Abstract
High levels of D-aspartic acid (D-Asp) have been found in the harderian gland (hg) of the frog,Rana esculenta. This is the first report of D-aspartate in an exocrine gland. D-aspartate content is correlated with secretory activity: it is high in July when the hg shows the highest secretory activity, lower in February, in concomitance with the low secretory activity. The harderian gland has the capacity to uptake D-Asp injected i.p. In July, gland uptake is higher than in February. Administration of 2.0 µmol/g D-Asp in frogs during both periods induces the release of secretory granules in the hg. This effect is more evident in July, when the amino acid accumulates at the apex of the cells beneath the plasma membrane. Such evidence suggests a role of D-Asp in the exocytotic mechanism.
Riassunto
Rana esculenta. Alti livelli di acido D-aspartico (D-Asp) sono presenti nella ghiandola di Harder diRana esculenta. Si tratta della prima dimostrazione della presenza di D-Asp in una ghiandola esocrina. La concentrazione dell’amminoacido varia in funzione dell’attività secretoria: è alta a luglio (alta attività secretoria), bassa a febbraio (bassa attività secretoria). La ghiandola ha la capacità di accumulare il D-Asp iniettato i.p. Sia a febbraio che a luglio la somministrazione di 2.0 µmol/g di D-Asp determina il rilas cio di granuli secretori dalla ghiandola. Questo effetto è più evidente a luglio, quando l’amminoacido si accumula all’apice cellulare al di sotto della membrana plasmatica. Queste osservazioni suggeriscono un ruolo del D-Asp nel meccanismo di secrezione merocrina.
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Nella seduta dell’11 aprile 2003.
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Baccari, G.C., Di Fiore, M.M., Monteforte, R. et al. D-aspartic acid induces merocrine secretion in the frog harderian gland. Rend. Fis. Acc. Lincei 14, 205–215 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02904524
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02904524