Abstract
THE recent discovery by Irreverre et al.1,2 of γ-guanidinobutyric acid in mammalian brain and other tissues stimulated research on its biosynthesis and physiological role. Thoai et al.3 have shown that in many invertebrates γ-guanidinobutyric acid is synthesized by the oxidation of arginine through the action of L-amino-acid oxidase. The present communication shows that in mammals it is synthesized by a transamidination reaction4 involving γ-aminobutyric acid and an amidine donor such as arginine.
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References
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PISANO, J., MITOMA, C. & UDENFRIEND, S. Biosynthesis of γ-Guanidinobutyric Acid from γ-Aminobutyric Acid and Arginine. Nature 180, 1125–1126 (1957). https://doi.org/10.1038/1801125a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/1801125a0
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