Adenosine triphosphate metabolism in erythrocytes from the Australian Echidna

Abstract

The level of ATP in, and the glycolytic potential of, erythrocytes from the Australian echidna were investigated. In contrast to a previous report in the literature, our data conclusively show that in physiologically active echidnas, erythrocyte ATP is present in low but measurable amounts. The presence of all the normal glycolytic kinases provides further evidence that ATP plays a significant part in the metabolic economy of these cells. Our finding that echidna erythrocyte hexokinase activity is considerably higher than that in most mammals also suggests that the control of glycolysis in these erythrocytes differs significantly from that in other species. Show more