Journal of Biosciences

, Volume 28, Issue 6, pp 733–742 | Cite as

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

  • Nirmalendu Saha
  • Shritapa Datta
  • Kuheli Biswas
  • Zaiba Y. Kharbuli
Articles
Received:
Accepted:

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.

Keywords

Ammoniotelism ammonium chloride hyper-ammonia stress urea cycle ureogenesis 

Abbreviations used

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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Copyright information

© Indian Academy of Sciences 2003

Authors and Affiliations

  • Nirmalendu Saha
    • 1
  • Shritapa Datta
    • 1
  • Kuheli Biswas
    • 1
  • Zaiba Y. Kharbuli
    • 1
  1. 1.Biochemical Adaptation Laboratory, Department of ZoologyNorth-Eastern Hill UniversityShillongIndia

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