Abstract
Burn injury elicits a marked, sustained hypermetabolic state in patients characterized by accelerated hepatic amino acid metabolism and negative nitrogen balance. The transport of glutamine, a key substrate in gluconeogenesis and ureagenesis, was examined in hepatocytes isolated from the livers of rats after a 20% total burn surface area full-thickness scald injury. A latent and profound two- to threefold increase in glutamine transporter system N activity was first observed after 48 h in hepatocytes from injured rats compared with controls, persisted for 9 days, and waned toward control values after 18 days, corresponding with convalescence. Further studies showed that the profound increase was fully attributable to rapid posttranslational transporter activation by amino acid-induced cell swelling and that this form of regulation may be elicited in part by glucagon. The phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitors wortmannin and LY-294002 each significantly attenuated transporter stimulation by amino acids. The data suggest that PI3K-dependent system N activation by amino acids may play an important role in fueling accelerated hepatic nitrogen metabolism after burn injury.
Original language | English (US) |
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Journal | American Journal of Physiology - Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology |
Volume | 278 |
Issue number | 4 41-4 |
State | Published - Apr 2000 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Cell volume
- Glucagon
- Liver
- Signal transduction
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Gastroenterology
- Physiology
- Physiology (medical)