title: Effect of the immediate precursors of phenylalanine and tyrosine on growth and protein synthesis in phenylalanine- and tyrosine-deprived HeLa cells.
abstract: Although Phe is an essential amino acid in mammalian cells, its immediate precursor, beta-phenylpyruvic acid (BPP), when present in Phe-deficient medium at 10(-4) and 10(-3) M is converted at a sufficient rate to Phe to sustain growth at 60 and 100% of non-deficient control HeLa S-3 cells, respectively. In contrast, Tyr-deficient cells were unable to convert the immediate precursor of Tyr, OH-beta-phenylpyruvic acid (OHBPP), nor could BPP rescue Tyr-deficient cells. The results are considered in terms of the organization of intracellular pathways by which precursors are transaminated and made available for protein synthesis.
authors.affiliation: Cell Pathology Laboratory, Department of Pathology, Aberdeen, UK.
authors.forename: D N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Wheatley
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Miseta
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Love
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Strickland
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Harris
mesh_terms: D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D006367:HeLa Cells / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D010649:Phenylalanine / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000172:deficiency; D010667:Phenylpyruvic Acids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D014443:Tyrosine / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000172:deficiency
chemical_list: D010667:Phenylpyruvic Acids; D014443:Tyrosine; D010649:Phenylalanine