Effect of epidermal growth factor on glutamine metabolic enzymes in small intestine and skeletal muscle of parenterally fed rats

Alanyl-glutamine hastens morphologic recovery from 5-fluorouracil-induced mucositis in mice

OBJECTIVE

In this study, we postulated the beneficial role of oral alanyl-glutamine, a more stable glutamine derivative to decrease 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-induced mucositis in mice.

METHODS

We measured different morphologic parameters to assess structural changes over time in the small bowel, including crypt depth, villus height, villus area, mitotic and apoptotic indices at the crypt level using terminal deoxyuridine triphosphate nick end labeling, and hematoxylin-eosin staining of ileal tissue. In addition, we analyzed the effect of different alanyl-glutamine concentrations on animal weight curves after 5-FU treatment.

RESULTS

Neither glutamine nor alanyl- glutamine prevented the 5-FU intestinal structural damage or apoptosis in crypt enterocytes at 24 h after 5-FU challenge. However, we found that alanyl-glutamine, but not glutamine, speeds intestinal recovery when compared with 5-FU-treated controls (P < 0.05), predominantly by enhancing mitotic activity and crypt length.

CONCLUSION

Our findings provide important data to support clinical studies of oral alanyl-glutamine in 5-FU-induced mucositis.

Glutamine synthetase in tilapia gastrointestinal tract: zonation, cDNA and induction by cortisol

Glutamine synthetase, an enzyme generally associated with ammonia detoxication in the vertebrate brain and with hepatic nitrogen turnover in mammals, shows substantial activities in the gastrointestinal tract of teleostean fishes. Enzyme activity is highest in the central area of the stomach and reveals a distinct distribution pattern in stomach and along the intestine of tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and copper rockfish (Sebastes caurinus). In all three species, intestinal activity peaks in the distal region of the intestine. The brain contains the highest titre of the enzyme (46 U g(-1) in tilapia brain versus 15 U g(-1) in tilapia stomach), but because of the relative mass of the stomach, the largest glutamine synthetase pool in tilapia body appears to be localized in the stomach. Activities in white and red muscle are very modest at 0.1% of the brain. Independent of distribution, peak activities of glutamine synthetase in selected areas of tilapia stomach and intestine are significantly (two- to fourfold) increased after a 5-day treatment with an intraperitoneal cortisol deposit. Cortisol also increases glutamine synthetase activity in tilapia liver, white and red muscle, while activities in brain remain unaffected. We cloned and sequenced the predominant transcript of tilapia stomach glutamine synthetase (about 1.9 kb), encoding a 371-amino acid peptide. The open reading frame shows considerable identity with glutamine synthetase in toadfish (92% at peptide level, 87% at nucleotide level), but possesses a longer 3'-untranslated region than the toadfish. The tilapia glutamine synthetase mRNA contains a remnant of a putative mitochondrial leader sequence, but without a conserved second site for initiation of translation. We also find evidence for additional transcripts of glutamine synthetase in tilapia, suggesting multiple genes. Finally, we present evidence for similar abundance of glutamine synthetase transcripts in all regions of rockfish intestine. The physiological significance of the presence of glutamine synthetase in teleostean intestine is discussed.

Effects of intrauterine growth restriction and intraamniotic insulin-like growth factor-I treatment on blood and amniotic fluid concentrations and on fetal gut uptake of amino acids in late-gestation ovine fetuses

OBJECTIVES

To investigate, in the late-gestation ovine fetus: 1) amino acid concentrations in blood and amniotic fluid, 2) the effects of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) induced by placental embolization on these concentrations, 3) fetal gut uptake of glutamine in healthy and IUGR fetuses, and 4) the effects of intraamniotic insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-1) treatment on these parameters.

METHODS

Fetuses were randomly assigned to control (n = 9), IUGR + saline (n = 9), or IUGR + IGF-1 (n = 11) groups. IUGR was induced by uteroplacental embolization from 114 to 119 days (term = 145 days). IUGR fetuses received daily intraamniotic injections of saline or IGF-1 (20 microg/d) from 120 to 130 days.

RESULTS

Baseline amino acid concentration was higher in fetal blood than amniotic fluid for all essential amino acids except lysine and histidine, but was lower for serine, alanine, and methylhistidine. Embolization reduced total amino acid concentration in blood and amniotic fluid by approximately 15%. Concentrations were reduced for serine, glutamine, and methylhistidine in blood and for serine in amniotic fluid, but were increased for glycine, alanine, and asparagine in blood and for alanine in amniotic fluid. Glutamine was taken up by the fetal gut (glutamine:oxygen quotient of 0.65) and citrulline was released by the gut. IGF-1 treatment did not alter amino acid concentration in blood or amniotic fluid, but reduced gut uptake of glutamine from blood and the gut glutamine:oxygen quotient by 15%. Citrulline release was unchanged.

CONCLUSIONS

These data suggest that amniotic fluid amino acids are not simply filtered from fetal blood and may provide an important pool of nutrients for the fetus. They demonstrate for the first time that glutamine is taken up by the fetal gut. IGF-1 treatment may promote gut utilization of amino acids from the amniotic fluid pool.

Isolation and characterization of the promoter region of the rat kidney-type glutaminase gene

A lambdaEMBL3 rat genomic library was screened to clone a phage that contained the promoter region of the kidney-type mitochondrial glutaminase gene. The resulting lambdaGA1 phage contained 13.7 kb of genomic DNA that was mapped by Southern blotting and restriction analysis. The 2.22 kb and 0.83 kb SacI fragments of lambdaGA1 were sequenced and the transcription initiation site was identified by RNase mapping. The reported sequence contains 2287 bp of the promoter, the entire exon 1 (542 bp), and 223 bp of the initial intron of the glutaminase gene. The initial exon contains 141 bp of 5'-nontranslated sequence and 401 bp of coding sequence that encodes the 72-amino acid mitochondrial targeting presequence and 61 amino acids from the N-terminus of the mature 66 kDa glutaminase subunit. Various segments of the GA promoter were cloned into a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) expression vector. The resulting GA-CAT constructs were transfected into LLC-PK(1)-F(+) kidney cells to assess the promoter function of the isolated genomic DNA. The GA(-402)CAT construct produced a 10-fold greater CAT activity than the promoter-less pCAT vector. Analysis of various deletion constructs indicated that elements located between -402 and -63 bp must act in synergy with more proximal elements to create a functional promoter. The initial 402 bp segment lacks a TATA sequence but is GC-rich and contains two CCAAT boxes and two Sp1 sites.

Effects of gastric inhibitory polypeptide, somatostatin and epidermal growth factor on lipogenesis in ovine adipose explants

Feeding raises the plasma concentrations of a number of gut-related hormones that may, in turn, influence the metabolism of peripheral tissues. This study investigated the effects of gut-related hormones on lipogenesis in explants from three differing adipose depots in lambs (aged 4-9 months). Incorporation of [14C]-acetate into lipid was measured over a 2-h period, following 24 h pre-incubation in the presence of hormone combinations. In perirenal fat explants, gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) in the concentration range 0.01-10 nM stimulated lipogenesis. Maximal effects were seen at 1 nM (an average increase of 64% over basal values). In contrast, in the presence of insulin (0.1 nM), a dose-dependent decrease in lipogenesis was seen with increasing GIP concentration (P < 0.001 for the insulin x GIP interaction). Epidermal growth factor (EGF) and somatostatin in the same concentration range each inhibited lipogenesis. both in the presence and the absence of insulin (P < 0.001 in each case). Subcutaneous (back) fat and intermuscular (popliteal) fat responded similarly to each other, but significantly differently from the perirenal depot (P < 0.001). Here GIP, somatostatin or EGF (each at 1 nM) all separately stimulated lipogenesis.