Leucine aminopeptidase activity in the digestive tract of perch, Perca fluviatilis L. |
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| Authors: | K N Hirji W A M Courtney |
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| Institution: | Department of Zoology, Westfield College, University of London, London, U.K. |
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| Abstract: | The distribution of the enzyme leucine aminopeptidase (LAP, EC 3.4.1.1) in the digestive tract of perch, Perca fluviatilis L., was investigated histochemically. The enzyme was present in the mucosa of the entire intestine and was absent in the oesophagus, stomach and pyloric sphincter. In the intestine, the enzyme was localized in the supranuclear cytoplasm of the columnar cells and was strongest in the brush border area. Enzyme activity was also present in the lumen of the intestine. The activity of the enzyme in the intestine decreased slightly towards the rectum. In perch, the final digestion of peptides and aminopeptides is both extracellular and intracellular and takes place along the entire length of the intestine. |
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