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PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
9
pubmed:dateCreated
2008-9-1
pubmed:abstractText
Carnitine is an essential cofactor in the transport of long-chain fatty acids into the mitochondrial matrix and plays an important role in energy production via beta-oxidation. Vitamin C (VC) has long been considered a requirement for the activities of two enzymes in the carnitine biosynthetic pathway, i.e., 6-N-trimethyllysine dioxygenase and gamma-butyrobetaine dioxygenase. Our present study using senescence marker protein-30 (SMP30)/gluconolactonase (GNL) knockout (KO) mice, which cannot synthesize VC in vivo, led to the conclusion that this notion is not true. After weaning at 40 d of age, SMP30/GNL KO mice were fed a diet lacking VC and carnitine, then given water containing 1.5 g/l VC (VC(+) mice) or no VC (VC(-) mice) for 75 d. Subsequently, total VC and carnitine levels were measured in the cerebrum, cerebellum, liver, kidney, soleus muscle, extensor digitorum longus muscle, heart, plasma and serum. The total VC levels in all tissues and plasma from VC(-) SMP30/GNL KO mice were negligible, i.e., <2% of the levels in SMP30/GNL KO VC(+) mice; however, the total carnitine levels of both groups were similar in all tissues and serum. In addition, carnitine was produced by incubated liver homogenates from the VC-depleted SMP30/GNL KO mice irrespective of the presence or absence of 1 mM VC. Collectively, these results indicate that VC is not essential for carnitine biosynthesis in vivo.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Sep
pubmed:issn
0918-6158
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
31
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
1673-9
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2008
pubmed:articleTitle
Vitamin C is not essential for carnitine biosynthesis in vivo: verification in vitamin C-depleted senescence marker protein-30/gluconolactonase knockout mice.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Toho University, Chiba, Japan.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't