Studies on the nutrition of marine flatfish. The effect of dietary protein content on certain cell components and enzymes in the liver of Pleuronectes platessa

In order to examine the effects of artificial diets at the tissue level, plaice (Pleuronectes platessa L.) were fed either high (50%) or low (20%) protein diets for several weeks and the total quantities of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), ribonucleic acid (RNA), protein and phospholipid in their livers were measured. Alanine amino-transferase, aspartate aminotransferase, glutamate dehydrogenase and glucose-6-phosphatase activities in the livers were also measured. Similar measurements were made on the livers of wild plaice. The total amount of DNA in the livers of both cultured and wild plaice, of standard weight, did not differ significantly, irrespective of dietary history. In fish of standard weight, total hepatic RNA, protein and phospholipid levels were highest in the cultured fish fed high protein diet and lowest in the wild fish. These differences were related to dietary protein supply and environmental temperature. The total organ levels of the liver enzymes in plaice of equal weight were not significantly different in the cultured fish fed high and low protein diets. Wild-fish livers contained a smaller total amount of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and glucose-6-phosphatase activity than did those of cultured fish. Total liver glutamate dehydrogenase activity was not significantly different in any of the fish examined. It is suggested that kinetic and allosteric factors may be more important in controlling protein metabolism and amino acid cat abolism in fish than total enzyme level.