Glutaurine is a chemical compound which is an amide formed from glutamic acid and taurine.
Biological role
Glutaurine, an endogenous compound (KEGG: C05844), has been noted as an antiepileptic, with antiamnesia properties. The dipeptide γ-glutamyltaurine (γ-GT; glutaurine, Litoralon) was discovered in the parathyroid in 1980, and later in the mammalian brain. This led to studies on intrinsic and synthetic taurine peptides, and the suggestion that γ-glutamyltransferase (GGT; γ-glutamyl-transpeptidase) in the brain is responsible for its in vivo formation.
The versatile molecule mimicks the anxiolytic drug diazepam, and is implicated in phenomena from feline aggression to amphibian metamorphosis, radiation protection and the glutamatergic system in schizophrenic disorders.