New amino acid sensing process has important implications
A research team led by Professor David Ackerley from Victoria University of Wellington’s School of Biological Sciences has discovered a new method of measuring the amino acid glutamine, with implications for medicine, research, and even wine-making.
Professor Ackerley and his team have developed a proprietary enzymatic process that offers direct measurement of glutamine across a diverse range of biological samples.
He says their technique involves direct conversion of glutamine into a detectable blue pigment that can be seen and measured using standard laboratory instrumentation. “Our test is faster and more sensitive than current tests, and because the enzyme is stable it doesn’t need to be transported in ice which translates to even more cost-savings.”
The blue pigment also means laboratory technicians can immediately see any reaction on a molecular scale.
Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in the human body and is a key fuel source for rapidly dividing human body cells, particularly in the immune system and intestinal lining.
From a medical perspective, abnormal glutamine levels can indicate metabolic diseases such as urea cycle disorders, over-training syndrome in athletes, or neurodegenerative disorders such as muscular dystrophy. Low glutamine levels may also indicate the presence of cancerous tumours, which frequently use glutamine as their primary energy source.
From a research perspective, glutamine is an essential energy source for growing human and animal cell cultures in flasks or dishes—the core of bio-manufacturing therapeutic proteins and viral vaccines. It is important for researchers to be able to measure the amount of glutamine in their experiments, as excessive levels in a culture medium can generate toxic levels of ammonia.
“There’s a real need for medical, research and industry laboratories to be able to measure glutamine in a quick, economic and accurate manner,” says Professor Ackerley.
He says the ‘gold standard’ currently used for glutamine measurement involves expensive, specialised instruments which are unwieldy, and unsuited to the rapid turnaround of samples.
“All these existing kits require glutamine to be converted to glutamate before it can be measured. This means you also have to establish how much glutamate was in your starting sample, and then subtract that value from your measurements. These extra steps substantially increase the amount of error, as well as the likelihood of cross-sample contamination.”
Professor Ackerley and his team are working with Viclink, Victoria University of Wellington’s commercialisation arm, to turn their process into a commercial product: a glutamine sensing kit. They are also looking at other potential uses for their discovery.
“We’re already working on how we can use our enzyme research in other areas—for example, we are working with Associate Professor Wayne Patrick to develop biosensors for New Zealand winemakers, while there’s also potential for our enzymes to be used in the development of a new class of antibiotic to combat the growing resistance to current antibiotics.”