In vitro conversion of radioglucose to free and protein-bound amino acids by virus-infected mouse brain

Abstract

The amounts and specific activities of the free amino acids of minced 1-day-old mouse brain incubated 24 hr. with glucose-C 14 in the presence and absence of Theiler's GD VII virus were determined and compared with the corresponding values for the protein-bound amino acids. Virus propagation stimulated the incorporation of radioactive carbon from glucose into most of the free amino acids as well as the protein-bound amino acids. The specific activities of the labeled, free amino acids were higher than those of their protein-bound counterparts, suggesting that free amino acids were intermediates in the conversion of metabolites derived from glucose into protein-bound amino acids. The data suggest that the effect of the virus was primarily on the reactions leading to the formation of labeled amino acids rather than on the subsequent incorporation of the labeled amino acids.