Hereditary high concentration of glutathione in canine erythrocytes
associated with high accumulation of glutamate, glutamine, and aspartate
Y Maede, N Kasai and N Taniguchi
We have found a dog family in which there were five cases of increased red
cell glutathione corresponding to four to five times the normal
concentration without any clinical signs. In the present study, we mainly
examined the concentrations of free amino acids in the erythrocytes,
plasma, and urine of two of the dogs, and we demonstrated that the
concentrations of glutamate, aspartate, and glutamine in their erythrocytes
increases to 92, 63, and 13 times the mean value in the normal blood,
respectively. There were no changes observed in the other amino acids as
compared to normal, although the glycine and histidine in the erythrocyte
showed slight increases. The concentrations of amino acids in the plasma
and urine of the dogs were almost equal to normal ones. The activities of
some of the enzymes involved in the glutathione metabolism in the
erythrocytes from the two dogs were all within the normal range. The
increased level of glutathione could be explained by the fact that the
feedback inhibition of gamma-glutamyl cysteine synthetase by glutathione
was released by the high levels of glutamate in the erythrocytes.
Volume 59,
Issue 5,
pp. 883-889,
05/01/1982
Copyright © 1982 by The American Society of Hematology
