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Renal arginine metabolism.

Margaret E Brosnan¹, John T Brosnan

¹Department of Biochemistry, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St John's, NL, Canada, A1B 3X9. mbrosnan@mun.ca

The Journal of Nutrition

|October 7, 2004

Summary

The kidney is crucial for arginine metabolism, synthesizing it from citrulline, aiding creatine production, and reabsorbing it. Kidney transporters are vital for amino acid balance, with defects causing cystinuria and lysinuric protein intolerance.

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Area of Science:

Nephrology
Biochemistry
Amino Acid Metabolism

Background:

The kidney significantly influences arginine metabolism through synthesis, creatine production, and reabsorption.
Arginine synthesis occurs in the kidney from intestinal citrulline, involving specific renal enzymes in proximal tubule cells.
Creatine synthesis and arginine reabsorption are other key renal functions impacting amino acid homeostasis.

Purpose of the Study:

To elucidate the kidney's multifaceted role in arginine metabolism.
To detail the mechanisms of renal arginine synthesis, creatine synthesis, and reabsorption.
To explore the implications of defects in renal amino acid transporters.

Main Methods:

Analysis of renal enzymes involved in arginine and creatine synthesis.
Investigation of amino acid transporters at the apical and basolateral membranes of proximal tubular cells.
Review of physiological roles and disease associations related to renal arginine metabolism.

Main Results:

The kidney synthesizes approximately 2 g of arginine daily from citrulline, independent of dietary arginine.
Renal arginine reabsorption salvages about 3 g of arginine daily via specific transporters.
Defects in renal transporters lead to conditions like cystinuria and lysinuric protein intolerance, involving amino acid loss.

Conclusions:

The kidney is a central organ for arginine metabolism, contributing significantly to its synthesis and reabsorption.
Understanding renal amino acid transport is critical for diagnosing and managing inherited metabolic disorders.
The kidney's role in creatine synthesis is proposed to extend to the liver, highlighting complex metabolic interconnections.

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