Anaerobic aspartate metabolism and the formation of alanine in molluscan cardiac muscle: A 13C Nmr study

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Abstract
Carbon nuclear magnetic resonance (13C‐NMR) spectroscopic techniques were used to investigate the metabolism of (13C‐3>)‐aspartate and (13C‐4>)‐aspartate by in vitro preparations of the ventricle of the whelk Busycon contrarium. Under anoxic conditions, there was substantial conversion of (13C‐4>)‐aspartate to C‐1,4 succinate with no detectable enrichment of other compounds. When (13C‐3>)‐aspartate was the substrate, there was substantial enrichment of C‐2,3 succinate. However, there was no detectable enrichment of the C‐2 or C‐3 positions of alanine. This finding suggests that the direct transfer of carbon from aspartate to alanine is minimal under anoxic conditions in whelk ventricle. Thus, the malic enzyme may not be functional in the decarboxylating direction under these conditions.

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