pH 6.5-7.5 at 37 degrees C for up to 8 h. Reverse microdialysis with 1 mM pyroglutamate did not increase interstitial glutamate levels. Following injection of 14C-pyroglutamate and microdialysis, radioactivity was recovered in 14C-pyroglutamate (88%) and 14C-glutamine (11%). Less than 1% of the radioactivity was recovered as glutamate. Our data do not support a role of pyroglutamate as an intermediate in the formation of extracellular glutamate following the infusion of glutamine. However, it confirms that pyroglutamate, a known constituent in brain, is actively metabolized in brain cells and contributes to glutamine in the interstitial space.

Astrocytic control of glutamatergic activity: astrocytes as stars of the show

It is a major recent finding that astrocytes can influence synaptic activity by release of glutamate, but many other glutamate-mediated activities are also controlled by astrocytes. Even the most obvious neuronal function of glutamate - its release as a transmitter - is regulated by astrocytes; these cells are needed for formation of precursors for glutamate synthesis, for reuptake of released transmitter, and for disposal of excess glutamate. Without astrocytic involvement, normal function of glutamatergic neurons is not possible, as exemplified by almost instantaneous abrogation of normal vision and learning upon inhibition of astrocyte-specific metabolic pathways. In addition, astrocytes are essential for production of the neuroprotectant glutathione, yet they can also contribute to neuronal death during ischemia by maintaining glutamine synthesis, enabling neuronal formation of neurotoxic glutamate.

Intracellular metabolic compartmentation assessed by 13C magnetic resonance spectroscopy

Our understanding of the brain has developed from the theory that it is one continuous cell to the knowledge that there are many brain cells originally termed neurons and, furthermore to the discovery of glial cells and their multiple functions. Thus, an increasing complexity was unraveled and we have not reached a complete understanding of the phenomenon which comprises the compartmentation of metabolic pathways and metabolites. This is an important principle needed to fully understand the metabolic processes of the brain. At the cellular level this concept is well established whereas intracellular compartmentation has yet to be explored. Using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) for analysis of isotopomer composition combined with quantification of amino acid contents it is possible to construct models that describe intracellular compartmentation. Results of studies of cultures of astrocytes and neurons incubated in media containing [U- 13C]glutamate in the presence or absence of thiopental may be used to propose an intracellular three compartment model of mitochondrial function. Due to the experimental paradigm only certain aspects of metabolism can be described. The present model consists of compartments assigned to CO(2) production, glutamate synthesis from ketoglutarate and finally synthesis of a four-carbon metabolite which is shuttled between compartments. It is likely that metabolism may be far more complex than this and we are only beginning to glimpse some aspects of compartmentation at the cellular level.

Modulation of glutamatergic transmission by bergmann glial cells in rat cerebellum in situ

We obtained patch-clamp recordings from neuron-glial cell pairs in cerebellar brain slices to examine the contribution of glutamate (Glu) uptake by Bergmann glial cells to shaping excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) at the parallel fiber to Purkinje cell synapse. We show that electrical stimulation of parallel fibers not only activates EPSCs in Purkinje cells but also activates inward currents in antigenically identified Bergmann glial cells that invest Purkinje cell synapse with their processes. The inward current is partially due to 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxalene-2,3-dione (CNQX)- and 2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoic acid (AP5)-sensitive ionotropic Glu receptors, but >/=70% of the current was mediated by D,L-threo-beta-hydroxyaspartate (THA)-sensitive Glu transporters. Glu inward currents were completely and reversibly inhibited by depolarization of Bergmann glial cells to positive membrane potentials allowing biophysical inhibition of Glu uptake into a single glial cell. Inhibition of Glu transport into Bergmann glial cells by voltage-clamping the cell to depolarized potentials caused a reversible increase in spontaneous EPSC frequency in the Purkinje cell. This increase could also be achieved by pharmacological inhibition of Glu transport with the Glu transport inhibitor THA, suggesting that inhibition of Glu uptake into Bergmann glial cells is responsible for the modulation of postsynaptic EPSCs. THA modulation of spontaneous EPSCs could only be observed in the absence of TTX, suggesting primarily a presynaptic effect. Taken together these data suggest that glial Glu uptake can profoundly affect excitatory transmission in the cerebellum, most likely by regulating presynaptic glutamate release.

In vivo glutamine hydrolysis in the formation of extracellular glutamate in the injured rat brain

Hydrolysis of extracellular glutamine as a potential source of increased extracellular glutamate in the quinolinic acid (QUIN)-injured brain of the unanesthetized, free-moving rat was examined by microdialysis and HPLC analysis. Injury was initiated by injection of 100 nmoles of QUIN into the hippocampus. Immediately postinjury or 24 hr postinjury, the injection site was perfused with artificial cerebrospinal fluid + (14)C-glutamine to measure its conversion to (14)C-glutamate. L-trans-pyrrolidine-2,4-dicarboxylate (L-PDC), a glutamate uptake inhibitor, was added to the perfusate to enhance the detection of extracellular (14)C-glutamate. QUIN injury was followed by an immediate increase in extracellular glutamate that persisted 24 hr later. When (14)C-glutamine was added to the perfusate, a significant amount of (14)C-glutamate was recovered, and it was greater following QUIN injury than in control animals (P < 0.001). Up to 32% of the extracellular (14)C-glutamine was converted to (14)C-glutamate following QUIN injury. Considering the high concentration of glutamine normally present in the extracellular fluid, glutamine hydrolysis is a potential and important source for the increase in extracellular glutamate after neuronal injury in vivo.

Comparison of glutamine-enhanced glutamate release from slices and primary cultures of rat brain

Increased extracellular glutamate has been associated with a wide range of effects including production of neurotoxicity. Glutamine has previously been shown to cause increased release of glutamate from a variety of preparations. Extracellular central nervous system (CNS) glutamine levels are known to increase with neurotoxin exposures, hepatic failure, renal failure, head trauma or stroke. However, the action of glutamine to enhance the release of glutamate under nondepolarizing conditions has not been well studied. Since glutamine-mediated increases in extracellular glutamate are potentially of significance in cellular damage as a result of CNS insult, further examination of this phenomenon is important. Striatal and hippocampal slices or virtually neuron-free primary striatal glial cultures were employed in studies to further elucidate the mechanism(s) of glutamine-enhanced glutamate release. Elevated extracellular glutamine caused increased glutamate release in all three preparations. In hippocampal and striatal slices elevated glutamine caused an enhancement of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-mediated [3H]catecholamine release equivalent to that produced by high concentrations (up to 100 microM) of exogenous glutamate. In both striatal slices and primary cultures kynurenate increased glutamate release in the presence of 500 microM glutamine, while kainate either had no effect or decreased glutamate levels in the presence of glutamine. Since several presynaptic modulators of release did not affect the glutamate release produced by glutamine in slices, vesicular release of glutamate from nerve terminals was probably not involved in the effects of the exogenous glutamine. The similarities between striatal slices and primary striatal cultures indicate that enzymatic conversion of glutamine to glutamate within glia may be an important factor in the glutamine-mediated elevation of extracellular glutamate levels.

Noradrenaline-induced stimulation of glutamine metabolism in primary cultures of astrocytes

Effects of noradrenaline and of adrenergic subtype specific agonists on the uptake and metabolism of [14C]glutamine and [14C]glutamate in primary cultures of mouse astrocytes have been investigated. The total uptake of radioactivity from extracellular [14C]glutamine into the cells was enhanced during exposure to 100 microM noradrenaline, isoproterenol, or clonidine. This is partly due to an increased radioactivity in the glutamine pool and partly due to an increased formation of labeled glutamate from glutamine, which had become very marked (66%) after 240 min of incubation. The CO2 formation from labeled glutamine during 4 hr of incubation was enhanced about twofold in the presence of noradrenaline. Ten millimolar amino oxyacetic acid (AOAA), a transamination inhibitor, had no effect on CO2 formation from glutamine, indicating that the formation of alpha-ketoglutarate from glutamate occurs as an oxidative deamination. The stimulation of 14CO2 production from labeled glutamine was at least as large when glucose was deleted from medium, suggesting that the increased 14CO2 formation represents a stimulation of glutamine metabolism as such and is not only a reflection of an increase in oxidative metabolism of glucose and a bidirectional exchange between alpha-ketoglutarate and glutamate. The opposite process, incorporation of radioactivity from labeled glutamate into glutamine, was not enhanced in the presence of noradrenaline. The findings suggest that noradrenaline stimulates the rates of glutamine uptake, glutamate synthesis, and CO2 production from glutamine and thus increases energy supply to astrocytes but has no effect on the opposite reaction, i.e., glutamine formation from glutamate, a reaction of importance for neuronal-astrocyte interations.

Effects of chronic exposure to ammonia on glutamate and glutamine interconversion and compartmentation in homogeneous primary cultures of mouse astrocytes

Accumulation of radioactivity was studied in primary cultures of mouse astrocytes as a function of time of exposure (4-60 min) to 50 microM glutamate and 200 microM glutamine (initial concentrations), of which either glutamate or glutamine was 14C-labeled. Both the glutamate pool and the glutamine pool were compartmentalized. Initially, by far the major intracellular glutamate pool (> or = 90%) was derived from extracellular glutamate and could be converted to glutamine. This allowed a rather accurate determination of metabolic flux from glutamate to glutamine, which under control conditions amounted to 2.0-2.2 nmol/min per mg protein. After chronic exposure to 3 mM ammonia for 3 days this flux was significantly increased to 3.1-3.6 nmol/min per mg protein. Acute exposure to ammonia caused a smaller, apparent increase, which was not statistically significant. The glutamine content was compartmentalized at all stages of the incubation. It consisted of at least two different pools. One of these was accessible to extracellular glutamine and could be converted to intracellular glutamate (constituting a sizeable fraction of the total glutamate pool after longer incubation), whereas the other constituted endogenously derived glutamine, formed from accumulated glutamate. The specific activity of the precursor pool for glutamate synthesis could not be accurately determined and relatively exact fluxes therefore not be calculated. There was, however, no evidence that chronic exposure to ammonia decreases the rate of glutamine hydrolysis.

A glutamatergic mechanism for aluminum toxicity in astrocytes

The effect of aluminum on the metabolism of glutamate and glutamine in astrocytes was studied to provide information about a possible biochemical mechanism for aluminum neurotoxicity and its potential contribution to neurodegenerative disease. Exposure of cultured rat brain astrocytes for 3-4 d to 5-7.5 mM aluminum lactate increased glutamine synthetase activity by 100-300% and diminished glutaminase activity by 50-85%. Increased glutamine synthetase enzyme activity was accompanied by an elevated level of glutamine synthetase mRNA. Alterations in glutaminase and glutamine synthetase following aluminum exposure caused increased intracellular glutamine levels, decreased intracellular glutamate levels, and increased conversion of glutamate to glutamine and the release of the latter into the extracellular space. The results of these changes may alter the availability of neurotransmitter glutamate in vivo and may be a mechanism for the aluminum neurotoxicity observed in individuals exposed to the metal during dialysis procedures and other situations.

Regulation of phosphate-activated glutaminase (PAG) by glutamate analogues

The ability of structural analogues of glutamate (GLU) to modulate phosphate activated glutaminase (PAG) was assessed in the present series of studies. A number of GLU receptor agonists and antagonists were tested for their ability to inhibit synaptosomal PAG activity. PAG activity was determined by measuring GLU formation from 0.5 mM glutamine (GLN) in the presence of 10 mM phosphate. GLU analogues at 5-10 mM were found to significantly inhibit PAG activity. It was determined that PAG inhibition occurred regardless of whether the GLU analogues were receptor agonists or antagonists, however, PAG inhibition was influenced by analogue chain length, isomeric form and substituent substitution. The glutamate uptake blockers, dihydrokainic acid and DL-threo-beta-hydroxyaspartic acid were relatively weak inhibitors of PAG (< 25% inhibition) as were the receptor agonists, ibotenic acid and (+-)cis-2,3-piperidine-dicarboxylic acid. Other GLU analogues produced inhibition of PAG in the range of 40-70%. PAG inhibition by GLU analogues did not appear to differ substantially among the brain regions evaluated (cortex, striatum and hippocampus). The endogenous amino acids, glycine, taurine and N-acetylaspartic acid, also significantly inhibited PAG activity in the 5-10 mM range. The noncompetitive NMDA antagonists, (+)MK801 and ketamine, at a concentration of 5 mM, significantly stimulated PAG activity 1.5-2 fold over control values. The activation of PAG by (+)MK801 was dose-related, stereoselective and appeared to result from a synergistic interaction with phosphate to enhance substrate (GLN) binding to PAG.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Ammonia regulation of phosphate-activated glutaminase displays regional variation and impairment in the brain of aged rats

The regulation of PAG by ammonia in whole brain (Sprague-Dawley) and regional (Fischer-344) synaptosomal preparations from adult and aged animals was assessed. Whole brain synaptosomal preparations from both age groups displayed a significant decrease in PAG activity with increasing ammonium chloride concentrations, however, the aged rats exhibited a significant attenuation in ammonia-induced PAG inhibition. PAG activity measured in synaptosomes prepared from the striatum (STR), temporal cortex (TCX) and hippocampus (HIPP) was also inhibited by ammonium chloride. The STR showed the greatest degree of ammonia-induced PAG inhibition (55%) followed by the HIPP (30-35%) and the TCX (25-30%). This reduction in PAG activity was significantly attenuated in STR from aged rats at ammonium chloride concentrations greater than 50 microM and in the TCX, PAG activity was significantly attenuated in the aged rats at ammonia concentrations of 0.5 and 1.0 mM. Ammonia regulation of PAG activity in the HIPP appeared to be unaffected by age. Ammonium chloride concentrations up to 5 mM had no effect on GLU release from cortical slices, although GLN efflux was significantly enhanced. These findings suggest that isozymes of PAG may exist in different brain regions based on their differential sensitivity to ammonia. The attenuation of ammonia-induced PAG inhibition seen in aged rats may have deleterious effects in the aged brain.

Intra- and extracellular changes of amino acids in the cerebral cortex of the neonatal rat during hypoxic-ischemia

Excitatory amino acids (EAAs) have been implicated to play a part in the development of hypoxic-ischemic brain injury in the neonate. The aim of the present study was to follow changes of intra- and extracellular (microdialysis) amino acids in the cerebral cortex in a model where cortical hypoxic-ischemic damage is produced consistently. Hypoxic-ischemia (unilateral ligation of the carotid artery + 2 h of exposure to 7.8% oxygen) caused a depletion of tissue ATP, phosphocreatine and glucose with a concomittant accumulation of AMP and lactic acid in cortical tissue. These changes were accompanied by a decrease of tissue aspartate and glutamine whereas the contents of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), phenylalanine, leucine, isoleucine, valine and alanine increased. In the extracellular fluid GABA, glutamate, aspartate, taurine, glycine and alanine all increased multi-fold during hypoxic-ischemia. Aspartate and glutamate returned to near initial levels 2 h after the end of the insult, whereas the elevation of glycine persisted during recovery. In conclusion, the high extracellular levels of EAAs and glycine may exert injurious effects during and after hypoxic-ischemia.

Cellular and subcellular redistribution of glutamate-, glutamine- and taurine-like immunoreactivities during forebrain ischemia: a semiquantitative electron microscopic study in rat hippocampus

The effect of 20 min of ischemia on the cellular and subcellular distribution of glutamate, glutamine and taurine in the rat hippocampus was studied by means of an immunocytochemical procedure based on antisera raised against protein glutaraldehyde conjugates of the respective amino acids. Forebrain ischemia was induced by temporary occlusion of the common carotid arteries in rats with permanently occluded vertebral arteries. Within 90 s after removal of the carotid ligatures, the rats were perfused through the heart with a mixture of glutaraldehyde and paraformaldehyde. For semiquantitative electron microscopic analysis, ultrathin sections were incubated in a primary antiserum followed by a secondary antibody coupled to colloidal gold particles. The gold particle densities over different tissue compartments within the CA1 field and the mossy fiber zone of the hippocampus were determined by means of a specially designed computer program, and values from normal and ischemic animals were compared. It was found that in the astrocytes, the level of immunoreactivity for glutamine and taurine is unchanged or slightly decreased after ischemia, while that for glutamate is increased, particularly within the mitochondria (by about 100%). In contrast, pyramidal cell bodies display a reduced immunolabeling for all three amino acids following the ischemic episode. The results show that ischemia causes a redistribution of glutamate from neurons to glia. The observed increase in the glial immunolabeling for glutamate indicates that the capacity of the glial cells to metabolize glutamate is exceeded during ischemia. This glial response to ischemia has not previously been recognized and may play a role in the chain of events leading to "excitotoxic" cell death during or following an ischemic episode. The reduction of glutamate and taurine immunolabeling in neurons points to a possible amino acid efflux and is compatible with previous biochemical studies demonstrating an elevated extracellular level of these amino acids during ischemia.

Effect of 8-bromo-cAMP and dexamethasone on glutamate metabolism in rat astrocytes

Glutamine synthetase (GS) activity in cultured rat astrocytes was measured in extracts and compared to the intracellular rate of glutamine synthesis by intact control astrocytes or astrocytes exposed to 1 mM 8-bromo-cAMP (8Br-cAMP) + 1 microM dexamethasone (DEX) for 4 days. GS activity in extracts of astrocytes treated with 8Br-cAMP + DEX was 7.5 times greater than the activity in extracts of control astrocytes. In contrast, the intracellular rate of glutamine synthesis by intact cells increased only 2-fold, suggesting that additional intracellular effectors regulate the expression of GS activity inside the intact cell. The rate of glutamine synthesis by astrocytes was 4.3 times greater in MEM than in HEPES buffered Hank's salts. Synthesis of glutamine by intact astrocytes cultured in MEM was independent of the external glutamine or ammonia concentrations but was increased by higher extracellular glutamate concentrations. In studies with intact astrocytes 80% of the original [U-14C]glutamate was recovered in the medium as radioactive glutamine, 2-3% as aspartate, and 7% as glutamate after 2 hours for both control and treated astrocytes. The results suggest: (1) astrocytes are highly efficient in the conversion of glutamate to glutamine; (2) induction of GS activity increases the rate of glutamate conversion to glutamine by astrocytes and the rate of glutamine release into the medium; (3) endogenous intracellular regulators of GS activity control the flux of glutamate through this enzymatic reaction; and (4) the composition of the medium alters the rate of glutamine synthesis from external glutamate.