Effect of cycloleucine on amino acid accumulation by human diploid fibroblasts

Cycloleucine is a synthetic amino acid which produces, in vivo, biochemical abnoramlities comparable to those seen in human cystinuria-lysinuria. The effect of cycloleucine on intracellular accumulation of amino acids overlapping separate transport systems was studied using human diploid fibroblasts subcultures on glass coverslips. The data indicated that alpha-alanine, serine and proline accumulation was inhibited significantly by cycloleucine. The percentage of inhibition was approximately the same. Lysine was less affected by cycloleucine, but this amino acid accumulation proceeded at a rate slower than for neutral amino acids. In vitro, this inhibitory effect seems to be a generalized phenomenon affecting substrates. These results confirm in human fibroblasts data reported for human and rat kidney slices.