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Role of ureogenesis in tackling problems of ammonia toxicity during exposure to higher ambient ammonia in the air-breathing walking catfishclarias batrachus

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Abstract

In the present study, the possible role of ureogenesis to avoid the accumulation of toxic ammonia to a lethal level under hyper-ammonia stress was tested in the air-breathing walking catfishClarias batrachus by exposing the fish at 25 mM NH4Cl for 7 days. Excretion of ammonia by the NH4Cl-exposed fish was totally suppressed, which was accompanied by significant accumulation of ammonia in different body tissues. The walking catfish, which is otherwise predominantly ammoniotelic, turned totally towards ureotelism from ammoniotelism with a 5-to 6-fold increase of urea-N excretion during exposure to higher ambient ammonia. Stimulation of ureogenesis was accompanied with significant increase of some of the key urea cycle enzymes such as carbamyl phosphate synthetase (urea cycle-related), argininosuccinate synthetase and argininosuccinate lyase both in hepatic and non-hepatic tissues. Due to this unique physiological strategy of turning towards ureotelism from ammoniotelism via the induced urea cycle, this air-breathing catfish is able to survive in very high ambient ammonia, which they face in certain seasons of the year in the natural habitat.

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Abbreviations

ARG:

Arginase

ASL:

argininosuccinate lyase

ASS:

argininosuccinate synthetase

CPS:

carbamyl phosphate synthetase

GDH:

glutamate dehydrogenase

GS:

glutamine synthetase

NAG:

N-acetyl glutamate

OTC:

ornithine transcarbamylase

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biochemical Adaptation Laboratory, Department of Zoology, North-Eastern Hill University, 793 022, Shillong, India

    Nirmalendu Saha, Shritapa Datta, Kuheli Biswas & Zaiba Y. Kharbuli

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  1. Nirmalendu Saha
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  2. Shritapa Datta
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  3. Kuheli Biswas
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  4. Zaiba Y. Kharbuli
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Correspondence to Nirmalendu Saha.

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Saha, N., Datta, S., Biswas, K. et al. Role of ureogenesis in tackling problems of ammonia toxicity during exposure to higher ambient ammonia in the air-breathing walking catfishclarias batrachus . J Biosci 28, 733–742 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02708434

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02708434

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