QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Sturman, J. A. Articles by Imaki, H. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Sturman, J. A. Articles by Imaki, H.

Feline Maternal Taurine Deficiency: Effect on Mother and Offspring¹

Department of Developmental Biochemistry, New York State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, 1050 Forest Hill Road, Staten Island, New York 10314

Adult female cats were fed a defined purified diet (taurine-free) either alone or supplemented with 0.05% taurine for at least 6 mo prior to breeding. The reproductive performance by the taurine-depleted females was poor, whereas those receiving dietary taurine had normal pregnancies and deliveries. The taurine-depleted females suffered from severe retinal degeneration, including a large loss of photoreceptor outer segments, and degeneration of the tapetum lucidum, and greatly reduced concentrations of taurine in their body tissues and fluids. Surviving offspring from the taurine-depleted mothers exhibited a number of neurological abnormalities and substantially reduced concentrations of taurine in the body tissues and fluids. Except for greater concentrations of cystathionine in neural tissues, other free amino acids in tissues were unaffected. The specific activities of a number of enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of taurine were unchanged in liver and brain. The composition of maternal milk, total protein, protein amino acids and free amino acids was unchanged except for taurine content, suggesting that the abnormalities in the offspring resulted from the diminished dietary taurine.

KEY WORDS: • cats • kittens • milk • nutritional taurine • retina • tapetum lucidum • taurine biosynthesis • taurine deficiency

¹ This research was supported by grant HD-16634 from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health.

Manuscript received 8 July 1985. Revision accepted 10 December 1985.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. W. S. Bradshaw The Evolutionary Basis for the Feeding Behavior of Domestic Dogs (Canis familiaris) and Cats (Felis catus) J. Nutr., July 1, 2006; 136(7): 1927S - 1931S. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. Pion, M. Kittleson, Q. Rogers, and J. Morris Myocardial failure in cats associated with low plasma taurine: a reversible cardiomyopathy Science, August 14, 1987; 237(4816): 764 - 768. [Abstract] [PDF]