Tissue-selective expression of enzymes of arginine synthesis

Arginine is a non-essential amino acid in mammals as judged from nitrogen balance study. Citrulline is synthesized from glutamate in the small intestine, whilst kidneys and some other tissues convert citrulline to arginine. Ornithine transcarbamylase and carbamylphosphate synthetase are expressed in liver and small intestine. Tissue-selective expression depends on the regulatory elements in the promoter, or far 5', region of these genes to which tissue-selective transcription factors bind and activate transcription. Argininosuccinate synthetase and argininosuccinate lyase do not appear to have such elements, therefore their expression is more or less ubiquitous. The selective expression of pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthase activity in the intestine remains to be clarified.