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Published on: October 23, 2018
Production of hypotaurine from L-cysteinesulfinate by rat liver mitochondria
1Department of Clinical Nutrition, Kawasaki University of Medical Welfare, Kurashiki, Okayama, Japan. ubukatos@mw.kawasaki-m.ac.jp
Abstract:
Hypotaurine is the precursor of taurine production from L-cysteinesulfinate. It is recognized that hypotaurine production in the liver occurs in cytosol. In the present study, hypotaurine production from L-cysteinesulfinate in rat liver mitochondria was investigated. The mitochondrial preparation prepared according to the method of Hogeboom and washed repeatedly with 0.25 M sucrose solution was incubated with L-cysteinesulfinate. Products were derivatized with dabsyl chloride and dabsylated amino acids were analyzed by RP-HPLC. Presence of a peak corresponding to dabsyl-hypotaurine was confirmed. The peak of dabsyl-hypotaurine was converted quantitatively to dabsyl-taurine by the treatment with H(2)O(2). Optimum pH of the reaction was shown to be broad between 6.0 and 7.8 and Km for L-cysteinesulfinate was 0.11 mM. Results indicate the presence of L-cysteinesulfinate decarboxylase activity in liver mitochondria. Mitochondrial cysteine metabolism was summarized and possible antioxidant roles of cysteine metabolites including hypotaurine in mitochondria are discussed.
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