The rate at which isolated rat liver mitochondria synthesized citrulline with NH4C1 as nitrogen source was markedly dependent on the protein content of the diet. 2. Citrulline synthesis was not rate-limited by substrate concentration, substrate transport or ornithine transcarbamoylase activity under the conditions used. 3. The intramitochondrial content of an activator of carbamoyl phosphate synthase, assumed to be N-acetyl-glutamate, varied markedly with dietary protein content. The variation in the concentration of this activator was sufficient to account for the observed variation in the rates of citrulline synthesis if this synthesis were rate-limited by the activity of carbamoyl phosphate synthase. 4. The rates of urea formation from NH4Cl as nitrogen source in isolated liver cells showed variations in response to diet that closely paralleled the variations in the rates of citrulline synthesis observed in isolated mitochondria. 5. These results are consistent with the postulate that when NH4Cl plus ornithine are present in an excess, the rate of urea synthesis is regulated at the level of carbamoyl phosphate synthase activity.

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1. The effect of biologically synthesized and purified fluorocitrate on the metabolism of tricarboxylate anions by isolated rat liver mitochondria was investigated, in relation to the claim by Eanes et al. (1972) that this fluoro compound inhibits the tricarboxylate carrier at concentrations at which it has little effect on the aconitate hydratase activity. 2. That the inhibitory action of fluorocitrate is at the level of the aconitate hydratase and not at the level of the tricarboxylate carrier is indicated by the following findings. Although the oxidation of citrate and cis-aconitate, but not that of isocitrate, was inhibited by fluorocitrate, the exchange of internal citrate for external citrate or l-malate was not. Had the tricarboxylate carrier been affected, these latter exchange reactions would have been inhibited. 3. By using aconitate hydratase solubilized from mitochondria it was found that with citrate as substrate the inhibition by fluorocitrate was partially competitive (K(i)=3.4x10(-8)m), whereas with cis-aconitate as substrate the inhibition was partially non-competitive (K(i)=3.0x10(-8)m).