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Histidine Decarboxylase and Growth

Abstract

KAHLSON1,2 has presented evidence of a relationship between activity of histidine decarboxylase and growth or wound-healing in rat tissues. In particular he has shown that the developing liver of the fœtal rat has much higher histidine decarboxylase activity than the normal liver of adults. Telford and West3 have shown that the enzyme of the liver of the fœtal rat has an optimum pH of 6.5 compared with 8.0 for that of the adult. They have also found that the activity of histidine decarboxylase of adult rat liver is very low unless benzene is added to the incubation medium. The enzyme of the liver of the fœtal rat, on the other hand, is not activated by benzene. Low histidine decarboxylase activity in fœtal rabbits and guinea pigs has recently been reported (ref. 4).

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References

  1. Kahlson, G., Lancet, i, 67 (1960).

  2. Kahlson, G., Nilsson, K., Rosengren, E., and Zederfeldt, B., Lancet, ii, 230 (1960).

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MACKAY, D., REID, J. & SHEPHERD, D. Histidine Decarboxylase and Growth. Nature 191, 1311–1312 (1961). https://doi.org/10.1038/1911311a0

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