Biomaterial Database

A new micro-assay for human liver alanine: glyoxylate aminotransferase. 1987

J Allsop, and P R Jennings, and C J Danpure

Division of Inherited Metabolic Diseases, Clinical Research Centre, Harrow, Middlesex, UK.

A micro radiochemical method has been developed for the assay of the human liver peroxisomal enzyme alanine: glyoxylate aminotransferase (EC 2.6.1.44). The method, based on the electrophoretic separation of [14C]alanine (substrate) from [14C]pyruvate (product) is at least fifty times more sensitive than the currently-used spectrophotometric double enzyme method (Rowsell et al, Int J Biochem 1972;3: 247-257), enabling the enzymatic diagnosis of primary hyperoxaluria type 1 to be carried out on only 100 micrograms of human liver tissue obtained by percutaneous needle biopsy. The increased sensitivity of the new method allows the assay conditions to be such that they are on the linear parts of the time-course and protein concentration curves. This results in the activities of alanine: glyoxylate aminotransferase in human liver samples being 20-50% higher than those determined by the spectrophotometric method.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D006959	Hyperoxaluria	Excretion of an excessive amount of OXALATES in the urine.	Oxaluria,Oxalosis
D006960	Hyperoxaluria, Primary	A genetic disorder characterized by excretion of large amounts of OXALATES in urine; NEPHROLITHIASIS; NEPHROCALCINOSIS; early onset of RENAL FAILURE; and often a generalized deposit of CALCIUM OXALATE. There are subtypes classified by the enzyme defects in glyoxylate metabolism.	Oxaluria, Primary,Primary Hyperoxaluria,Primary Oxalosis,Primary Oxaluria,Hyperoxalurias, Primary,Oxaloses, Primary,Oxalosis, Primary,Oxalurias, Primary,Primary Hyperoxalurias,Primary Oxaloses,Primary Oxalurias
D008099	Liver	A large lobed glandular organ in the abdomen of vertebrates that is responsible for detoxification, metabolism, synthesis and storage of various substances.	Livers
D008832	Microchemistry	The development and use of techniques and equipment to study or perform chemical reactions, with small quantities of materials, frequently less than a milligram or a milliliter.
D004590	Electrophoresis, Paper	Electrophoresis in which paper is used as the diffusion medium. This technique is confined almost entirely to separations of small molecules such as amino acids, peptides, and nucleotides, and relatively high voltages are nearly always used.	Paper Electrophoresis
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000410	Alanine Transaminase	An enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of L-alanine and 2-oxoglutarate to pyruvate and L-glutamate. (From Enzyme Nomenclature, 1992) EC 2.6.1.2.	Alanine Aminotransferase,Glutamic-Pyruvic Transaminase,SGPT,Alanine-2-Oxoglutarate Aminotransferase,Glutamic-Alanine Transaminase,Alanine 2 Oxoglutarate Aminotransferase,Aminotransferase, Alanine,Aminotransferase, Alanine-2-Oxoglutarate,Glutamic Alanine Transaminase,Glutamic Pyruvic Transaminase,Transaminase, Alanine,Transaminase, Glutamic-Alanine,Transaminase, Glutamic-Pyruvic
D000637	Transaminases	A subclass of enzymes of the transferase class that catalyze the transfer of an amino group from a donor (generally an amino acid) to an acceptor (generally a 2-keto acid). Most of these enzymes are pyridoxyl phosphate proteins. (Dorland, 28th ed) EC 2.6.1.	Aminotransferase,Aminotransferases,Transaminase
D013053	Spectrophotometry	The art or process of comparing photometrically the relative intensities of the light in different parts of the spectrum.