title: The enzymatic activities of branched-chain amino acid catabolism in tumour-bearing rats.
abstract: Rats bearing the Walker-256 carcinosarcoma showed significant changes in branched-chain amino acid metabolism as compared with their non-tumour-bearing controls. In vitro measurement of branched-chain amino acid transaminase and branched-chain 2-oxo acid dehydrogenase showed significant increases in the skeletal muscle of tumour-bearing animals. In addition, the circulating concentration of leucine was increased in the tumour-bearing group. It can be concluded that the metabolism of branched-chain amino acids in the host is profoundly altered by the presence of a tumour and this may well be one of the main factors contributing to the so-called cancer cachexia.
authors.affiliation: Departament de Bioquímica i Fisiologia, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Argilés
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: López-Soriano
mesh_terms: D042942:3-Methyl-2-Oxobutanoate Dehydrogenase (Lipoamide); D000597:Amino Acids, Branched-Chain / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D002279:Carcinoma 256, Walker / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D007658:Ketone Oxidoreductases / Q000378:metabolism; D009097:Multienzyme Complexes / Q000378:metabolism; D009132:Muscles / Q000201:enzymology; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D000637:Transaminases / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000597:Amino Acids, Branched-Chain; D009097:Multienzyme Complexes; D007658:Ketone Oxidoreductases; D042942:3-Methyl-2-Oxobutanoate Dehydrogenase (Lipoamide); D000637:Transaminases; C019798:branched-chain-amino-acid transaminase