Carnitine Biosynthesis Metabolism, And Functions

Carnitine Biosynthesis, Metabolism, and Functions contains the proceedings of the Virginia Lazenby O'Hara Biochemistry Symposium held in Dallas, Texas, from March 31 to April 1, 1979. The papers explore all aspects of carnitine metabolism, including its biosynthesis, regulation, transport, and functions.
Comprised of 24 chapters divided into four sections, this book opens with a brief review of the situation which led to the discovery of carnitine as a vitamin and its role in acetylation. The discussion then turns to the chemistry and biosynthesis of carnitine in Neurospora crassa, rat kidney, and humans. The purification of enzymes involved in the conversion of trimethyllysine to trimethylaminobutyrate is also considered. The following chapters examine carnitine transport across the plasma membrane; formation and utilization of isobutyrylcarnitine; regulation of blood carnitine and carnitine acyltransferases in the perinatal period; and inhibitors of carnitine transport and metabolism. The final section is devoted to medical and clinical aspects of carnitine, touching on topics such as the possible causes and effects of carnitine deficiency in humans; carnitine deficiency in cirrhosis; protective effects of L-carnitine on ischemic heart; and changes in carnitine-linked metabolism during ischemia, thermal injury, and shock.
This monograph will be a useful resource for biochemists and those interested in the physiological roles of carnitine.

Contenu

Participants

Preface

Acknowledgments

Greetings

Opening Lecture: The Proposed Vitamin Role of Carnitine

Section I: Chemistry and Biosynthesis

Carnitine Biosynthesis in Neurospora crassa

Synthesis of Carnitine Precursors in Rat Kidney

Purification of the Enzymes Involved in the Conversion of Trimethyllysine to Trimethylaminobutyrate

Hydroxylation of -Butyrobetaine

Comparative Aspects of Carnitine Biosynthesis in Microorganisms and Mammals with Attention to Carnitine Biosynthesis in Man

Section II: Regulation and Functions I

Carnitine Transport across the Plasma Membrane

Carnitine Uptake and Stimulation of Carnitine Uptake in the Isolated Beating Adult Rat Heart Myocyte

Regulation of the Carnitine Concentration in Plasma

Extramitochondrial Shortening of Long Chain Fatty Acids and Carnitine-Dependent Fatty Acid Oxidation

Carnitine-Acylcarnitine Translocase-Mediated Transport of Fatty Acids into Mitochondria: Its Involvement in the Control of Fatty Acid Oxidation in Liver

Studies on the Formation and Utilization of Isobutyrylcarnitine

Section III: Regulation and Functions II

Control of Blood Carnitine and Carnitine Acyltransferases in the Perinatal Period

Carnitine and Metabolism in Ruminant Animals

Inhibitors of Carnitine Transport and Metabolism

Carnitine in the Male Reproductive Tract and Its Relation to the Metabolism of the Epididymis and Spermatozoa

Concentration and Uptake of Carnitine in the Rat Epididymis: A Micropuncture Study

The Role of Carnitine and Its Esters in Sperm Metabolism

Section IV: Medical and Clinical Aspects

Possible Causes and Effects of Carnitine Deficiency in Man

Carnitine and Carnitine Palmitoyltransferase in Metabolic Studies

Carnitine Deficiency in Cirrhosis

Changes in Carnitine-Linked Metabolism during Ischemia, Thermal Injury, and Shock

Protective Effects of L-Carnitine on Ischemic Heart

Index