Rate-limiting steps for protein synthesis in isolated rat liver cells. Role of aspartate availability

Amino-oxyacetate (carboxymethoxylamine) was found to inhibit protein labelling in isolated liver cells. A similar degree of inhibition (about 70%) was observed of basal and substrate-stimulated rates of protein labelling, ruling out an action on the cellular energy state. Its effect does not seem to be related either to a perturbation of the reduction state of the NAD system or to rate changes in the gluconeogenic pathway. The following observations indicate that amino-oxyacetate inhibits protein labelling by limiting aspartate supply. Amino-oxyacetate was ineffective in a postmitochondrial supernatant under non-limiting amino acid supply conditions. The aspartate cellular content decreases in the presence of amino-oxyacetate, although most other amino acids tend to accumulate. L-Cycloserine was unable to decrease aspartate content and was ineffective in decreasing protein labelling. The inhibitory action of amino-oxyacetate was specifically reversed by incubating cells with amino acids that increase the cellular content of aspartate.