Effect of dietary protein quality on rat kidney glutaminase activity

Kidneys of rats fed for 10 days a diet containing protein from Cajanus cajan were found to show an increase in the maleate-induced phosphate-independent glutaminase (PIG) activity as compared to the rats fed a diet containing egg protein. These changes could be reversed by reversing the diets. PIG is known to possess the catalytic function of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, which showed parallel changes. Starvation of adult rats for 24 h as well as the growth of young rats into adults resulted in an increase in the two enzyme activities. The alteration of the enzyme activities is in agreement with the postulated physiological role of these two enzymes.