NYMC Faculty Publications
13N as a Tracer for Studying Glutamate Metabolism
First Page
456
Last Page
464
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
9-2011
Department
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Abstract
This mini-review summarizes studies my associates and I carried out that are relevant to the topic of the present volume [i.e. glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH)] using radioactive (13)N (t(1/2) 9.96 min) as a biological tracer. These studies revealed the previously unrecognized rapidity with which nitrogen is exchanged among certain metabolites in vivo. For example, our work demonstrated that (a) the t(1/2) for conversion of portal vein ammonia to urea in the rat liver is ∼10-11s, despite the need for five enzyme-catalyzed steps and two mitochondrial transport steps, (b) the residence time for ammonia in the blood of anesthetized rats is ≤7-8s, (c) the t(1/2) for incorporation of blood-borne ammonia into glutamine in the normal rat brain is
Recommended Citation
Cooper, A. J. (2011). 13N as a tracer for studying glutamate metabolism. Neurochemistry International, 59(4), 456-464. doi:10.1016/j.neuint.2010.11.011
Publisher's Statement
Originally published in Neurochemistry International. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuint.2010.11.011
