The effect of anaerobiosis on glutamine utilization by Ehrlich ascites tumor cells.

ammonia formation as well as ammonia formation from glutamine in kidney slices (3, 7, 10). Since glutamine stimulates oxygen uptake by the slices, it has been suggested that this effect is due to the anaerobic inhibition of alpha amino oxidase. Anoxia also inhibits endogenous ammonia forma tion in brain, but glutamine is here excluded as the source of ammonia (1@, 14). Ehrlich ascites tumor cells deamidate glutamine rapidly and contain no appreciable stores of en dogenous glutamine. The deamidation reaction is inhibited in the presence of glucose (6) and under anaerobic conditions (5). In what follows a study of the effect of anaero biosis on glutamine utilization will be described.