title: Ascorbic acid regeneration in chromaffin granules. In situ kinetics.
abstract: We have investigated in intact chromaffin secretory vesicles the kinetics, specificity, and mechanism of intragranular ascorbic acid regeneration by extragranular ascorbic acid. The apparent Km of internal ascorbic acid regeneration for external ascorbic acid was 280 microM by Lineweaver-Burk analysis and 287 microM by Eadie-Hofstee analysis. Intragranular ascorbic acid regeneration was specifically mediated by extragranular ascorbic acid or its isomer isoascorbic acid; the reducing agents glutathione, thiourea, homocysteine, NADH, and NADPH did not support regeneration. The structural analog D-glucose did not inhibit regeneration by external ascorbic acid, suggesting specificity at the membrane site of electron transfer. The driving force for regeneration of intragranular ascorbic acid was independent of membrane potential, absolute intragranular and extragranular pH, and ATPase activity, but might be coupled to the pH difference across the chromaffin granule membrane. Since the apparent Km of regeneration was approximately 10-fold below the cytosolic concentration of ascorbic acid, the reaction may proceed at Vmax in situ.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cell Biology and Genetics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892.
authors.forename: K R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Dhariwal
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shirvan
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Levine
mesh_terms: D000251:Adenosine Triphosphatases / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000378:metabolism*; D002417:Cattle; D002837:Chromaffin Granules / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D004579:Electron Transport; D005978:Glutathione / Q000494:pharmacology; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000494:pharmacology; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007700:Kinetics; D008564:Membrane Potentials; D009243:NAD / Q000494:pharmacology; D009249:NADP / Q000494:pharmacology; D013890:Thiourea / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D006710:Homocysteine; D009243:NAD; D009249:NADP; D000251:Adenosine Triphosphatases; D005978:Glutathione; D013890:Thiourea; D001205:Ascorbic Acid