y-Aminobutyric acid is present in the free form in large amounts in brain (l-3), where it is formed from glutamic acid by a L-glutamic acid decarboxylase (2, 4, 5). The enzyme requires pyridoxal phosphate as coenzyme (5), which can be synthesized in brain from adenosinetriphosphate and pyridoxal (6). This decarboxylase has a high degree of substrate and coenzyme specificity (6). The concentrati...

Classical paraneoplastic encephalitis syndromes with 'onconeural' antibodies directed to intracellular antigens, and the recently described paraneoplastic or non-paraneoplastic encephalitides and antibodies against both neural surface antigens (voltage-gated potassium channel-complexes, N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors) and intracellular antigens (glutamic acid decarboxylase-65), constitute an in...

gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is the inhibitory transmitter compound at the lobster neuromuscular junction. This paper presents a comparison of the enzymes of GABA metabolism in single identified inhibitory and excitatory axons from lobster walking legs. Inhibitory axons contain more than 100 times as much glutamic decarboxylase activity as do excitatory axons. GABA-glutamic transaminase is fo...

Convulsions due to vitamin B-6 deficiency in humans can be controlled by the administration of pyridoxine, and the symptoms subside rapidly (Coursin, 1954). If derangement of y-aminobutyric acid metabolism were responsible for these convulsions, it would be expected that a return to normal y-aminobutyric acid metabolism occurs very rapidly after the pyridoxine administration. In vitamin B-&defi...

Suspensions of Clostridium welchii (strain SR 12) quantitatively decarboxylate the L isomers of aspartic (1) and glutamic acids (2) to ar-alanine and y-aminobutyric acid, respectively. Although a quantitative procedure for the determination of glutamic acid based upon decarboxylation with this organism has been described (3), it has been found that aspartic acid, especially in the presence of c...

We tested whether transfer of the gene coding for glutamic acid decarboxylase to dorsal root ganglion using a herpes simplex virus vector to achieve release of GABA in dorsal horn would attenuate nociception in this condition. Subcutaneous inoculation of a replication-defective herpes simplex virus vector expressing glutamic acid decarboxylase (vector QHGAD67) 7 days after selective L5 spinal n...

A total of 849 Providencia isolates were collected during a 4-year period when an increased incidence of nosocomial Providencia stuartii infection was noted in urologic wards. Of these isolates, 630 were identified as P. stuartii, 206 were identified as Providencia rettgeri, and 1 was identified as Providencia alcalifaciens. Twelve inositol-positive isolates from 10 patients (10 strains) resemb...

1. The metabolism of 131I-labelled thyroglobulin from four mammalian species has been studied. 2. The rat, dog and monkey rapidly metabolize the homologous protein, with the formation of iodide, iodotyrosines and thyroxine. Rabbit thyroglobulin disappears slowly from the plasma of the rabbit after intravenous injection, and no metabolites have so far been detected in the blood. 3. The developme...