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Study of taurine and tauret content in the compound eye of locust with light and dark adaptation

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Summary.

Taurine as well as tauret (retinyliden taurine) levels were measured in locust Locusta migratoria compound eyes. HPLC measurements revealed relatively low taurine levels (1.9 ± 0.16 mM) in dark-adapted eyes. Glutamate, aspartate and glycine levels were 2.0 ± 0.2, 2.7 ± 0.4 and 3.0 ± 0.37 mM, respectively, while GABA was present only in trace amounts. After about 4 h of light adaptation at 1500–2000 lx, amino acid levels in the compound eye were as follows: taurine, 1.8 ± 0.17 mM; glutamate, no change at 2.1 ± 0.2 mM; aspartate sharply increased to 4.7 ± 0.7 mM; glycine slightly decreased to 2.8 ± 0.3 mM; and GABA trace levels. In the compound eye of locust Locusta migratoria, the existence of endogenous tauret in micro-molar range was established. In the dark, levels were several times higher compared with compound eye after light adaptation 1500 lx for 3 h, as estimated by TLC in combination with spectral measurements. Existence of tauret in compound eye is of special interest because in the compound eye, rhodopsin regeneration is based on photoregeneration.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Buniatian Institute of Biochemistry of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, Yerevan, Armenia

    A. M. Petrosian, L. A. Poghosyan & J. E. Haroutounian

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  1. A. M. Petrosian
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  2. L. A. Poghosyan
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  3. J. E. Haroutounian
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Petrosian, A., Poghosyan, L. & Haroutounian, J. Study of taurine and tauret content in the compound eye of locust with light and dark adaptation. Amino Acids 30, 273–278 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00726-006-0296-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00726-006-0296-z

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