title: Study of taurine and tauret content in the compound eye of locust with light and dark adaptation.
abstract: Taurine as well as tauret (retinyliden taurine) levels were measured in locust Locusta migratoria compound eyes. HPLC measurements revealed relatively low taurine levels (1.9 +/- 0.16 mM) in dark-adapted eyes. Glutamate, aspartate and glycine levels were 2.0 +/- 0.2, 2.7 +/- 0.4 and 3.0 +/- 0.37 mM, respectively, while GABA was present only in trace amounts. After about 4 h of light adaptation at 1500-2000 lx, amino acid levels in the compound eye were as follows: taurine, 1.8 +/- 0.17 mM; glutamate, no change at 2.1 +/- 0.2 mM; aspartate sharply increased to 4.7 +/- 0.7 mM; glycine slightly decreased to 2.8 +/- 0.3 mM; and GABA trace levels. In the compound eye of locust Locusta migratoria, the existence of endogenous tauret in micro-molar range was established. In the dark, levels were several times higher compared with compound eye after light adaptation 1500 lx for 3 h, as estimated by TLC in combination with spectral measurements. Existence of tauret in compound eye is of special interest because in the compound eye, rhodopsin regeneration is based on photoregeneration.
authors.affiliation: BuniatianInstitute of Biochemistry of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, Yerevan, Armenia. tauret@arminco.com
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Petrosian
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Poghosyan
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Haroutounian
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003623:Dark Adaptation / Q000502:physiology*; D003624:Darkness; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D048188:Locusta migratoria / Q000378:metabolism*; D012176:Retinoids / Q000378:metabolism*; D012243:Rhodopsin / Q000378:metabolism; D013654:Taurine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D019476:Insect Proteins; D012176:Retinoids; C066391:tauret; D013654:Taurine; D012243:Rhodopsin