Abstract
Free amino acid plays an important role in physiological functions. The ghost crab, Ocypode platytarsis caught off the Puducherry sandy beaches, south east coast of India were investigated for the pattern of distribution of free amino acids. The hemolymph and muscle were sampled from male and female crabs and then subjected to free amino acid analysis quantitatively by HPLC. Fourteen free amino acids have been determined in hemolymph and muscle of both sexes in Ocypode platytarsis. The essential amino acids were leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, valine and histidine and non-essential amino acids were alanine, arginine, glutamic acid, glycine, serine and tyrosine. The total concentration of free amino acid found in the male and female hemolymph was lower than that in the muscle. Glutamic acid is of higher concentration in the hemolymph whereas histidine found was higher in the muscle of both sexes. The male crab contains a strikingly higher concentration of histidine of about eight times than that of female in muscles. The study revealed that distribution pattern of free amino acids differ in relation to hemolymph and muscle of male and female crabs.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 490-495 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences |
| Volume | 15 |
| Issue number | 10 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2012 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This study was supported in part by grants from the Associazione Nazionale Mediterranea Alopecia Areata (ANMAA) to A.G. The continued encouragement and generous support of Dr. Roberto D’Ovidio, Bari/Italy, is acknowledged most gratefully.
Keywords
- Free amino acids
- Ghost crab
- Hemolymph
- Muscle
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Agronomy and Crop Science