Aspartate liver transport

The final reactions to be considered in the metabolism of ethanol in the liver are those involved in reoxidation of cytosolic NADH and in the reduction of NADP. The latter is achieved by the pentose phosphate pathway which has a high capacity in the liver (Chapter 6). The cytosolic NADH is reoxidised mainly by the mitochondrial electron transfer system, which means that substrate shuttles must be used to transport the hydrogen atoms into the mitochondria. The malate/aspartate is the main shuttle involved. Under some conditions, the rate of transfer of hydrogen atoms by the shuttle is less than the rate of NADH generation so that the redox state in the cytosolic compartment of the liver becomes highly reduced and the concentration of NAD severely decreased. This limits the rate of ethanol oxidation by alcohol dehydrogenase. 

In the malate shuttle (left)—which operates in the heart, liver, and kidneys, for example-oxaloacetic acid is reduced to malate by malate dehydrogenase (MDH, [2a]) with the help of NADH+HT In antiport for 2-oxogluta-rate, malate is transferred to the matrix, where the mitochondrial isoenzyme for MDH [2b] regenerates oxaloacetic acid and NADH+HT The latter is reoxidized by complex I of the respiratory chain, while oxaloacetic acid, for which a transporter is not available in the inner membrane, is first transaminated to aspartate by aspartate aminotransferase (AST, [3a]). Aspartate leaves the matrix again, and in the cytoplasm once again supplies oxalo-acetate for step [2a] and glutamate for return transport into the matrix [3b]. On balance, only NADH+H"" is moved from the cytoplasm into the matrix ATP is not needed for this. 

Some of the amino acids undergo facilitated diffusion through selective transport proteins into the bloodstream, from which they are taken up by the liver and other organs. Others, particularly glutamate, glutamine, aspartate, and asparagine, are metabolized by the gut cells for energy. 

Studies performed by the authors of this review [142,144], suggest that the discrepancies are due to functional microcompartmentation between the aspartate aminotransferase and the aspartate transporter. The apparent for aspartate efflux can be dramatically decreased by generation of intramitochondrial aspartate by the aminotransferase reaction. Detailed isotopic studies using labelled matrix aspartate in liver mitochondrial [142] and labelled intramitochondrial glutamate in kidney mitochondria [144] confirmed the initial suggestion. 

FIGURE 19-27 Malate-aspartate shuttle. This shuttle for transporting reducing equivalents from cytosolic NADH Into the mitochondrial matrix is used in liver, kidney, and heart. (T) NADH in the cytosol (intermembrane space) passes two reducing equivalents to oxaloacetate, producing malate. (2) Malate crosses the inner membrane via the malate-a-ketoglutarate transporter. In the matrix, malate passes... 

Figure 15.11b shows the malate/aspartate shuttle system, which is particularly active in liver and heart. It uses malate, aspartate, and oxaloacetate to shuttle cytoplasmic electrons from NADH into the mitochondrial matrix. In this shuttle, NADH reduces oxaloacetate to malate, which travels through an inner membrane transport system that ultimately exchanges the malate for an ot-ketoglutarate. To do... 

---