Levels and syntheses of cerebrosides and sulfatides in subcellular fractions of jimpy mutants

During the period of brain development, the levels of nonhydroxy- and hydroxycerebrosides in the cytosol from brains of jimpy mutants were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography and compared to those in the rest of the particulates from the same brains as well as those in the littermate controls. The concentrations of cerebrosides in jimpy brain preparations were much lower than in controls at all ages. In another experiment, [U-14C]glucose was injected intraperitoneally into jimpy mutants and their littermate controls. The amounts of radioactivity incorporated into cerebrosides and sulfatides in brain cytosol, the microsome-rich fraction, and the rest of the heavier particles were determined. Although the total radioactivity incorporated into these lipids was much lower in jimpy, the specific activities were 2-3 times the control value in all subcellular fractions.     

Further studies on the possible compartmentation of the precursor pool of cholesterol for the biosynthesis of cholic acid in the rat

In vivo and in vitro experiments with rats were carried out to investie precursor for the biosynthesis of cholic acid. When rats with a bile-fistula were given a mixture of [2-14C]mevalonate and [1,2-3H]cholesterol intravenously, the 14C:3H ratio in cholic acid in both whole homogenate and cytosol prepared from their lives was higher than that in free cholesterol in any subcellular fraction of the livers. When [2-14C] mevalonate was administered intravenously to bile-fistula rats, the specific radioactivity of free cholesterol in the hepatic microsomal fraction exceeded that in any other fraction, and the specific radioactivity of biliary cholic acid was remarkably high, exceeding that of microsomal free cholesterol. In similar experiments with [4-14C] cholesterol, the specific radioactivity of free cholesterol in the hepatic microsomal fraction exceeded that in any other subcellular fraction and the specific radioactivity of biliary cholic acid was lower than that of free cholesterol in any hepatic subcellular fraction. Tissue suspensions of rat livers in Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate (pH 7.4)-5.5 mM glucose were incubated with [2-14C]mevalonate in O2-CO2 (95:5, v/v) at 37 degrees. The specific radioactivity of free cholesterol in the microsomal fraction prepared from the incubated tissue exceeded the specific radioactivities of free cholesterol in the other subcellular fractions. The estimated specific radioactivity of taurocholate formed during the incubation was far higher than that of microsomal free cholesterol. These data indicate that hepatic microsomal free cholesterol which was newly synthesized in situ was preferentially incorporated into cholic acid.     

Relation of renal hemodynamics to metabolism of angiotensin II by the canine kidney

Incubation of brain cortex slices in the presence of glucose resulted in the permeation of about 65% of [14C] mescaline into slices. Of this, about one-third radioactivity was bound with nuclei, mitochondria, microsomes, and ribosomes. Dialysis of subcellular fractions did not markedly reduce the amounts of radioactivity bound to the fractions. The permeation into slices and the binding of mescaline to subcellular fractions were fairly time-dependent, but were inhibited by the presence of potassium cyanide, or by the absence of glucose and by heating to 80 degrees C for 1 min.     

Lactate is released and taken up by isolated rabbit vagus nerve during aerobic metabolism

To determine if lactate is produced during aerobic metabolism in peripheral nerve, we incubated pieces of rabbit vagus nerve in oxygenated solution containing D-[U-14C]glucose while stimulating electrically. After 30 min, nearly all the radioactivity in metabolites in the nerve was in lactate, glucose 6-phosphate, glutamate, and aspartate. Much lactate was released to the bath: 8.2 pmol (microg dry wt)(-1) from the exogenous glucose and 14.2 pmol (microg dry wt)(-1) from endogenous substrates. Lactate release was not increased when bath PO2 was decreased, indicating that it did not come from anoxic tissue. When the bath contained [U-14C]lactate at a total concentration of 2.13 mM and 1 mM glucose, 14C was incorporated in CO2 and glutamate. The initial rate of formation of CO2 from bath lactate was more rapid than its formation from bath glucose. The results are most readily explained by the hypothesis that has been proposed for brain tissue in which glial cells supply lactate to neurons.     

Estimation of glucose turnover in rats in vivo with tritium labeled glucoses

Starved and starved-refed rats were injected intravenously with labelled glucose (a mixture of [2-3H]-, [3-3H]- and [U-14C]glucose with either [5-3H]- or [6-3H]glucose), and the decay of the specific activity of [14C]glucose followed. Glucose was degraded to obtain the 3H/14C ratios for 3 isotope combinations in the same sample. The apparent rates of replacements, apparent carbon recycling, and the body glucose mass were calculated for the different tracers. The 3H/14C ratio from [2-3H, -U-14C]glucose declined much faster than that of the other tracers. Apparent recycling as calculated in fasted rats was 28% for [2-3H, U-14C]- 18% for [5-3H,-U-14C]- 17% for [3-3H, U-14C]- and 14% for [6-3H,U-14C]glucoses. The values in fed rats showed a similar pattern. We estimate that in fasted rats 85 to 90% of the 3HOH liberated from injected [2-3H]glucose is formed by catabolism in the periphery and the rest by recycling in the liver between glucose and glucose 6-P. Detritiation of other labels by hepatic recycling accounts for a very small fraction of the total 3HOH yield.     

Estimates of glycolysis, pyruvate (de)carboxylation, pentose phosphate pathway, and methyl succinate metabolism in incapacitated pancreatic islets

Pancreatic islets were cultured for 24 h in the presence of 1 mM glucose, which renders islets incapable of responding to glucose with insulin release. These islets were compared to islets maintained at 20 mM glucose for 24 h. Detritiation of [2-3H]glucose and [5-3H]glucose in 1 mM glucose islets was normal, suggesting that glucose transport and phosphorylation and all enzymes of glycolysis were not down-regulated in the incapacitated islets. 14CO2 formation from [U-14C]glucose and [6-14C]glucose was inhibited up to 80% and 14CO2 from methyl succinate was inhibited up to 60%, indicating that down-regulation at (a) mitochondrial site(s) might explain the incapacitated insulin release. 14CO2 formation from [3,4-14C]glucose (which becomes [1-14C]pyruvate) was decreased, indicating that the reaction catalyzed by pyruvate dehydrogenase was down-regulated. This decrease, however, was not as large as the decreases in 14CO2 formation from [U-14C]glucose, [2-14C]glucose (which becomes [2-14C]pyruvate), or [6-14C]glucose (which becomes [3-14C]pyruvate), indicating that other reactions were also down-regulated. 14CO2 formation from [1-14C]glucose was inhibited less than that from [6-14C]glucose in the incapacitated islets (34 vs 54%) and these rates indicated that flux of glucose through the pentose phosphate pathway was increased in the incapacitated islet, such that 29% (0.4 nmol of 1.4 glucose/100 islets/90 min) was metabolized via this pathway in the incapacitated islet but only 3.4% (0.1 of 2.9 nmol glucose/100 islets/90 min) was metabolized via the pentose pathway in the 20 mM glucose islets. With rates of 14CO2 evolved from glucose labeled at C2 and C6 and from methyl succinate labeled at C1 + C4 and C2 + C3 the 14CO2 ratio formula was used to calculate the ratios of carboxylated and decarboxylated pyruvate. Roughly equal amounts of pyruvate entered the citric acid cycle by each route in islets maintained for 24 h at 1, 5, or 20 mM glucose. The results indicate that decarboxylation and carboxylation of pyruvate were about equally suppressed in incapacitated islets and that direct inhibition of reactions of the cycle was unlikely. This is consistent with evidence which indicates that down-regulation of both pyruvate carboxylase and pyruvate dehydrogenase occurs in incapacitated islets, i.e., under long-term conditions that modify amounts of enzymes (MacDonald et al., 1991, J. Biol. Chem. 266, 22392-22397).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Compartmentation of [14C]glutamate and [14C]glutamine oxidative metabolism in the rat hippocampus as determined by microdialysis

Metabolic compartmentation of amino acid metabolism in brain is exemplified by the differential synthesis of glutamate and glutamine from the identical precursor and by the localization of the enzyme glutamine synthetase in glial cells. In the current study, we determined if the oxidative metabolism of glutamate and glutamine was also compartmentalized. The relative oxidation rates of glutamate and glutamine in the hippocampus of free-moving rats was determined by using microdialysis both to infuse the radioactive substrate and to collect 14CO2 generated during their oxidation. At the end of the oxidation experiment, the radioactive substrate was replaced by artificial CSF, 2 min-fractions were collected, and the specific activities of glutamate and glutamine were determined. Extrapolation of the specific activity back to the time that artificial CSF replaced 14C-amino acids in the microdialysis probe yielded an approximation of the interstitial specific activity during the oxidation. The extrapolated interstitial specific activities for [14C]glutamate and [14C]glutamine were 59 +/- 18 and 2.1 +/- 0.5 dpm/pmol, respectively. The initial infused specific activities for [U-14C]glutamate and [U-14C]glutamine were 408 +/- 8 and 387 +/- 1 dpm/pmol, respectively. The dilution of glutamine was greater than that of glutamate, consistent with the difference in concentrations of these amino acids in the interstitial space. Based on the extrapolated interstitial specific activities, the rate of glutamine oxidation exceeds that of glutamate oxidation by a factor of 5.3. These data indicate compartmentation of either uptake and/or oxidative metabolism of these two amino acids. The presence of [14C]glutamine in the interstitial space when [14C]glutamate was perfused into the brain provided further evidence for the glutamate/glutamine cycle in brain.     

Reduced effects of L-carnitine on glucose and fatty acid metabolism in myocytes isolated from diabetic rats

Depressed glucose utilization and over-reliance of muscle tissues on fat represents a major metabolic disturbance in diabetes. This study was designed to investigate the relationship between fatty acid oxidation and glucose utilization in diabetic hearts and to examine the role of L-Carnitine on the utilization of these substrates in diabetes. 14CO2 release from [1-14C]pyruvate (an index of PDH activity), [2-14C]pyruvate and [6-14C]glucose (an index of acetyl-CoA flux through the Krebs cycle), [U-14C]glucose (an index of both PDH and acetyl-CoA flux through the Krebs cycle), and [1-14C]palmitate oxidation were studied in cardiac myocystes isolated from normal and streptozotocin-injected rats. Palmitate oxidation was increased twofold in diabetic myocytes compared to normal cells (5.4 +/- 1.45 vs 2.35 +/- 0.055 nmol/mg protein/30 min, p > 0.05). L-Carnitine (5 mM) significantly increased palmitate oxidation (60-70%) in normal cells but had no effect on diabetic cells. The activity of PDH and acetyl-CoA flux through the Krebs cycle was severely depressed in diabetes (58.14 +/- 20.27 and 8.63 +/- 0.62 in diabetes vs 128.75 +/- 11.47 and 24.84 +/- 7.81 nmol/mg protein/30 min in controls, p > 0.05, respectively). The efflux of acetylcarnitine, a by-product of PDH activity was also much lower in diabetic cells than in normal cells but had no effect in diabetes. L-Carnitine also had no effect on 14CO2 release from [U-14C]glucose but significantly decreased that from [6-14C]glucose, which reflects oxidative metabolism suggesting that L-Carnitine decreases oxidative glucose utilization. Thus, these data suggest that the overreliance on fat in diabetes may be in part secondary to a reduction of carbohydrate-generated acetyl-CoA through the Krebs cycle.     

Identification of a complex congenital heart defect susceptibility locus by using DNA pooling and shared segment analysis

The isotope dilution technique of [6-3H]glucose, [U-14C]lactate and [l-14C]propionate was used to evaluate the effect of dietary chromium (Cr) supplementation on whole-body kinetics of glucose, lactate, and propionate in rams. Rams were fed a high grain diet at 2% of body weight with or without 0.5 ppm of supplemental Cr from chelated Cr for the initial 14 days, and then intake was increased to 2.5% at body weight for the last 9 days. Weight gain was enhanced (P < 0.01) with Cr supplementation. Plasma concentrations of glucose, lactate, and propionate were not influenced by Cr supplementation. Turnover rates of glucose and lactate, and their interconversion were also not influenced. Propionate turnover rate tended to increase (P = 0.11) and the conversion of propionate to glucose increased (P < 0.05) with Cr supplementation, leading the increased proportional contribution of propionate to glucose turnover rate (P < 0.05). Chromium supplementation may influence the contribution of each glucogenic substrate for glucose production in rams fed a high grain diet.     

Plasma insulin and growth hormone concentrations in pregnant sheep II: post-absorptive levels in mid- and late pregnancy

1. The incorporation of L-[U-14C]leucine, L[U-14C]histidine and L-[U-14C]phenylalanine into casein secreted during perfusion of isolated guinea-pig mammary glands was demonstrated. 2. The extent of incorporation of label into casein residues was consistent with their being derived from free amino acids of the perfusate plasma. 3. The mean transit time of the amino acids from perfusate into secreted casein was approx. 100 min. 4. Whereas radioactive histidine and phenylalanine were incorporated solely into milk protein, radioactivity from [U-14C]valine was also transferred to CO2 and to an unidentified plasma component, and from [U-14C]leucine to plasma glutamic acid. 5. Evidence from experiments with [U-14C]phenylalanine suggests that, as in rats, but in contrast with ruminant species, guinea-pig mammary tissue does not possess phenyl alanine hydroxylase activity. 6. The results are discussed in relation to the possible role of essential amino acid catabolism in the control of milk-protein synthesis.     

Chain length specificity in the utilization of long chain alcohols for ether lipid biosynthesis in rat brain

A mixture of cis-9[1(-14)C] octadecenol and [1(-14)C] docosanol was injected into the brains of 19-day-old rats, and incorporation of radioactivity into brain lipids was determined after 3, 12, and 24 hr. Both alcohols were metabolized by the brain but at different rates; each was oxidized to the corresponding fatty acid, but oleic acid was more readily incorporated into polar lipids. Substantial amounts of radioactivity were incorporated into 18:1 alkyl and alk-1-enyl moieties of the ethanolamine phosphoglycerides and into 18:1 alkyl moieties of the choline phosphoglycerides. Even after the disappearance of the 18:1 alcohol from the substrate mixture (12 hr), the 22:0 alcohol was not used to any measurable extent for alkyl and alk-1-enylglycerol formation.     

Cerebrospinal fluid cytology in patients with cancer: minimizing false-negative results

To investigate the contribution of dietary carbohydrate to glutamate and acetyl CoA synthesis, two groups of adult mice were fed a high- (HCD) or a low-carbohydrate diet (LCD) in which 5% of the carbohydrate was [U-13C]-glucose. Four animals from each dietary group were killed after 1, 2 and 5 d. The tracer:tracee ratios of [13C3] and [13C6]blood glucose and of the [13C2] and [13C3] isotopomers of blood, mucosal, hepatic and muscle alanine and glutamate were used to calculate the fractional contribution of glucose to the 3-carbon, acetyl CoA and oxaloacetate pools of each tissue. In the HCD mice, glucose contributed 66, 33 and 31% of the acetyl CoA pool of muscle, liver and mucosa, respectively. The contribution of glucose to acetyl CoA was lowered by 33% (P < 0.05) and 55% (P < 0.01) in the liver and muscle of the LCD group, respectively, but was unaltered in the mucosa. Glucose made a minor contribution to glutamate synthesis via oxaloacetate in the liver (23%) and muscle (10%) of the HCD group. The fraction of hepatic and muscle glutamate synthesis derived from glucose was not affected by the diet. We conclude that glucose oxidation in liver and muscle parallels the contribution of carbohydrate to dietary energy and that glucose is not a major carbon precursor for muscle glutamate synthesis. Net glutamate synthesis in extraintestinal tissues is preserved when dietary carbohydrate is restricted.     

Utilization of 1-14C- glucose, 1-14C-acetate and 1-14C-palmitate during lipid synthesis in vitro in the liver and skeletal muscles of pigs at different ontogenic stages

The specific radioactivity of lipids synthesized in the liver and quadriceps muscle of 110-day embryos, and 1-, 30-, 60-, 90-day and 12-month pigs in vitro from [1-14C]acetate, [1-14C] glucose and [1-14C] palmitate was investigated. The lipid synthesis from most of the above compounds in the fetal liver developed at a greater rate and in the fetal skeletal muscles at a smaller rate than in livers and skeletal muscles of newborn piglets. During the first months after birth the lipid synthesis from [1-14C] acetate, [1-14C] glucose and [1-14C] palmitate in the liver increased gradually. At the same time the lipid synthesis in skeletal muscles from [1-14C]glucose and [1-14C]palmitate decreased and from [1-14C] acetate increased. The utilization of the above compounds in the lipid synthesis of the liver and quadriceps muscle of pigs follows the decreasing order: [1-14C] palmitate greater than [1-14C]acetate greater than [1-14C]glucose.     

Insulin-like actions of nickel and other transition-metal ions in rat fat-cells

NiC12 (1-6mM) decreased adrenaline and glucagon-stimulated lipolysis in rat fat-cells, and also considerably stimulated [U-14C]glucose incorporation into fat-cell lipids. 2. These insulin-like effects were also observed with CuCl, CuCl2, CoCl2 and (to a lesser extent) with MnCl2. 3. NiCl2 was less effective in mimicking insulin effects on [U-14C]fructose metabolism than on glucose utilization. 4. It is tentatively suggested that these transition-metal ions may mimic actions of insulin at the fat-cell plasma membrane which decrease lipolysis and stimulate glucose transport, but do not mimic certain other effects of the hormone on intracellular metabolic processes. 5. These results are discussed with reference to suggestions that redistributions of cellular Ca2+ are associated with insulin action in fat-cells.     

In vitro and ex vivo 13C-NMR spectroscopy studies of pyruvate recycling in brain

Pyruvate recycling is a well established pathway in the liver, but in the brain, the cellular localization of pyruvate recycling remains controversial and its physiological significance is unknown. In cultured cortical astrocytes, pyruvate formed from [U-13C]glutamate was shown to re-enter the TCA cycle after conversion to acetyl-CoA, as demonstrated by the labelling patterns in aspartate C-2 and C-3, lactate C-2, and glutamate C-4, which provides evidence for pyruvate recycling in astrocytes. This finding is in agreement with previous studies of astrocytic cultures, in which pyruvate recycling has been described from [U-13C]glutamine, in the presence of glutamate, and from [U-13C]aspartate. Pyruvate recycling in brain was studied in fasted rats receiving either an intraperitoneal or a subcutaneous injection of [1,2-13C]acetate followed by decapitation 30 min later. Extracts of cortical tissue were analysed with 13C-NMR spectroscopy and total amounts of amino acids quantified by HPLC. Plasma extracts were analysed with 1H- and 13C-NMR spectroscopy, and showed a significantly larger amount of [1, 2-13C]acetate in the intraperitoneal group compared to the subcutaneous group. Furthermore, a small amount of label was detected in glucose in both groups. In the subcutaneously injected rats, [4-13C]glutamate and [2-13C]GABA were less enriched than plasma glucose, which might have been the precursor. In the intraperitoneally injected rats, however, pyruvate formation from [1, 2-13C]acetate, and re-entry of this pyruvate into the TCA cycle was demonstrated by the presence of greater 13C enrichment in [4-13C]glutamate and [4-13C]glutamine compared to the subcutaneous group, probably resulting from the significantly higher [1, 2-13C]acetate concentration in brain and plasma.     

In vivo incorporation of glucose carbon into brain and liver proteins in biotin-deficient rats

The in vivo utilization of D[U-14C]glucose with particular reference to its incorporation into brain and liver proteins was studied in biotin-deficient rats. The data show a significant reduction in the incorporation of glucose carbon into brain and liver proteins. A disturbance in the intermediary metabolism of glucose to be one of the factors responsible for the decreased incorporation of the label into proteins in biotin deficiency.     

Effects of glutamate and aspartate on myocardial substrate oxidation during potassium arrest

OBJECTIVES: A recent report (J Clin Invest 1993;92:831-9) found no effect of glutamate plus aspartate on metabolic pathways in the heart, but the experimental conditions did not model clinical cardioplegia. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of glutamate and aspartate on metabolic pathways feeding the citric acid cycle during cardioplegic arrest in the presence of physiologic substrates. METHODS: Isolated rat hearts were supplied with fatty acids, lactate, pyruvate, glucose, and acetoacetate in physiologic concentrations. These substrates were enriched with 13C, which allowed a complete analysis of substrate oxidation by 13C-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy in one experiment. Three groups of hearts were studied: arrest with potassium cardioplegic solution, arrest with cardioplegic solution supplemented with glutamate and aspartate (both in concentrations of 13 mmol/L), and a control group without cardioplegic arrest. RESULTS: In potassium-arrested hearts, the contributions of fatty acids and lactate to acetyl coenzyme A were reduced, and acetoacetate was the preferred substrate for oxidation in the citric acid cycle. The addition of aspartate and glutamate in the presence of cardioplegic arrest did not further alter patterns of substrate utilization substantially, although acetoacetate use was somewhat lower than with simple cardioplegic arrest. When [U-13C]glutamate (13 mmol/L) and [U-13C]aspartate (13 mmol/L) were supplied as the only compounds labeled with 13C, little enrichment in citric acid cycle intermediates could be detected. CONCLUSIONS: Glutamate and aspartate when added to potassium cardioplegic solutions have relatively minor effects on citric acid cycle metabolism.     

Molecular interactions of levonorgestrel and its 5 alpha-reduced derivative with androgen receptors in hamster flanking organs

The 5 alpha-reduction of levonorgestrel (LNG) as well as its binding capacity to the androgen receptors of the hamster flank organ were investigated. Furthermore, the effects of LNG and its 5 alpha-reduced metabolite in the flank organ test and on [U-14C]glucose incorporation into lipids by this tissue were determined. Homogenates from female hamster flank organs were incubated in the presence of [3H]LNG at pH 7.4. The radioactive 5 alpha-LNG metabolite was isolated and its purity was assessed. Competition experiments for androgen binding receptors were carried out with 1.38 nM [3H-7 alpha-17 alpha]dimethyl-19- nortestosterone (DMNT), Kd, plus a range of increasing concentrations of the different unlabeled steroid hormones. The flank organ test was performed in vivo, and [U-14C]glucose incorporation into lipids was determined under organ culture conditions. The 5 alpha-LNG had the same binding capacity to androgen receptors (AR) as LNG in male flank organs. The flank organ test demonstrated that 5 alpha-LNG activity was similar to that observed for levonorgestrel and testosterone (T) on gonadectomized male hamster flank organs. Topical applications of LNG or 5 alpha-LNG increased [U-14C]glucose incorporation into lipids in a way similar to that of T. The overall data indicate that LNG and 5 alpha-LNG produced androgenic activity in the lipid pathway of male flank organs, and that 5 alpha-reduction is not essential for the LNG effect on this tissue.     

Peripheral but not hepatic insulin resistance in mice with one disrupted allele of the glucose transporter type 4 (GLUT4) gene

Glucose transporter type 4 (GLUT4) is insulin responsive and is expressed in striated muscle and adipose tissue. To investigate the impact of a partial deficiency in the level of GLUT4 on in vivo insulin action, we examined glucose disposal and hepatic glucose production (HGP) during hyperinsulinemic clamp studies in 4-5-mo-old conscious mice with one disrupted GLUT4 allele [GLUT4 (+/-)], compared with wild-type control mice [WT (+/+)]. GLUT4 (+/-) mice were studied before the onset of hyperglycemia and had normal plasma glucose levels and a 50% increase in the fasting (6 h) plasma insulin concentrations. GLUT4 protein in muscle was approximately 45% less in GLUT4 (+/-) than in WT (+/+). Euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp studies were performed in combination with [3-3H]glucose to measure the rate of appearance of glucose and HGP, with [U-14C]-2-deoxyglucose to estimate muscle glucose transport in vivo, and with [U-14C]lactate to assess hepatic glucose fluxes. During the clamp studies, the rates of glucose infusion, glucose disappearance, glycolysis, glycogen synthesis, and muscle glucose uptake were approximately 55% decreased in GLUT4 (+/-), compared with WT (+/+) mice. The decreased rate of in vivo glycogen synthesis was due to decreased stimulation of glucose transport since insulin's activation of muscle glycogen synthase was similar in GLUT4 (+/-) and in WT (+/+) mice. By contrast, the ability of hyperinsulinemia to inhibit HGP was unaffected in GLUT4 (+/-). The normal regulation of hepatic glucose metabolism in GLUT4 (+/-) mice was further supported by the similar intrahepatic distribution of liver glucose fluxes through glucose cycling, gluconeogenesis, and glycogenolysis. We conclude that the disruption of one allele of the GLUT4 gene leads to severe peripheral but not hepatic insulin resistance. Thus, varying levels of GLUT4 protein in striated muscle and adipose tissue can markedly alter whole body glucose disposal. These differences most likely account for the interindividual variations in peripheral insulin action.     

Temporal dynamics and regional distribution of [14C]serine uptake into mouse brain

In order to examine the uptake of L-serine into brain structures and brain metabolic compartments, L-[U-14C]serine was injected into tail vein of mice. The uptake was examined 30 min, 90 min, 3 h and 5 h after injection by both quantitative autoradiography of coronal brain sections and by biochemical analysis. Brain radioactivity was extracted and partitioned into protein associated pellets, metabolites soluble in aqueous phase and lipids soluble in the organic phase. Most of the radioactivity was found in the aqueous phase, about 10% was incorporated into lipids. Among phospholipids the highest label was found in phosphatidylserine, then in phosphatidylethanolamine and in phosphatidylcholine, it amounted to 52%, 30% and 18% of label by 90 min after injection, respectively. The brain distribution of L-serine uptake resembled that described for strychnine-insensitive [3H]glycine binding, with cortical structures being preferentially labelled.