Repartition biologique des guanidines substituees chez des vers terrestres et d'eau douce (oligochetes, hirudinees, turbellaries) recoltes en hongrie

Abstract

1. 1. The biological distribution of guanidine derivatives has been studied by paper chromatography in terrestrial and freshwater annelids (Oligochaeta, Hirudinea) and platyhelminthes (Turbellarea) from Hungary. 2. 2. Arginine, though present in all animals studied, was found in appreciable amounts only in platyhelminthes, whose tissues did not contain any other detectable guanidino derivative. 3. 3. All Oligochaeta (Lumbricidae, Tubificidae) contain free and phosphorylated lombricine (guanidoethylserylphosphoric acid) as the major guanidino derivative of the tissues; two of them ( Allolobophora chlorotica and A. dubiosa) contain also hirudonine (diamidinospermidine), previously identified in the leech, Hirudo medicinalis (L.). The quantitative distribution of arginine, hirudonine and lombricine in these Allolobophora was established by specific titration. 4. 4. From all the Hirudinea (Erpobdellidae, Glossiphoniidae, Hirudidae) studied here, only the Hirudidae contain hirudonine, always associated with small amounts of arcaïne (diamidinoputrescine) and of arginine; only minute amounts of arginine were detected in the other families. The nature and presence of a phosphagen in the hirudinea is discussed. 5. 5. The number, kind and distribution of guanidine derivatives in terrestrial and freshwater annelids seem to be less diverse than in the marine annelids previously studied. The pattern of distribution seems to be unrelated to location and environment.