The Biology Of Taurine: Methods And Mechanisms (advances In Experimental Medicine And Biology)

I hope that this book will be a good guide to the state of the art of research on taurine end related compounds. Flavia Franconi viii ## Acknowledgement The editors are grateful to all those who in ways big and emall eontributed to the sueeess of the meeting and the produetion of this book. These inelude the members of the looal Organizing Committee, Fabrizio Ledda, Silvana Romanelli, Paola Failli, Isabella Stendardi, Rosanna Matueci end Federico Bennardini. A suitably international flavor was supplied by the other members of the Scientific Committee, Simo Oja and Kenji Yamaguohi. Front Matter....Pages i-xiv Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Cardiovascular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics of Taurine and Related Compounds....Pages 3-22 Front Matter....Pages 23-23 Introduction: Biochemistry, Nutrition and Development....Pages 25-28 The Stabilizing Protein, Protein-A, of Cysteine Dioxygenase....Pages 29-38 The Oxidation of Hypotaurine to Taurine: Bis -Aminoethyl-α-Disulfone, A Metabolic Intermediate in Mammalian Tissue....Pages 39-48 Renal Taurine Transport — Recent Developments....Pages 49-59 Taurine Conjugation of Bile Acids Protects Human Cells in Culture....Pages 61-67 Development of Biosynthesizing and Uptake Systems for Taurine in Cerebral Cortical Neurons in Primary Culture: Analysis of Possible Factors Involved in Perinatal Decline of Cerebral Taurine....Pages 69-77 Taurine Efflux from Brain Slices: Potassium-Evoked Release is Greater from Immature than Mature Brain Tissue....Pages 79-88 Taurine and Photoreceptor Structure: Biochemical and Electrophysiological Studies....Pages 89-99 Taurine Availability and Function in Neurogenetic Retinopathies....Pages 101-112 Nutritional Taurine Deficiency and Feline Pregnancy and Outcome....Pages 113-124 Abnormal Visual Acuity and Retinal Morphology in Rhesus Monkeys Fed a Taurine-Free Diet During the First Three Postnatal Months....Pages 125-134 Taurine Concentrations in Human Heart — A Retrospective Analysis....Pages 135-138 The Development of Heart and Brain Function in Low-Birth-Weight Infants Fed with Taurine-Supplemented Formula....Pages 139-145 Front Matter....Pages 147-147 Introduction: Pharmacology of Excitable Tissues....Pages 149-150 Potentiation of Myocardial Ischemic Injury by Drug-Induced Taurine Depletion....Pages 151-158 Inotropic Activity of Orthanilic and L-Cysteic Acid on Isolated Guinea-Pig Ventricular Strips....Pages 159-165 Calcium Overload-Induced Myocardial Damage Caused by Isoproterenol and by Adriamycin: Possible Role of Taurine in its Prevention....Pages 167-179 An Analysis of the Effects of Taurine on Cellular and Extracellular Calcium Mobilization in Rabbit Ear Artery....Pages 181-188 Suppression of Bronchial Response to Platelet Activating Factor Following Taurine Administration....Pages 189-198 Front Matter....Pages 147-147 Neural Regulation of Taurine Transport in Skeletal Muscle....Pages 199-205 Effect of Taurine on Chloride Conductance and Excitability of Rat Skeletal Muscle Fibers....Pages 207-216 Insulin-Like Activity of Taurine....Pages 217-226 Taurine Inhibits Wet-Dog Shakes and Hippocampal Seizures Induced by Opioid Peptides in Rats....Pages 227-235 Possible Involvement of Brain Calcium Metabolism in the Action of Taurine in Mammalian Thermoregulation....Pages 237-244 Front Matter....Pages 245-245 Introduction: Neurochemistry....Pages 247-252 A Taurine Receptor Model: Taurine-Sensitive Olfactory Cells in the Lobster....Pages 253-263 Taurine System in the Normal and Ischemic Rat Hippocampus....Pages 265-274 Immunocytochemical Demonstration of Taurine....Pages 275-284 Uptake, Localization and Release of Taurine in the Rat Basal Ganglia....Pages 285-294 Basal Concentration and Evoked Changes of Extracellular Taurine in the Rat Hippocampus in Vivo....Pages 295-305 A Model of the Compartmentalization of Taurine in Rat Hypothalamic Neuronal and Glial Cell Particles....Pages 307-317 Neurochemical Characterization of Excitatory Amino Acid Receptors in Hippocampus....Pages 319-324 The Effect of Taurine on Excitatory Receptor Binding in Rat Hippocampal Membranes....Pages 325-330 Taurine Deficiency in the Rat and Cat: Effects on Neurotoxic and Biochemical Actions of Kainate....Pages 331-339 Further Observation on the Interaction of Taurine and Calmodulin on the Central Adrenergic Neuron....Pages 341-346 Interactions of Taurine and Dopamine in the Striatum....Pages 347-355 Effects of Acidic Dipeptides on Aminoacidergic Neurotransmission in the Brain....Pages 357-368 Front Matter....Pages 369-369 From Heart to Hypothesis: A Mechanism for the Calcium Modulatory Actions of Taurine....Pages 371-387 Back Matter....Pages 389-404 This book is the outcome of the Symposium held in Firenze-San Miniato (PI), October 6-9, 1986. The symposium was entitled "Sulfur Amino Acids, Peptides and Related Compounds" and was the 7th international symposium on taurine and associated substances. It is always difficult to introduce, with the right brevity and emphasis, a topic which has been studied in depth by numerous experts. Nevertheless, I shall do my best to give a historical perspective of the subjects of the meeting which I consider to be very important for the frontiers of research on taurine. The following topics have also become coherent areas of study during the development of research on taurine: metabolism, nutrition, neurochemistry, cardiovascular regulation. Although taurine was isolated in 1827 by Tiedman and Gmelin, its only biochemical role known at the time was the synthesis of bile salts in mammalian tissue. There has been an increasing interest in the biological action of taurine from metabolic aspects to other biological aspects (nutrition, development, etc.). In 1975 it was first demonstrated that taurine deprivation product retinal degeneration that taurine deprivation produced retinal degeneration in cats: more recent studies showed that a taurine-free diet or the administration of taurine transport inhibitors caused retinal degeneration in other mammlas. More recent studies have pointed out the role of taurine in development, and the first part of this book is dedicated to these topics. From the pioneer work of Read and Welty, which showed the antiarrhythmic action of taurine, particular attention has been focussed on the effect of taurine on cardiovascular regulation. One important issue is inotropism and the cardioprotective effect of taurine. Although pharmacological studies are in progress on structure-action relationships, there are few electrophysiological studies, and thus the action of taurine on ion currents has yet to be clarified. Neurochemistry, with neuropharmacology, is widely represented in this book. The data are interesting although the classical question "Is taurine a neurotransmitter?" is still without reply, at least for mammadlian tissue. Is should like to point out the multidisciplinary approach of the symposium and consequently of the book, a fact also demonstrated by the different methodological approaches represented. In the symposium a taurine antagonist was introducted and in the interests of research, I hope that it will be very selective. Although much progress has been made in discovering the biological role of taurine no insight on its mechanisms is available, although the unifying hypothesis of Ryan Huxtable is a good point at which to start new research. I hope that this book will be good guide to the state of the art of research on taurine and related compounds I was pleased and at the same time filled with some misgivings when Professors Alberto Giotti end Ryan Huxtable asked me to introduce this book. The book is the outcome of the Symposium held in Firenze-San Miniato (PI), October 6-9, 1986. The symposium was entitled "Sulfur Amino Acids, Peptides and Related Compounds" and was the 7th international symposium on taurine ßnd assooiated substances. It is always difficult to introduce, with the right brevity end emphasis, a topic which has been studied in depth by numerous experte. Nevertheless, I shall do my best to give a historical perspeotive of the subjects of the meeting which I consider to be very important for the frontiers of researoh on taurine. ~he following topios have also beoome coherent areas of study during the development of researoh on taurine: metabolism, nutrition, neurochemistry, cardiovasoular regulation. Although taurine was isolated in 1821 by ~iedman and Gmel1n, its only biochemioal role known at the time was the synthesis of bile saIte in mammalian tissue. There has been an inoreasing interest in the biologioal action of taurine from metabolio aspects to other biologioal aspects (nutrition, development, eto.). In 1975 it was first demonstrated that taurine deprivation produoed retinal degeneration in cats; more reoent studies showed that a taurine-free diet or the administration of taurine transport inhibitors caused retinal degeneration in other mammlas. More reoent studies have pointed out the role of taurine in development, and the first part of this book is dedicated to these topios