Pattern of Purine-Nucleotide Metabolism in Hepatopancreas of Helix Pomatia (Gastropoda)

Abstract

In 1970 Campbell and Bishop, describing the nitrogen metabolism in Moluscs, had written: “Terrestrial snails might thus serve as useful systems for investigating the specific derangements present in persons exhibiting the Lesch-Nyhan Syndrome” (1). For several years we have been concerned with the purine-nucleotide metabolism in land snail Helix pomatia (Pulmonata). This gastropod has been found to be purinotelic (11). During winter sleep, H. pomatia accumulates uric acid, which accounts for 75 % of the total purine content in the nephridium at the end of hibernation. During its active life, the nephridial excreta contain uric acid, xanthine and guanine, accounting for 34 – 49, 34 – 55 and 11 – 16 %, respectively of the total amount of purines excreted (12). An enzymic system allowing under normal, physiological conditions such diversity of the end-products of the nitrogen metabolism looked very promising. On the basis of investigations of the enzymes participating in the purine-nucleotide metabolism in the hepatopancreas, which is an organ homologous to the liver of Vertebrates, the scheme presented in Fig. 1. is suggested.