[Utilization of 15N-labeled urea in laying hens. 7. 15N-incorporation into the amino acids of different muscle types]

'Trophic' and 'source' amino acids in trophic estimation: a likely metabolic explanation

Amino acid nitrogen isotopic analysis is a relatively new method for estimating trophic position. It uses the isotopic difference between an individual's 'trophic' and 'source' amino acids to determine its trophic position. So far, there is no accepted explanation for the mechanism by which the isotopic signals in 'trophic' and 'source' amino acids arise. Yet without a metabolic understanding, the utility of nitrogen isotopic analyses as a method for probing trophic relations, at either bulk tissue or amino acid level, is limited. I draw on isotopic tracer studies of protein metabolism, together with a consideration of amino acid metabolic pathways, to suggest that the 'trophic'/'source' groupings have a fundamental metabolic origin, to do with the cycling of amino-nitrogen between amino acids. 'Trophic' amino acids are those whose amino-nitrogens are interchangeable, part of a metabolic amino-nitrogen pool, and 'source' amino acids are those whose amino-nitrogens are not interchangeable with the metabolic pool. Nitrogen isotopic values of 'trophic' amino acids will reflect an averaged isotopic signal of all such dietary amino acids, offset by the integrated effect of isotopic fractionation from nitrogen cycling, and modulated by metabolic and physiological effects. Isotopic values of 'source' amino acids will be more closely linked to those of equivalent dietary amino acids, but also modulated by metabolism and physiology. The complexity of nitrogen cycling suggests that a single identifiable value for 'trophic discrimination factors' is unlikely to exist. Greater consideration of physiology and metabolism should help in better understanding observed patterns in nitrogen isotopic values.

[Utilization of 15N-labeled urea in laying hens. 8. 15N-incorporation in the amino acids of the oviduct]

3 colostomized laying hybrids received orally with a conventional ration 1% urea with 96.06 atom-% 15N excess (15N'). over a period of 6 days. In the period of the experiment every hen consumed 2.87 g 15N'. After another 2 days, on which they received conventional feed urea, the animals were butchered. 15N' was determined in the total N and in 15 amino acids of the oviduct. Of the 15 amino acids the labelling of glutamic acid, glycine and serine was highest and on average amounted to 0.80, 0.66 and 0.67 atom-% 15N'. In lysine and arginine only 0.10 and 0.11 atom-% 15N' could be detected. The amino acid N with natural isotopic frequency amounted to a quarter for the basic amino acids, a tenth for the branched chain ones and for the non-essential ones (glutamic acid, aspartic acid, serine, glycine, alanine, proline) a third of the total oviduct 14N, The average quota of 15N' is only 3.6%, that of the branched chain amino acids 4.5 and that of the non-essential ones 21.1%. Consequently, the 15N' of the urea is mainly used for the synthesis of the non-essential amino acids of the oviduct.

[Utilization of 15N-labeled urea in laying hens. 9. Bones, feathers and 15N-incorporation in the rest of the body]

For studying the incorporation of the 15N labelled urea into individual organs and tissues 3 colostomized laying hens were butchered after they had received 1% urea (96.06 atom-% 15N excess) with a high quality ration over a period of six days and after receiving conventional urea for another two days. Nitrogen and atom-% 15N excess (15N') were determined in the bones, the feathers and the remaining body (skin, lungs and windpipe, head with comb and wattle, lower leg without bones and with skin, pancreas and fatty tissue). In the remaining body the atom-% 15N' was determined in 15 amino acids. The labelling in the remaining body and the bones was approximately the same and averaged 0.37 atom-% 15N'. A significantly lower relative frequency could be detected in the feathers. The lysine of the remaining body contained only 0.04 atom-% 15N', tyrosine 0.06, histidine and arginine 0.07. The phenylalanine and proline molecules were labelled with 0.11 atom-% 15N'. Most 15N' was incorporated in serine and glutamic acid with over 0.30 atom-%. In the six non-essential amino acids out of the 15 amino acids studied, 48.6 of the non isotopic nitrogen of the total N of the remaining body and 70.7% of the isotopic nitrogen of total 15N' could be detected. Consequently the urea-N is mainly used for the synthesis of the non-essential amino acids, with its utilization being very low.