Atasoglu, C.Guliye, A.Y.Wallace, R.J.2025-01-272025-01-2720040007-1145https://doi.org/10.1079/BJN20031040https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12428/12780Protein synthesis and turnover in ruminal micro-organisms were assessed by stable-isotope methods in order to follow independently the fate of amino acid (AA)-C and -N in different AA. Rumen fluid taken from sheep receiving a grass hay-concentrate diet were strained and incubated in vitro with starch-cellobiose-xylose in the presence of NH3 and 5 g algal protein hydrolysate (APH)/l, in incubations where the labels were 15NH3, [15N]APH or [13C]APH. Total 15N incorporation was calculated from separate incubations with 15NH3 and [15N]APH, and net N synthesis from the increase in AA in protein-bound material. The large difference between total and net AA synthesis indicated that substantial turnover of microbial protein occurred, averaging 3.5 %/h. Soluble AA-N was incorporated on average more extensively than soluble AA-C (70 v. 50 % respectively, P=0.001); however, incorporation of individual AA varied. Ninety percent of phenylalanine-C was derived from the C-skeleton of soluble AA, whereas the incorporation of phenylalanine-N was 72 %. In contrast, only 15 % aspartate-C + asparagine-C was incorporated, while 45 % aspartate-N + asparagine-N was incorporated. Deconvolution analysis of mass spectra indicated substantial exchange of carboxyl groups in several AA before incorporation and a condensation of unidentified C2 and C4 intermediates during isoleucine metabolism. The present results demonstrate that differential labelling with stable isotopes is a way in which fluxes of AA synthesis and degradation, their biosynthetic routes, and separate fates of AA-C and -N can be determined in a mixed microbial population. © The Authors 2004.eninfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessAmino acids; Carbon skeletons; Rumen; SheepArticle91225326110.1079/BJN200310402-s2.0-134234611514756911Q1