Amino Acid Degradation and Synthesis II Flashcards
What is the major carrier of nitrogen in the blood?
glutamine
What is glutamine made from for transfer?
NH4+ is added to a-ketogluterate (through ATP and NADPH) to make glutamine, which then goes to the liver from peripheral tissue where it is deaminated twice to give off NH4+ to reform a-keotgluterate
What is the fate of the Nh4+ groups given off during the reconversion of glutamine to a-ketogluterate in the liver?
made into urea and eventually urine
What is another nitrogen transporters that gives nitrogen products to the production of urea?
alanine (gives off NH3). In the alanine cycle, alanine goes to the liver from peripheral tissue in fasting conditions and the ALT enzyme trans-aminates alanine to pyruvate (for gluconeogenesis) which causes NH3 to be given off. Most of the NH3 enters the urea cycle
Alanine and glutamine pass their AAs to what compound for them to enter the urea cycle?
glutamate
What are the significances of NH4+ and NH3 in the urea cycle?
NH4+ is the predominant form of ammonia in the body due to its high dissociation constant (9.3), but NH3 is important because it is the form that can cross cell membranes (NH4+ cannot because it is charged)
T or F. High levels of ammonia can be toxic
T. Normal level of ammonia in blood = 30-60 mM
The majority of nitrogen in urine is present in what form?
urea
Where does the urea cycle occur?
some steps in mitochondria and some in the cytosol. ALL in the liver
What is the first step in the urea cycle?
HCO3- made from H2O and Co2 is combined with NH4+ to form carbamoyl phosphate (through input of 2 ATP)
What enzyme catalyzes the conversion of HCO3- and NH4+ to carbamoyl phosphate?
carbamoyl phosphate synthetase I (CPSI)
What is the second step in the urea cycle?
carbamoyl phosphate is combined with ornithine to make citrulline (by giving off a phosphate group)
What enzyme catalyzes the conversion of carbamoyl phosphate and ornithine to citrulline?
ornithine transcarbamoylase (OTC)
What happens to the citrulline?
it moves OUT of the mitochondria into the cytosol (via exchange of ornithine into the mitochondria)
What is the source of the second nitrogen in urea (remember that NH4+ from glutamine/alanine is the first)?
aspartic acid (aspartate)
What happens to the citrulline once in the cytosol?
it combines with aspartic acid (via ATP input) to form argininosuccinate
(enzyme is argininosuccinate syntheses)
What happens to argininosuccinate?
it splits up to form fumarate and arginine as part of the Krebs Bi-cycle (via the enzyme argininosuccinate lyase)
fumarate then enters the TCA and arginine continues along the urea cycle
What happens to the arginine?
it is converted to ornithine by giving off urea (via the enzyme arginase). The ornithine is then transferred back to the mitochondria (via exchange with citruline leaving) and then can be re-used in the next cycle (via combo with carbamoyl phosphate)
How do you measure the urea cycle?
BUN- blood urea nitrogen (normal 250-700 uM)
high BUN= renal failure
low BUN= deficient urea cycle
What is the most common deficiency of the urea cycle?
OTC deficiency
What is OTC deficiency?
x linked disorder
results in high ammonia levels in the blood, high rotate (orotic acid), and low citrulline
which can lead to neuronal damage and mental retardation
What happens to carbamoyl phosphate when there is an OTC deficiency?
it will be converted to orotate which is used from pyrimidine synthesis
What is the treatment for OTC deficiency?
Need early intervention. Generate low nitrogen levels by:
1) Low-protein diet
2) Drugs that conjugate (react with) amino acids
- Benzoic acid and phenyl butyrate. Conjugated AAs are then lost by excretion
-Nitrogen used to resynthesize amino acids that are lost