NITROGEN-METABOLISM IN TERMITES

Nitrogen fixation has been demonstrated in all families of the Isoptera enabling termites to survive on nitrogen-deficient diets. Termites are uricotelic organisms: uric acid is stored in the fat body but is neither mobilized nor excreted and increases in laboratory-maintained termites. Purine nucleoside phosphorylase activity increased markedly in laboratory-maintained Nasutitermes walkeri. The purine salvage enzymes hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase and inosine kinase are absent in N. walkeri. This, together with the increase in purine nucleoside phosphorylase activity, provides a biochemical explanation for the increase in uric acid in laboratory-maintained termites.