Carnosine, homocarnosine and anserine in vertebrate retinas.
The dipeptides carnosine, homocarnosine and anserine are differentially distributed among the retinas of several vertebrate species. Retinas of birds are rich in anserine while those of frogs have primarily carnosine. Several mammalian species contain only very low levels of homocarnosine. The biological function of these dipeptides is unknown but their presence and synthesis in retina may confound studies of uptake, metabolism and cellular localization of their component amino acids ?-alanine, gamma-aminobutyric acid and histidine.
Margolis
F L
FL
Department of Physiological Chemistry and Pharmacology, The Roche Institute of Molecular Biology, Roche Research Center, Nutley, New Jersey 07110, U.S.A.
Grillo
M
M