Glutamate-cysteine ligase (GCL; also known as gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase) is the rate-limiting enzyme in glutathione (GSH) synthesis. Traditional assays for the activity of this enzyme are based either on coupled reactions with other enzymes or on high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) assessment of gamma-glutamylcysteine (gamma-GC) product formation. We took advantage of the reaction of naphthalene dicarboxaldehyde (NDA) with GSH or gamma-GC to form cyclized products that are highly fluorescent. Hepa-1 cells which were designed to overexpress mouse GCL and mouse liver homogenates were used to evaluate and compare the utility of the NDA method with an assay based on monobromobimane derivatization and HPLC analysis with fluorescence detection. Excellent agreement was found between GCL activities measured by HPLC and NDA-microtiter plate analyses. This assay should be useful for high-throughput GCL activity analyses.

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Prior research suggests that childhood brain tumors (CBTs) may be associated with exposure to pesticides. Organophosphorus insecticides (OPs) target the developing nervous system, and until recently, the most common residential insecticides were chlorpyrifos and diazinon, two OPs metabolized in the body through the cytochrome P450/paraoxonase 1 (PON1) pathway. To investigate whether two common PON1 polymorphisms, C-108T and Q192R, are associated with CBT occurrence, we conducted a population-based study of 66 cases and 236 controls using DNA from neonatal screening archive specimens in Washington State, linked to interview data. The risk of CBT was nonsignificantly increased in relation to the inefficient PON1 promoter allele [per PON1-108T allele, relative to PON1-108CC: odds ratio (OR) = 1.4; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.0–2.2; p-value for trend = 0.07]. Notably, this association was strongest and statistically significant among children whose mothers reported chemical treatment of the home for pests during pregnancy or childhood (per PON1-108T allele: among exposed, OR = 2.6; 95% CI, 1.2–5.5; among unexposed, OR = 0.9; 95% CI, 0.5–1.6) and for primitive neuroectodermal tumors (per PON1-108T allele: OR = 2.4; 95% CI, 1.1–5.4). The Q192R polymorphism, which alters the structure of PON1 and influences enzyme activity in a substrate-dependent manner, was not associated with CBT risk, nor was the PON1C-108T/Q192R haplotype. These results are consistent with an inverse association between PON1 levels and CBT occurrence, perhaps because of PON1’s ability to detoxify OPs common in children’s environments. Larger studies that measure plasma PON1 levels and incorporate more accurate estimates of pesticide exposure will be required to confirm these observations.