Gamma glutamyltransferase ammonia production from glutamine: effect of physiological glutathione concentration.

The formation of ammonia from physiological glutamine concentration catalyzed by gamma glutamyltransferase was studied in the presence of physiological glutathione concentration. The apparent Km for ammonia formation from glutamine was 1.6 mM some 2 fold greater than the actual plasma concentration. In the presence of 30 microM glutathione neither the apparent Km or Vmax were changed. At supraphysiological glutathione concentration, 1mM, the apparent Km was increased while the Vmax decreased to one third. Hippurate the physiological modulator of the enzyme's glutaminase activity reduced the Km to 0.9 mM, the physiological range, and elevated the Vmax 2.7 fold.