Abstract
Evidence that taurine synthesis may occur in the brain was provided by the finding that brain cortex slices produced labelled taurine after incubation with [35S]methionine or [35S]cysteine (39). Radioactive taurine was also found in the brain after intracisternal injection of radiolabelled cysteine (11). Cysteine sulfinate was found as an endogenous compound (3,4) or as a labelled precursor of taurine (36) in brain tissue while cysteamine or cystamine could not be detected (23). Accordingly, biosynthesis of taurine in the brain is thought to occur from cysteine through the so-called cysteine sulfinate pathway; i.e. oxidation of the thiol group of cysteine to form cysteine sulfinic acid, followed by decarboxylation to hypotaurine and subsequent oxidation to taurine. Cysteine sulfinate might be also first oxidized to cysteic acid followed by decarboxylation directly to taurine. In the liver, where this pathway was first demonstrated (22), decarboxylation of both cysteine sulfinate and cysteate was shown to be performed by the same enzyme, called cysteine sulfinate decarboxylase (E.C.4.1.1.29) rather than cysteate decarboxylase since it has a better affinity for cysteine sulfinate than for cysteate (21). In vivo, cysteine sulfinate decarboxylase was suggested to be the rate-limiting enzyme for taurine biosynthesis in liver (14).
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Almarghini, K., Remy, A. and Tappaz, M., 1991, Immunocytochemistry of the taurine biosynthesis enzyme, cysteine sulfinate decarboxylase (CSD), in the cerebellum: evidence for a glial localization, Neuroscience, 43: 111–119.
Almarghini K, Barbagli, B. and Tappaz, M, 1994, Production and characterization of a new specific antiserum against the taurine putative biosynthetic enzyme cysteine sulfinate decarboxylase, J. Neurochem., In press.
Baba, A., Yamagami, S., Mizuo, H. and Iwata, H., 1980, Microassay of cysteine sulfinic acid by an enzymatic cycling method, Anal. Biochem., 101: 288–293.
Bergeret, B. and Chatagner, F., 1954, Sur la présence d’acide cysteine sulfinique dans le cerveau du rat normal, Biochim. Biophys. Acta., 14: 297.
Bignami, A., Eng, L. F., Dahl, D. and Uyeda, C. T., 1972, Localization of the glial fibrillary acidic protein in astrocytes by immunofluorescence, Brain Res., 43: 429–435.
Campistron, G., Geffard, M. and Buijs, R. M, 1986, Immunological approach to the detection of taurine and immunocytochemical results, J. Neurochem., 46: 862–68.
Cavallini, D., Gaull, G.E. and Zappia, V., 1980, Natural sulfur compounds: novel biochemical and structural aspects. Plenum Press, New-York.
Chan-Palay, V., Lin, C. T., Palay, S., Yamamoto, M. and Wu, J. Y., 1982, Taurine in the mammalian cerebellum: demonstration by autoradiography with 3H taurine and immunocytochemistry with antibodies against the taurine-synthesizing enzyme, cysteine sulfinic acid decarboxylase, Proc. Natl.Acad. Sci. USA., 79: 2695–2699.
Chan-Palay, V., Palay, S. L. and Wu, J. Y., 1982, Sagittal cerebellar microbands of taurine neurons: immunocytochemical demonstration by using antibodies against the taurine-synthesizing enzyme cysteine sulfinic acid decarboxylase, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA., 79: 4221–4225.
Clements, J. R., Magnusson, K. R. and Beitz, A. J., 1989, Ultrastructural description of taurine-like immunoreactive cells and processes in the rat hippocampus, Synapse, 4: 70–79.
Collins, G. G. S., 1974, The rates of synthesis, uptake and disappearance of (14C)-taurine in eight areas of the rat central nervous system, Brain Res., 16: 447–459.
Curtis, D. R. and Watkins, J. C., 1965, The pharmacology of amino acids related to gammaaminobutiric acid, Pharmacol. Rev., 17: 347–391.
Davison, A. N., 1956, Amino acid decarboxylases in rat brain and liver, Biochim Biophys. Acta., 19: 66–73.
De La Rosa, J. and Stipanuk, M. H., 1985, Evidence for a rate-limiting role of cysteine sulfinate decarboxylase activity in taurine biosynthesis in vivo, Comp. Biochem. Physiol., 81B: 565–571.
Eng, L. F., 1982, The glial fibrillary acidic protein: the major protein constituent of glial filaments, Scand. J. Immunol, 15 Suppl. 9: 41–51.
Fugelli, K. and Thoroed, S., 1986, Taurine transport associated with cell volume regulation in flounder erythrocytes under anisosmotic conditions, J. Physiol.-London, 374: 245–261.
Grandes, P., Do, K. D., Morino, P., Cuenod, M. and Streit, P., 1991, Homocysteate, an excitatory transmitter candidate localized in glia, Eur. J. Neurosci., 3: 1370–1373.
Huxtable, R. J. and Sebring, L. A., 1986, Towards a unifying theory for the actions of taurine, Trends Pharmacol. Sci., 7: 481–485.
Huxtable, R. J., 1990, Physiological actions of taurine, Physiol. Rev., 72: 101–163.
Ida, S., Kuriyama, K., Tomida, Y. and Kimura, H., 1987, Antisera against taurine: quantitative characterization of the antibody specificity and its application to immunohistochemical study in the rat brain, J. Neurosci. Res., 18: 626–631.
Jacobsen, J. G., Thomas, L. L. and Smith L. H. Jr., 1964, Properties and distribution of mammalian L-cysteine sulfinate carboxylyases, Biochim. Biophys. Acta., 85: 103–116.
Jacobsen, J. G. and Smith L.H. Jr., 1968, Biochemistry and physiology of taurine and taurine derivatives, Physiol. Rev., 48: 424–511.
Kuriyama, K., Ida, S. and Okhuma, S., 1984, Alteration of cerebral taurine biosynthesis in spontaneously hypertensive rats, J. Neurochem., 42: 1600–1606.
Legay, F., Weise, V. K., Oertel, W. H. and Tappaz, M. L., 1987, Taurine biosynthesis in rat brain: a new and sensitive microassay of cysteine sulfinic acid decarboxylase (CSDI) activity through a selective immunotrapping and its use for distribution studies, J. Neurochem., 48: 345–351.
Legay, F., Lecestre, D. and Tappaz, M. L., 1987, Taurine biosynthesis in rat brain in vivo: lack of relationship with cysteine sulfinic acid decarboxylase/glutamate decarboxylase associated activity (GAD/CSDII), J. Neurochem., 48: 340–344.
Madsen, S., Ottersen, O. P. and Storm-Mathisen, J., 1985, Immunocytochemical visualization of taurine: neuronal localization in the rat cerebellum, Neurosci. Lett., 60: 255–260.
Magnusson, K. R., Madl, J. E., Clements, J. R., Wu, J. Y., Larson, A. A. and Beitz, A. J., 1988, Colocalization of taurine-and cysteine sulfinic acid decarboxylase-like immunoreactivity in the cerebellum of the rat with monoclonal antibodies against taurine, J. Neurosci., 8: 4551–4564.
Magnusson, K. R., Clements, J. R., Wu, J. Y. and Beitz, A. J., 1989, Colocalization of taurine-and cysteine sulfinic acid decarboxylase-like mmunoreactivity in the hippocampus of the rat, Synapse, 4: 55–69.
Martin, D. L., 1992, Synthesis and release of neuroactive substances by glial cells, Glia, 5: 81–94.
Martin, D. L. and Shain, W., 1993, beta-Adrenergic-agonist stimulated taurine release from astroglial cells is modulated by extracellular [K+] and osmolarity, Neurochem. Res., 18: 437–444.
Oertel, W. H., Tappaz, M., Kopin, I. J., Ranson, D. H. and Schmechel, D. E., 1980, Antiserum to rat brain glutamate-cysteine sulfinate decarboxylase, Brain Res. Bull., 5: 713–719.
Oertel, W. H., Schmechel, D. E., Weise, V. K., Ranson, D. H., Tappaz, M., Krutzsch, H. C. and Kopin, I. J., 1981, Comparison of cysteine sulphinic acid decarboxylase isoenzymes and glutamic acid decarboxylase in rat liver and brain, Neuroscience, 6: 2701–2714.
Okamoto, K., Kimura K, and Sakai, Y., 1983, Taurine-induced increase of the Cl-conductance of cerebellar Purkinje cell dendites in vitro, Brain Res., 259: 319–323.
Ottersen, O. P., Madsen, S., Meldrum, B. S. and Storm-Mathisen, J., 1985, Taurine in the hippocampal formation of the senegalese baboon, Papio papio: an immunocytochemical study with an antiserum against conjugated taurine, Exp. Brain Res., 59: 457–462.
Ottersen, O. P., 1988, Quantitative assessment of taurine-like immunoreactivity in different cell types and processed in rat cerebellum: an electronmicroscopic study based on a postembedding immunogold labelling procedure, Anat. Embryol., 178: 407–421.
Pasantes-Morales, H., Chatagner, F. and Mandel, P., 1980, Synthesis of taurine in rat liver and brain in vivo, Neurochem. Res., 5: 441–451.
Pasantes-Morales, H. and Schousboe, A., 1988, Volume regulation in astrocytes: a role for taurine as an osmoeffector, J. Neurosci. Res., 20: 505–509.
Pasantes-Morales, H. and Schousboe, A., 1989, Release of taurine from astrocytes during potassiumevoked swelling, Glia, 2: 45–50.
Peck, E. J. and Awapara, J., 1967, Formation of taurine and isothionic acid in rat brain, Biochim. Biophys. Acta., 141: 499–506.
Remy, A., Henry, S. and Tappaz, M., 1990, Specific antiserum and monoclonal antibodies against taurine biosynthesis enzyme cysteine sulfinate decarboxylase (CSD): identity of brain and liver enzyme, J. Neurochem., 54: 870–879.
Shain, W. G. and Martin, D. L., 1984, Activation of beta-adrenergic receptors stimulates taurine release from glial cells, Cell. Mol. Neurobiol., 4: 191–196.
Sturman, J. A., 1993, Taurine in development, Physiol. Rev., 73: 119–147.
Sturman, J. A., Moretz, R. C., French, J. H. and Wisniewski, H. M., 1985, Taurine deficiency in the developing cat: persistence of the cerebellar external granule cell layer, J. Neurosci. Res., 13: 405–416.
Taber, K. H., Lin, C. T., Liu, J. W., Thalman, R. H. and Wu, J. Y., 1986, Taurine in hippocampus: localization and postsynaptic ation, Brain Res., 386: 113–121.
Tappaz, M., Almarghini, K., Legay, F. and Remy, A., 1992, Taurine biosynthesis enzyme cysteine sulfinate decarboxylase (CSD) from brain — the long and tricky trail to identification, Neurochem. Res., 17: 849–859.
Tomida, Y. and Kimura, H., 1987, Immunohistochemical and biochemical studies of substances with taurine-like immunoreactivity in the brain, Acta Histochem. Cytochem., 20: 31–40.
Wu, J. Y., 1982, Purification and characterization of cysteic acid and cysteine sulfinic acid decarboxylase and L-glutamate decarboxylase from bovine brain, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. (USA)., 79: 4270–4274.
Yoshida, M., Karasawa, N., Ito, M., Sakai, M. and Nagatsu, I., 1986, Demonstration of taurine-like immunoreactive structures in the rat brain, Neurosci. Res., 3: 356–363.
Zhang, N. and Ottersen, O. P., 1992, Differential cellular distribution of two sulphur-containing amino acids in rat cerebellum — an immunocytochemical investigation using antisera to taurine and homocysteic acid, Exp. Brain Res., 90: 11–20.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1994 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Tappaz, M., Almarghini, K., Do, K. (1994). Cysteine Sulfinate Decarboxylase in Brain: Identification, Characterization and Immunocytochemical Location in Astrocytes. In: Huxtable, R.J., Michalk, D. (eds) Taurine in Health and Disease. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 359. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-1471-2_26
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-1471-2_26
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4899-1473-6
Online ISBN: 978-1-4899-1471-2
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive