| Comments |
In terms of distribution of glutathione equivalents there were no significant differences between HEK and HeLa cells with GSSG levels constituting ˜4.5% of the total GS equivalents (Table 2). However, the absolute levels of glutathione were ˜30% higher in HeLa cells than in HEK cells (Fig. 3B). A higher oxidative load on HeLa cells could lead to an up-regulation of glutathione synthesis, because glutathione have been suggested to function as an antioxidant in the ER, consuming excess oxidizing equivalents followed by export of GSSG (18). Note that in Table 2 values for GSSG are ~9 percent, a value of ~4.5 percent obtained by taking 2 GS in every GSSG |