Premium
Glutamic Acid Decarboxylase and γ‐Aminobutyric Acid in Huntington's Disease Fibroblasts and Other Cultured Cells, Determined by a [ 3 H]Muscimol Radioreceptor Assay
Author(s) -
Hamel Edith,
Goetz Ingeburg E.,
Roberts Eugene
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
journal of neurochemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.75
H-Index - 229
eISSN - 1471-4159
pISSN - 0022-3042
DOI - 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1981.tb04491.x
Subject(s) - glutamate decarboxylase , aminobutyric acid , glutamic acid , muscimol , aromatic l amino acid decarboxylase , cell culture , biochemistry , carboxy lyases , biology , endocrinology , medicine , chemistry , microbiology and biotechnology , enzyme , amino acid , agonist , receptor , genetics
A sensitive and reproducible [ 3 H]muscimol radioreceptor assay was developed for measuring low levels of both glutamic acid decarboxylase activity and γ‐aminobutyric acid. By using this technique, endogenous γ‐aminobutyric acid and glutamic acid decarboxylase activity were detected in two rat neuroblastomas, B 35 and B 50 , a human medulloblastoma cell line, TE671, and cultured human skin fibroblasts. Glutamic acid decarboxylase activities and γ‐aminobutyric acid levels were compared for human skin fibroblasts obtained from patients with Huntington's disease and their controls in a well‐controlled, blind study. However, no significant difference was found for either measure between Huntington and control cells. Glutamic acid decarboxylase activity was relatively low in all cell types examined except for the TE671 cells, which had more than four times the activity found in the other cells. This human medulloblastoma cell line appears to be a good model for studying γ‐aminobutyric acid metabolism and the control of glutamic acid decarboxylase expression.