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    • Fulltext

       

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      Permanent link:
      https://www.ias.ac.in/article/fulltext/jbsc/034/06/0853-0872

    • Keywords

       

      Collagen; collagen synthesis; collagen turnover; essential amino acid; glycine; glycine metabolism; osteoarthritis; osteoporosis

    • Abstract

       

      In a previous paper, we pointed out that the capability to synthesize glycine from serine is constrained by the stoichiometry of the glycine hydroxymethyltransferase reaction, which limits the amount of glycine produced to be no more than equimolar with the amount of C1 units produced. This constraint predicts a shortage of available glycine if there are no adequate compensating processes. Here, we test this prediction by comparing all reported fluxes for the production and consumption of glycine in a human adult. Detailed assessment of all possible sources of glycine shows that synthesis from serine accounts for more than 85% of the total, and that the amount of glycine available from synthesis, about 3 g/day, together with that available from the diet, in the range 1.5–3.0 g/day, may fall significantly short of the amount needed for all metabolic uses, including collagen synthesis by about 10 g per day for a 70 kg human. This result supports earlier suggestions in the literature that glycine is a semi-essential amino acid and that it should be taken as a nutritional supplement to guarantee a healthy metabolism.

    • Author Affiliations

       

      Enrique Meléndez-Hevia1 Patricia De Paz-Lugo1 Athel Cornish-Bowden2 María Luz Cárdenas2

      1. Instituto del Metabolismo Celular, Departamento de Investigación Científica, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
      2. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité de Bioénergétique et Ingénierie des Protéines, 31 Chemin Joseph-Aiguier, 13402 Marseille Cedex 20, France

    • Dates

       
      Published
      December 2009
      Manuscript received
      29 April 2009
      Accepted
      24 September 2009
      Early published
      3 December 2009

  • Journal of Biosciences | News

      Forthcoming Special issue.


    • To trigger further research on plant mitochondria, the Journal of Biosciences is bringing out a special issue titled "Plant Mitochondria: Properties and Interactions with Other Organelles".


      Plant mitochondria are quite distinct and have unique features, such as a cyanide-insensitive alternate pathway. They also interact with chloroplasts to optimize photosynthetic carbon assimilation.


      Submissions are welcome until 30 July 2023. The contributions can be original articles, short communications, reviews, or mini-reviews on any topic related to plant mitochondria.


      Authors can submit their articles online at https://www.editorialmanager.com/jbsc/default2.aspx

      Posted on April 12, 2023
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    • Editorial Note on Continuous Article Publication

      Posted on July 25, 2019

      Click here for Editorial Note on CAP Mode

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