AffiASSAY® Pyruvate Carboxylase Activity Assay Kit (Colorimetric)

Overview

Pyruvate carboxylase (PC) catalyzes the irreversible carboxylation of pyruvate to oxaloacetate (OAA), depending on the species. It is a tetramer composed of four identical monomers each with a molecular weight of 125 kDa. OAA produced by PC is an important intermediate in numerous biological pathways. In mammals, PC plays an essential role in gluconeogenesis, lipogenesis, synthesis of neurotransmitters, and glucose-induced insulin secretion by pancreatic islets. During nutritional overload, PC levels are increased in the pancreatic β-cells to increase pyruvate cycling due to an increase in glucose levels. PC deficiency can lead to lactic acidosis due to the accumulation of lactic acid. AffiGEN’s Pyruvate Carboxylase Activity Assay Kit provides a facile, rapid way to measure PC activity in various biological samples. In this kit, pyruvate is carboxylated to OAA, which is further detected by the oxidation of NADH. Therefore, a decrease in NADH absorbance at 340 nm is proportional to the amount of PC in samples. The assay is simple, sensitive, and can detect PC activity lower than 200 μU in samples.