Distribution Studies of Glycine and Serine Enzymes in Chicks

Day-old broiler type chicks were fed a practical starter ration for three weeks, sacrificed and the D-3-phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (E.C.1.1.1.s), phosphoserine phosphatase (E.C.3.1.3.3.), glycerate dehydrogenase (E.C.1.1.1.29), hydroxypyruvate-P: glutamate transaminase, serine transhydroxymethylase (E.C.2.1.2.1), and serine dehydratase (E.C.4.2.1.13) enzyme activities were determined in liver, kidney, heart, spleen and brain tissue in evaluating glycine and serine metabolism. The distribution of the various glycine and serine biosynthetic enzymes in the chick tissues studied show that the major portion of glycine and serine synthesis occurs in hepatic tissue via the "phosphorylated pathway".