Isolation and Characterization of a Naturally Occurring Stimulator of Citrulline Biosynthesis

Abstract

THE synthesis of citrulline by preparations from mammalian liver requires the addition of ornithine, ammonia, bicarbonate ion, magnesium ion, adenosine triphosphate, and an appropriate derivative of glutamic acid¹. Synthetic compounds which have been shown to be active in the latter capacity are the N-carbamyl, N-formyl, N-acetyl and N-chloroacetyl derivatives of L-glutamic acid¹. These compounds have been shown to be catalytically active in the synthesis of carbamyl phosphate, an intermediate precursor of the carbamyl group of citrulline^1–3.