Protein Digestion, Amino Acid Absorption and Intertissue Trafficking Flashcards
amino acid utilization
protein synthesis
degradation/ energy source
§Direct NADH/FAD(2H) production
§TCA cycle intermediates
§Gluconeogenesis
§Ketone bodies
synthesis of other biomolecules
§Purines, pyrimidines
§Phosphatydilserine, sphingosine
§Thyroxine, epinephrine, melatonin
§ Acetylcholine, GABA
§Heme, histamine, creatine, carnitine, etc
cell signaling (Gly-Glu)
intestinal digestion of epithelial proteins
Intestinal epithelial cells can absorb only amino acids or dipeptides.
Secretions:
- Pancreatic secretion: HCO3-, zymogens
- trypsinogen, chymotrypsinogen, proelastase, procarboxypeptidase
- Gut epithelial cell enzymes: Enteropeptidase (proenzyme activation)
- Epithelial cell enzymes: aminopeptidase, dipeptidase
Note: bc of 1 &2: active enzymes (duodenum): trypsin, chymotripsin, elastase, and carboxypeptidase
Proenzymes
digestive proteases are secreted as proenzyme
Proenzyme activation
- initiation
- reactions
- location
by proteolytic cleavage
- Enteropeptidase activates trypsinogen and produces trypsin.
- Trypsin activates other enzymes
- chymotrypsibnogen
- proelastase
- procarboxypeptidase
- All take place in small intestine (duodenum)
Pepsin activation
H+ (stomach PH ~ 2) activates pepsinogen
Nitrogen balance
Normal
Positive
Negative
- Nintake = Nexcretion
- Nintake > Nexcretion
- Growth
- recovery
- Nintake > Nexcretion
- Nintake < Nexcretion
- illness
- malnutrition
- Nintake < Nexcretion
Nintake is provided by dietry proteins
diagnostic indicator of untreated malabsorption/ malnutrition caused by loss of digestive proteases:
Treatment:
Low serum protein level
Albumin is a diagnostic marker
Tx: pancreatic enzyme suplmt
Causes
A- Cystic fibrosis
B- Chronic Pancreatitis (chronic alcoholism)
A- CF (chloride channel deficiency): dried secretion blocks the pancreatic duct
B- Loss of enzyme secreting pancreatic cells
Both leads to loss of digestive proteases
Conditions wiht loss of digestive proteases
- CF
- Chronic alcoholism (chronic pancreatitis)
Uptake of dipeptides from the intestinal lumen
co-transport with H+ and cleaved inside the cell
dietry amino acid uptake from the intestinal lumen
§ Mainly through co-transport with Na+
§ Multiple transporters exist with overlapping specificity.
Release of aa from the serosal side of intestinal cells into the circulation:
- Release
- Direction
Uptake of dietry aa from circulation
1- Release
Through facilitated transport.
Bidirectional
Allows amino acid uptake during fasting ►energy
2- Uptake
Mainly through co-transport with Na+
Amino acid absorption in the gut vs Amino acid reabsorption in the kidneys
The amino acid transport system is the same in the small intestine and in the proximal tubules of the kidney.
If an amino acid cannot be absorbed from the intestines, it cannot be reabsorbed from the glomerular filtrate, either → urine AA Accumulation
Clinical diagnostics of amino acid absorption disease
elevated levels of aa in urine
Hartnup disease
Cause
Dx marker
Sx
Tx
Disease of AA transport (autosomal recessive)
- Defect in the absorption of neutral amino acids (hydrophobic) at the brush border.
- Lack of tryptophan coupled with poor diet (niacin (vitamin B3) deficiency) can lead to pellagra-like symptoms.
- Tryptophan and vitamin B3 are both precursors for NAD+.
- Elevated neutral amino acids in urine.
Symptoms:
§Mostly normal clinically.
§Some develop photo-sensitivity, tremors, ataxia, nystagmus
Treatment:
§Niacin-rich diet
§High protein diet (increases the amount of dipeptides that can be taken up)
Common causes of pellagra-like symptoms in harnup disease
Combination of:
- lack of Tryptophan
- Niacin dificiency (B3)
- brought on by poor diet
Treatment of Hartnup disease
- Is a disorder of aa transport. Specifically, inability to absorb neutral (hydrophobic) amino acids at the intestinal BB.
- Lack of Trp and B3 causes the pellagra-like symptoms.
Thus, treatment includes:
- High protein diet to increase the amt of dipeptides that can be taken up.
- Niacin rich diet
Cystinuria
Cause:
lab findings/ Sx:
Tx:
Cause:
- Cystinuria (autosomal recessive) caused by deficient BB transport of COAL- basic aa: Cys, Ornithine, Arg, Lys.
Lab/Sx:
- Hyperaminoaciduria of COAL
- Cystine stones in kidneys, ureter and bladder
Tx:
- High fluid intake
- Meds to increase urine PH
Pathways of interacellular protein digestion
- Lysosomal degradation
- Ub-proteosome degradation
lysosomal degradation is used for:
Endocytosed proteins (turnover of the extracellular matrix)
Phagocytosed extracellular particles (innate immune defense)
Autophagy (degradation of intracellular structures).