I70 J. AWAPARA 
by the same procedure and the specific activity determined. From the results obtained 
they concluded that the precursor of lombricine is ethanolamine serine phosphodiester 
which is converted to lombricine by a transamidination reaction in which arginine 
supplies the amidino group. 
Histamine 
Histamine is found in mammalian organs and it is formed by the decarboxylation of 
histidine; it has been reported that histamine is present in crustacea®®, in various 
parts of the bee®® and also in bee poison and in coelenterates*®®. Most of these claims 
are based on biological assays and furnish proof only of the presence, in those organ- 
isms, of a histamine-like factor. ACKERMANN AND LiIsT°? isolated histamine from the 
giant siliceous sponge (Geodia gegas) in substantial amounts so that chemical iden- 
tification of the base was possible. They calculated that this organism contains approx. 
45 mg of histamine/kg. Histamine has been found in the posterior salivary gland of a 
number of octopoda and HARTMAN ef al.°8 reported that it is formed in that organ. 
They measured a number of amino acid decarboxylases in the posterior salivary 
glands of Octopus apollyon, and Octopus bimaculatus and found along with other 
amino acid decarboxylases an active histidine decarboxylase, thus giving proof that 
histamine is formed in the salivary gland of octopoda. 
Octopine 
This unique compound was first isolated from the muscle of octopus®® and later iden- 
tified in some cephalopods®: ®! and in some lamellibranches®™: ®, Many compounds of 
unique configuration like octopine have been discovered in invertebrates but only in 
a few cases has their biosynthesis been elucidated. In the case of octopine, due to the 
\NH—(CH,),—CH—COOH 
| 
HN 
| 
H,C—CH—COOH 
efforts of THOAI AND Roprn® the mechanism of its formation has been clarified. It is 
formed from arginine and pyruvic acid by a process of reductive condensation in- 
volving a DPN-dependent dehydrogenase. They observed also that the enzymes are 
present only in muscles of animals containing octopine. The role ascribed to this 
compound by THOAI AND RoBIN is one of terminal receptor of pyruvic acid in glycolysis. 
Other amines 
Invertebrates contain a number of amines in addition to histamine. Most of them are 
closely related to amino acids which would indicate that amino acid decarboxylases 
must be active in these organisms. Many amines have been detected by paper chromatog- 
raphy. ERSPAMER ef al.®°—®? analyzed by this method extracts from the salivary 
glands of octopoda and found enteramine, tyramine, octopine, histamine and other 
similar compounds. WELSH®’ and WELSH AND MooRHEAD® surveyed the distribution 
References p. 174/175 
