title: Utilization of L-cystine by the gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase-gamma-glutamyl cyclotransferase pathway.
abstract: Cystine is a good acceptor of the gamma-glutamyl group of gamma-glutamyl donors in the reaction catalyzed by gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase. The product of the enzymatic reaction and an authentic sample of gamma-glutamylcystine were shown to exhibit identical chromatographic and electrophoretic behaviors; acid hydrolysis gave equimolar amounts of cystine and glutamate. In studies with two gamma-glutamyl donors, apparent Km values in the neighborhood of 0.3 mM were found for L-cystine; these values are not far from the concentrations of L-cystine in mammalian blood plasma. At an amino-acid acceptor concentration of about 0.5 mM, L-cystine is somewhat more active than L-glutamine, and much more active than L-cystein. L-gamma-Glutamyl-L-cystine was found to be a good substrate of gamma-glutamyl cyclotransferase. These observations thus indicate that L-cystine is a very active substrate of the gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase-gamma-glutamyl cyclotransferase pathway. In relation to the hypothesis that the gamma-glutamyl cycle functions in animo-acid transport, it may be significant that glutathione (which is the most abundant intracellular form) is a much better gamma-glutamyl donor than glutathione disulfide, while the predominant extracellular form-cystine-is a much better gamma-glutamyl acceptor substrate than cystein.
mesh_terms: D000217:Acyltransferases; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000201:enzymology*; D002384:Catalysis; D002854:Chromatography, Paper; D003545:Cysteine; D003553:Cystine; D004151:Dipeptides; D004590:Electrophoresis, Paper; D005973:Glutamine; D005978:Glutathione; D007668:Kidney / Q000201:enzymology*; D051381:Rats; D012756:Sheep; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D005722:gamma-Glutamylcyclotransferase; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase
chemical_list: D004151:Dipeptides; D005973:Glutamine; D003553:Cystine; D000217:Acyltransferases; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase; D005722:gamma-Glutamylcyclotransferase; D005978:Glutathione; D003545:Cysteine