The synthesis of arginine from GAA
- Post by: Admin
- June 12, 1956
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Guanidoacetic acid is an important precursor of creatine in the organism. Other than this, little is known regarding the metabolism of this compound. Guanidoacetic acid is formed in the body by the transfer of the amidine group of arginine to glycine according to the following reaction, arginine + glycine = guanidoacetic acid + ornithine, which is catalyzed by a transamidinase enzyme system. Although this reaction has been known for some time, data which indicate its reversibility do not appear to be available. It therefore seemed of interest to investigate this possibility, and the results of the present investigation indicate that guanidoacetic acid can be utilized by the rat for the synthesis of the amino acid, arginine.
Categories: Physiology