Skip Navigation

Publication Detail

Title: Expression of glutamate-cysteine ligase during mouse development.

Authors: Diaz, Dolores; Krejsa, Cecile M; Kavanagh, Terrance J

Published In Mol Reprod Dev, (2002 May)

Abstract: The tripeptide glutathione (GSH), which plays a crucial role in protecting cells against oxidative stress, is synthesized in a two-step process. The rate-limiting step is the binding of glutamate and cysteine, which is catalyzed by the enzyme glutamate-cysteine ligase (GCL). This enzyme is composed of two subunits: a large catalytic subunit (GCLc) and a smaller modifying subunit (GCLm), originating from different genes. Control of cellular GSH levels is essential for normal development. In the current study, we investigated the tissue distribution of Gclc and Gclm transcripts, as well as GCLc protein, in the developing mouse embryo. We found that both mRNAs were highly expressed in the liver and CNS at gestational day 10 (gd 10) and gd 12, with Gclm being more abundant than Gclc in the liver relative to other tissues. Also, the expression of the two subunit mRNAs was not always parallel in the embryo, in that some tissues expressed one of the subunits preferentially, suggesting that the two genes are differentially expressed during mouse development. The GCLc protein was also widely expressed throughout the embryo, and, in general, it co-localized with the Gclc mRNA.

PubMed ID: 11933164 Exiting the NIEHS site

MeSH Terms: Animals; Brown Fat/enzymology; Catalytic Domain; Central Nervous System/embryology; Central Nervous System/enzymology; Embryonic and Fetal Development; Female; Gene Expression*; Glutamate-Cysteine Ligase/genetics*; Liver/embryology; Liver/enzymology; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Pregnancy; RNA, Messenger; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.; Salivary Glands/embryology; Salivary Glands/enzymology; Tissue Distribution

Back
to Top