Urea cycle Flashcards
Glutamate dehydrogenase
reductive amination of alpha-ketoglutarate
alpha-ketoglutarate to L-glutamate and produces NAD(P)
Ammonia metabolism in Hepatocytes
Periportal hepatocytes - High capacity, low affinity
Perivenous hepatocytes - low capacity, high affinity (glutamine synthetase detoxes NH3, incorporates NH3 into glutamine)
glutamine is a nitrogen carrier
Glutamine synthetase
glutamate + NH4 converted to Glutamine
produces ADP
Glutamate role in ammonia transport
hands off NH3 to alanine
in the liver, it hands off NH3 for incorporation into urea
synthesis of Nitric oxide (NO) from arginine
NO is a gas hormone
diffuses rapidly into cells
activates cGMP synthesis and relaxes blood vessels and lowers BP
neurotransmitter in brain - high levels during stroke kill neurons
Nitroglycerin converted to NO and dilates coronary arteries in treating angina pectoris
Fate of ammonia: 3 major reactions in all cells
Glutamate dehydrogenase - reductive amination of alpha-ketoglutarate to form glutamate
Glutamine synthetase - ATP dep. amidation of y-carboxyl of glutamate to glutamine
Carbamoyl phosphate synthetase I - two ATP required, one to activate bicarb and one to phosphorylate carbamate
At physiologic pH equilibrium favors NH4+ by a factor of
100/1
NH3 can cross membranes
passes into urine from kidney tubules cells and decreases acidity of urine by binding protons and forms NH4+ which cannot cross membranes
Transamination
is the transfer of an amino group from an alpha amino acid to alpha keto acid
serine can make
cysteine
Glycine and ____ are interconvertible
serine
Glucogenic Amino acids
Ala, ser, cys, gly, thr, trp = pyruvate asp, arg = OAA Ile, Met, Val = succinyl CoA Asp, Phe, Tyr = fumarate Arg, Gln, Glu, Pro, His = alpha ketoglutarate
Ketogenic amino acids
Leu, Lys, Phe, Tyr = acetoacetate
Ile, Leu, Thr, Trp = acetyl CoA
Only ketogenic = Leu and Lys
Breakdown of branched chain amino acids
Leucine, valine and Isoleucine
broken down to acetoacetate and acetyl CoA
via HMG-CoA which is an intermediate in CH and KB
Transamination reaction
done via PLP = pyridoxal phosphate, cofactor B6
Aspartate and alpha-ketoglutarate to OAA and glutamate