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Huntington's disease. Glutamate and aspartate metabolism in blood platelets
The metabolism of two excitatory amino acids, glutamate and aspartate, was determined in human blood platelets because of their hypothetical involvement in the etiology of the heritable neurodegenerative disorder, Huntington's disease (HD). The specific activities of the two acids and their amides, glutamine and asparagine, constitute markers for the efficiency of the enzymatic cascades originating from [3H]acetate and [14C]glucose, respectively. Results demonstrate that both precursors are converted by temperature-dependent processes, thus indicating the presence, in platelets, of all glycolytic and tricarboxylic acid cycle enzymes necessary for the biosynthesis of glutamate and aspartate. No differences between normal and HD platelets were found in any of the specific activities investigated. A genetic defect in any of these enzymes is therefore not likely to underlie HD neuropathology.
The metabolism of two excitatory amino acids, glutamate and aspartate, was determined in human blood platelets because of their hypothetical involvement in the etiology of the heritable neurodegenerative disorder, Huntington's disease (HD). The specific activities of the two acids and their amides, glutamine and asparagine, constitute markers for the efficiency of the enzymatic cascades originating from [3H]acetate and [14C]glucose, respectively. Results demonstrate that both precursors are converted by temperature-dependent processes, thus indicating the presence, in platelets, of all glycolytic and tricarboxylic acid cycle enzymes necessary for the biosynthesis of glutamate and aspartate. No differences between normal and HD platelets were found in any of the specific activities investigated. A genetic defect in any of these enzymes is therefore not likely to underlie HD neuropathology.