Abstract
Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the distribution of glutaminase in the brain and describes the glutamate synthesis and metabolism in glial cells. It discusses the role of glutamate and aspartate aminotransferase (AAT) in gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABAergic) neurons. Glutamate is synthesized directly from L-glutamine, 1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate (P5C) or ketoglutarate (2-oxoglutarate) in the central nervous system (CNS). The formation of glutamate from glutamine is an energy-saving process catalyzed by phosphate-activated glutaminase (PAG), which plays a major role in the production of transmitter glutamate. P5C is derived from ornithine through glutamic semialdehyde by the catalysis of ornithine-aminotransferase (OAT) or from proline by proline oxidase (PO), and then converted to glutamate by P5C dehydrogenase (P5CDH). α-Ketoglutarate is transformed to glutamate through reductive amination catalyzed by the reverse reaction of glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH). Ketoglutarate is also converted to glutamate through transamination reaction catalyzed by several aminotransferases such as aspartate aminotransferase (AAT) and alanine aminotransferase.
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