Amino acid transport and interconversions in tissues of freshly caught and food‐deprived plaice, Pleuronectes platessa L.

Distribution ratios (intracellular/extracellular concentration) of α‐amino isobutyric acid (AIB) and activities of the transaminases of alanine (Ala AT), aspartate (Asp AT), leucine (Leu AT) and glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) were determined in tissues of freshly caught plaice, Pleuronectes platessa, deprived of food for three months. Liver, red muscle and white muscle demonstrated increased distribution ratios for AIB, while the ratios decreased in kidney and gill with deprivation. Values of the distribution ratio were below 1.0 only in white muscle, with kidney and liver having the highest absolute values. Transaminase activities generally rose with deprivation in all tissues, although the absolute increases were greatest in liver and for the two enzymes Ala AT and GDH. These data indicate that with food deprivation, the role of the liver in amino acid metabolism is maintained and slightly enhanced, while that of the kidney is reduced. Both muscle types (red and white) showed increased water content implicating protein mobilization which could enhance the availability of amino acids for liver gluconeogenesis and metabolite sparing in other tissues during conditions of depletion.