title: The stimulus-secretion coupling of amino acid-induced insulin release metabolic interaction of L-asparagine and L-leucine in pancreatic islets.
abstract: Because L-asparagine augments insulin release evoked by L-leucine, the metabolism of these two amino acids was investigated in rat pancreatic islets. L-Leucine inhibited the uptake and deamidation of L-asparagine, but failed to exert any obvious primary effect upon the further catabolism of aspartate derived from exogenous asparagine. L-Asparagine augmented the oxidation of L-leucine, an effect possibly attributable to activation of 2-ketoisocaproate dehydrogenase. The association of L-asparagine and L-leucine exerted a sparing action on the utilization of endogenous amino acids, so that the integrated rate of nutrients oxidation was virtually identical in the sole presence of L-leucine and simultaneous presence of L-asparagine and L-leucine, respectively. It is proposed that the enhancing action of L-asparagine upon insulin release evoked by L-leucine is attributable to an increased generation rate of cytosolic NADPH rather than any increase in nutrients oxidation.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001216:Asparagine / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D007328:Insulin / Q000378:metabolism*; D000078790:Insulin Secretion; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D007700:Kinetics; D007930:Leucine / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D007328:Insulin; D001216:Asparagine; D007930:Leucine