Metabolism of Amino Acids in the Brain (IV) Studies on the Transamination in the Brain of Catfish (Parasilurus asotus)

Using the brains of catfish (Parasilurus asotus) and mouse as the test materials and with the aid of paper chromatography the author compared the transamination of 16 kinds of α-amino acids, 4 different ω-amino acids, 4 di-amino acids, cysteic acid and α-ketoglutaric acid and studied the possibility of the amino acid metabolism in the brain of catfish. The results are as follows: 1. The brains of catfish demonstrate generally a high transaminase activity as compared with the brains of mice, especially the activity of aspartic acid, alanine, leucine and threonine is marked. 2. Glycine and methionine that are not transaminated in the mouse brain demonstrate their activity in the brain of catfish. 3. Phenylalanine is not transaminated in the brain of catfish.