Introduction Glutamate (Glu) and glutamine (Gln) are two major neurochemicals in the central nervous system. Quantifying Glu and Gln in vivo using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) has been of particular interest to basic science for understanding the Glu/Gln component of the Krebs cycle and its alteration by neuropsychiatric disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy and alcoholism. H...

Reduced folic acid derivatives support biosynthesis of DNA, RNA and amino acids in bacteria as well as in eukaryotes, including humans. While the genes and steps for bacterial folic acid synthesis are known, those associated with folic acid catabolism are not well understood. A folate catabolite found in both humans and bacteria is p-aminobenzoyl-glutamate (PABA-GLU). The enzyme p-aminobenzoyl-...

The activation of ligand-gated ion channels is thought to depend solely on the binding of chemical neurotransmitters. In this study, we demonstrate that kainate (KA) ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs) require not only the neurotransmitter L-glutamate (L-Glu) but also external sodium and chloride ions for activation. Removal of external ions traps KA receptors (KARs) in a novel inactive sta...

OBJECTIVE This study was to evaluate the effect of riluzole on methylmercury- (MeHg-) induced oxidative stress, through promotion of glutathione (GSH) synthesis by activating of glutamate transporters (GluTs) in rat cerebral cortex. METHODS Eighty rats were randomly assigned to four groups, control group, riluzole alone group, MeHg alone group, and riluzole + MeHg group. The neurotoxicity of ...

In order to examine whether L-aspartate and L-glutamate are photoreceptor transmitters in monkey retina, we have carried out two different studies: an autoradiographic localization of the high-affinity uptake sites for aspartate (Asp) and glutamate (Glu), and an immunocytochemical localization of the biosynthetic enzyme, L-aspartate aminotransferase (AAT). Our results show that L-Glu is taken u...

Aerobic energy metabolism uses glucose and oxygen to produce all the energy needs of the brain. Several studies published over the last 13 years challenged the assumption that the activated brain increases its oxidative glucose metabolism to meet the increased energy demands. Neuronal function in rat hippocampal slices supplied with 4 mM glucose could tolerate a 15 min activation by a 5 mM conc...

Although the five basic taste qualities-sweet, sour, bitter, salty and umami-can be recognized by the respective gustatory system, interactions between these taste qualities are often experienced when food is consumed. Specifically, the umami taste has been investigated in terms of whether it enhances or reduces the other taste modalities. These studies, however, are based on individual percept...

BACKGROUND Pichia pastoris is a popular recombinant protein expression system for its accessibility of efficient gene manipulation and high protein production. Sufficient supply of precursors, energy, and redox cofactors is crucial for high recombinant protein production. In our present work, we found that the addition of glutamate improved the recombinant β-galactosidase (β-gal) production by ...

INTRODUCTION: Chronic methamphetamine use results in persistent neuropsychological deficits in abstinent methamphetamine dependent (AMD) subjects. We examined the hypothesis that elevated concentration of cerebral glutamate (Glu), an excitatory neurotransmitter and neurotoxin, occurs in human AMD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We examined 40 subjects, 18 of whom were AMD, abstinent more than 3 weeks ...

γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase (Gcs) is a vital enzyme catalyzing the first and rate limiting step in the trypanothione biosynthesis pathway, the ATP-dependent ligation of L-Glutamate and L-Cysteine to form gamma-glutamylcysteine. The Trypanothione biosynthesis pathway is unique metabolic pathway essential for trypanosomatid survival rendering Gcs as a potential drug target. Here we report the c...