Enzymic basis for the nutritional requirement of arginine in insects

Summary The fat body of the cockroach, Blaberus cranifera, and the silkmoth, Hyalophora gloveri, has been tested for some enzymes of the urea cycle. While ornithine transcarbamoylase and argininosuccinase activities could not be detected, arginase is present in the fat body of these insects. These results explain the essentiality of arginine in the diet of insects.This work was supported by grants from the National Science Foundation (GB-4524 and GB-8172) and the U. S. Public Health Service (AI 05006).Recipient of a Fulbright Travel Grant from the USEFI (New Delhi)