A comparison of the enzymes and substrates of gamma-aminobutyric acid metabolism in lobster excitatory and inhibitory axons.

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Abstract
Lobster inhibitory axons contain about 100 times more gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) than excitatory axons. A study of the metabolism of GABA in isolated axons demonstrated that GABA-glutamic transaminase, [alpha]-ketoglutarate, and glutamate were found in similar amounts in the two types of axons. The activity of glutamic decarboxylase was about 11 times higher in inhibitory axons and it was demonstrated that GABA markedly inhibits this enzyme. It is suggested that the high decarboxylase activity and its GABA inhibition could provide a means of stabilizing the high GABA level found in inhibitory axons.