Trans-placental transport of amino acids is vital for the developing fetus. Using the BeWo cell line as a placental model, we investigated the effect of restricting amino acid availability on amino acid transport system type A. BeWo cells were cultured either in amino acid-depleted (without non-essential amino acids) or control media for 1, 3, 5 or 6 h. System A function was analysed using alph...

The evolution of intimate symbiosis requires the coordination of gene expression and content between the distinct partner genomes; this coordination allows the fusion of capabilities of each organism into a single integrated metabolism. In aphids, the 10 essential amino acids are scarce in the phloem sap diet and are supplied by the obligate bacterial endosymbiont (Buchnera), which lives inside...

Fermented maize product, ogi, is a popular weaning and breakfast cereal in west coasts of Africa. In the study proximate, mineral and amino acid compositions of ogi from a composite mixture of white maize (Zea mays L.) and scarlet runner bean (Phaseolus coccineus L.) flours were evaluated using standard processing techniques. Maize ogi was substituted with scarlet runner bean flour at ratios of...

Essential amino acids are not themselves indispensible dietary requirements for the rat but their carbon skeletons are (Rose, 1938). With two exceptions, α-keto acid (Table 1) or α-hydroxy acid analogues maintain the growth of rats almost as well as the corresponding essential amino acids (Richards, 1972). Lysine and threonine are the exceptions: both are irreversibly deaminated (Neuberger & Sä...

Amino acid mixtures corresponding to either casein or egg yolk protein when fed to rabits ina low fat, cholesterol-free semipurified diet, produced the same degree of hypercholesterolemia as the proteins themselves. Amino acid mixtures corresponding to soy protein isolate or sunflower protein gave low plasma cholesterol levels, but not as low as those obtained with the intact proteins. Experime...