Biomaterial Database

Glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase isozymes in human seminal plasma and sperm extracts. 1988

D Mortimer, and A V Johnson, and L K Long-Simpson

Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Calgary Health Sciences Centre, Alberta, Canada.

Leakage of glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT) can be used as an indicator of cryo-damage for mammalian spermatozoa. However, two GOT isozymes exist: mitochondrial (m-GOT) and cytosolic or soluble (s-GOT), with acid and alkaline pH optima, respectively. The levels of these GOT isozymes were determined in samples of cell-free human seminal plasma and sperm extracts over a pH range of 3.8 to 9.6. Optimum GOT activities were found at pH 5.2 using cacodylate-HCl buffer (m-GOT) and pH 8.4 using barbital buffer (s-GOT). Differential inhibition studies with adipate (which inhibits s-GOT) were misleading because of the presence of another NADH-linked enzyme able to use adipate as a substrate. Only relatively low levels of m-GOT could be extracted from human spermatozoa (21.4 +/- 31.5 [SD] mU/10(8) cells vs. 202.3 +/- 49.4 mU/mL seminal plasma; n = 20). Consequently, future studies on GOT leakage should be carried out at the alkaline pH optimum, and will therefore measure s-GOT, making this a marker for plasma membrane integrity rather than a measure of mitochondrial damage.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D008928	Mitochondria	Semiautonomous, self-reproducing organelles that occur in the cytoplasm of all cells of most, but not all, eukaryotes. Each mitochondrion is surrounded by a double limiting membrane. The inner membrane is highly invaginated, and its projections are called cristae. Mitochondria are the sites of the reactions of oxidative phosphorylation, which result in the formation of ATP. They contain distinctive RIBOSOMES, transfer RNAs (RNA, TRANSFER); AMINO ACYL T RNA SYNTHETASES; and elongation and termination factors. Mitochondria depend upon genes within the nucleus of the cells in which they reside for many essential messenger RNAs (RNA, MESSENGER). Mitochondria are believed to have arisen from aerobic bacteria that established a symbiotic relationship with primitive protoeukaryotes. (King & Stansfield, A Dictionary of Genetics, 4th ed)	Mitochondrial Contraction,Mitochondrion,Contraction, Mitochondrial,Contractions, Mitochondrial,Mitochondrial Contractions
D002021	Buffers	A chemical system that functions to control the levels of specific ions in solution. When the level of hydrogen ion in solution is controlled the system is called a pH buffer.	Buffer
D002474	Cell-Free System	A fractionated cell extract that maintains a biological function. A subcellular fraction isolated by ultracentrifugation or other separation techniques must first be isolated so that a process can be studied free from all of the complex side reactions that occur in a cell. The cell-free system is therefore widely used in cell biology. (From Alberts et al., Molecular Biology of the Cell, 2d ed, p166)	Cellfree System,Cell Free System,Cell-Free Systems,Cellfree Systems,System, Cell-Free,System, Cellfree,Systems, Cell-Free,Systems, Cellfree
D003600	Cytosol	Intracellular fluid from the cytoplasm after removal of ORGANELLES and other insoluble cytoplasmic components.	Cytosols
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D006863	Hydrogen-Ion Concentration	The normality of a solution with respect to HYDROGEN ions; H+. It is related to acidity measurements in most cases by pH	pH,Concentration, Hydrogen-Ion,Concentrations, Hydrogen-Ion,Hydrogen Ion Concentration,Hydrogen-Ion Concentrations
D001219	Aspartate Aminotransferases	Enzymes of the transferase class that catalyze the conversion of L-aspartate and 2-ketoglutarate to oxaloacetate and L-glutamate. EC 2.6.1.1.	Aspartate Aminotransferase,Aspartate Transaminase,Glutamic-Oxaloacetic Transaminase,SGOT,Aspartate Apoaminotransferase,Glutamate-Aspartate Transaminase,L-Aspartate-2-Oxoglutarate Aminotransferase,Serum Glutamic-Oxaloacetic Transaminase,Aminotransferase, Aspartate,Aminotransferase, L-Aspartate-2-Oxoglutarate,Aminotransferases, Aspartate,Apoaminotransferase, Aspartate,Glutamate Aspartate Transaminase,Glutamic Oxaloacetic Transaminase,Glutamic-Oxaloacetic Transaminase, Serum,L Aspartate 2 Oxoglutarate Aminotransferase,Serum Glutamic Oxaloacetic Transaminase,Transaminase, Aspartate,Transaminase, Glutamate-Aspartate,Transaminase, Glutamic-Oxaloacetic,Transaminase, Serum Glutamic-Oxaloacetic
D012661	Semen	The thick, yellowish-white, viscid fluid secretion of male reproductive organs discharged upon ejaculation. In addition to reproductive organ secretions, it contains SPERMATOZOA and their nutrient plasma.	Seminal Plasma,Plasma, Seminal
D013094	Spermatozoa	Mature male germ cells derived from SPERMATIDS. As spermatids move toward the lumen of the SEMINIFEROUS TUBULES, they undergo extensive structural changes including the loss of cytoplasm, condensation of CHROMATIN into the SPERM HEAD, formation of the ACROSOME cap, the SPERM MIDPIECE and the SPERM TAIL that provides motility.	Sperm,Spermatozoon,X-Bearing Sperm,X-Chromosome-Bearing Sperm,Y-Bearing Sperm,Y-Chromosome-Bearing Sperm,Sperm, X-Bearing,Sperm, X-Chromosome-Bearing,Sperm, Y-Bearing,Sperm, Y-Chromosome-Bearing,Sperms, X-Bearing,Sperms, X-Chromosome-Bearing,Sperms, Y-Bearing,Sperms, Y-Chromosome-Bearing,X Bearing Sperm,X Chromosome Bearing Sperm,X-Bearing Sperms,X-Chromosome-Bearing Sperms,Y Bearing Sperm,Y Chromosome Bearing Sperm,Y-Bearing Sperms,Y-Chromosome-Bearing Sperms