Abstract
The physiological importance of urea biosynthesis differs widely among ureogenic animals. Many terrestrial animals synthesize urea as a mechanism for detoxifying NH3 and (or) [Formula: see text], while elasmobranchs and some species of amphibians with osmoconforming strategies produce urea and retain it within the body as an osmolyte. The ornithine–urea cycle is highly constrained in terms of enzyme composition and tissue localization. Other features of the pathway vary adaptively among organisms that produce urea for different functions. Adaptive features of the pathway include the occurrence of different isozymes, subcellular compartmentation of enzymes, and the regulation of urea synthesis. This review identifies the constrained and variable features of the urea cycle and attempts to place these features within an adaptive and evolutionary framework.
Publisher
Canadian Science Publishing
Subject
Animal Science and Zoology,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Cited by
2 articles.
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