Asparagine and Glutamine Metabolism in Chicks

Abstract

In a series of four experiments, asparaginase and glutaminase activity was measured in liver and kidney tissue of 7- to 19-day-old male broiler chicks. In Experiment 1, chicks were fed purified amino acid diets with 14.8 and 44.6% protein equivalents (PE) with 1, 3, or 5% added sodium bicarbonate. In Experiments 2, 3, and 4 the chicks were fed a 23% protein basal control diet, basal diet containing 5% ammonium chloride, and basal diet containing 5% ammonium chloride with 5 or 10% sodium bicarbonate, asparagine, or glutamine. In Experiments 2 and 4 the chicks were also fed 25, 50, or 75% protein-isolated soy-purified diets. The 44.6% PE diet increased liver and kidney asparaginase activity in chicks as compared to chicks fed a 14.8% PE diet. The addition of sodium bicarbonate to the 44.6% PE amino acid diet decreased the kidney asparaginase activity equivalent to kidney asparaginase activity of chicks fed the 14.8% PE diet. Asparaginase activity increased 4-fold in the kidneys of chicks fed the 23% protein basal diet containing 5% ammonium chloride and the pH of the urine from the chicks was 4.9. Chicks fed basal diets with 5% ammonium chloride plus 10% sodium bicarbonate or asparagine had the same kidney asparaginase activity and urine pH as chicks fed the 23% protein basal control diet. Glutamine added to chick diets containing 5% ammonium chloride did not decrease the kidney asparaginase activity or the urine acidity. Liver asparaginase activity was not increased in acidotic chicks fed diets with 5% ammonium chloride. The asparaginase activity of liver and kidney tissue were both significantly increased in chicks fed 75% protein-isolated soy purified diets and the pH of their urine was 5.6. The increase in liver asparaginase of chicks fed 75% protein or 44.5% PE diets was probably due to an endocrine gluconeogenic response producing increased catabolism of the majority of amino acids. The increase in kidney asparaginase of chicks fed 75% protein, 44.5% PE diets, and 23% protein basal diets with 5% ammonium chloride was primarily related to metabolic acidosis.Phosphate-dependent glutaminase (PDG) activity was localized in chick kidney mitochondria and was heat sensitive (55 C for 30 sec). The phosphate-independent glutaminase (PIG) activity was primarily localized in chick kidney mitochondria but was stable to a temperature of 55 C for 30 sec. The PDG activity of kidney mitochondria was greater by 4.3-, 15.1-, and 23.9-fold than the PIG activity of kidney mitochondria, kidney cytoplasm, and liver cytoplasm, respectively. Kidney mitochondria PDG activity increased 51% in chicks fed 23% protein basal diets containing 5% ammonium chloride compared to chicks fed basal diet alone. The kidney PDG, kidney PIG, and liver PIG activity were not increased in chicks fed the 75% protein diet compared to chicks fed the 23% protein basal diet. The large increase in kidney asparaginase activity compared to small increases in kidney PDG in chicks fed ammonium chloride diets and the more normal urine pH in chicks fed additional dietary asparagine suggest asparagine is more important than glutamine in regulating acidosis in chickens.