Organic acids play an important role in the acidification of our atmosphere. These weak acids can contribute up to 60% of the free airborne acidity. By far the most abundant organic acids are the C1 and C2 monocarboxylic acids, formic acid (HCOOH) and acetic acid (CH3COOH), which show mixing ratios in the gas phase ranging up to 20 ppb over land and down to 0.2 ppb in the remote oceanic boundar...

BACKGROUND Metabolism in the tumor microenvironment can play a critical role in tumorigenesis and tumor aggression. Metabolic coupling may occur between tumor compartments; this phenomenon can be prognostically significant and may be conserved across tumor types. Monocarboxylate transporters (MCTs) play an integral role in cellular metabolism via lactate transport and have been implicated in me...

Tripartite ATP-independent periplasmic (TRAP) transporters are relatively common prokaryotic secondary transporters which comprise an extracytoplasmic solute receptor (ESR) protein and two dissimilar membrane proteins or domains, yet the substrates and physiological functions of only a few of these systems are so far known. In this study, a biophysical approach was used to identify the ligands ...

The physiological role of monocarboxylate transport in brown adipose tissue mitochondria has been reevaluated. We studied pyruvate, α-ketoisovalerate, α-ketoisocaproate, and phenylpyruvate uniport via the uncoupling protein (UCP1) as a GDP-sensitive swelling in K+ salts induced by valinomycin or by monensin and carbonyl cyanide- p-(trifluoromethoxy)phenylhydrazone in Na+ salts. We have demonstr...

Previous studies have reported that brain metabolism of acetate is increased more than twofold during hypoglycemia in type 1 diabetic (T1D) subjects with hypoglycemia unawareness. These data support the hypothesis that upregulation of blood-brain barrier monocarboxylic acid (MCA) transport may contribute to the maintenance of brain energetics during hypoglycemia in subjects with hypoglycemia un...

1. The effect of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate on the activity of ox liver glutamate dehydrogenase towards different amino acid substrates was investigated. 2. Both alanine and glutamate activities decreased steadily in the presence of pyridoxal 5'phosphate. 3. The alanine/glutamate activity ratio increased as a function of inactivation by pyridoxal 5'-phosphate, indicating that glutamate activity is ...

Hypoxia and oncogene expression both stimulate glycolytic metabolism in tumors, thereby leading to lactate production. However, lactate is more than merely a by-product of glycolysis: it can be used as a metabolic fuel by oxidative cancer cells. This phenomenon resembles processes that have been described for skeletal muscle and brain that involve what are known as cell-cell and intracellular l...

Metabolic interaction via lactate between glial cells and neurons has been proposed as one of the mechanisms involved in hypothalamic glucosensing. We have postulated that hypothalamic glial cells, also known as tanycytes, produce lactate by glycolytic metabolism of glucose. Transfer of lactate to neighboring neurons stimulates ATP synthesis and thus contributes to their activation. Because des...

A novel amperometric biosensor for hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) was developed by entrapping horseradish peroxidase (HRP) in a new ormosil composite doped with ferrocene monocarboxylic acid-bovine serum albumin conjugate and multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs). The ormosil was prepared using 3-(aminopropyl)triethoxysilane and 2-(3,4 epoxycyclohexyl)-ethyltrimethoxy silane as monomers. The encapsu...

Dicarboxylic acids are products of the omega-oxidation of monocarboxylic acids. We demonstrate that in rat liver dicarboxylic acids (C5-C16) can be converted into their CoA esters by a dicarboxylyl-CoA synthetase. During this activation ATP, which cannot be replaced by GTP, is converted into AMP and PPi, both acting as feedback inhibitors of the reaction. Thermolabile at 37 degrees C, and optim...