De novo purine ribonucleotide biosynthesis in adult Angiostrongylus cantonensis (Nematoda: Metastrongyloidea).

1. Radioactivity was found to be associated with purine ribonucleotides in extracts of gravid adult Angiostrongylus cantonensis from the lungs of rats when the parasite was incubated in a medium containing [14C]glycine. 2. The rate of incorporation was at least 0.2 pmole/min per mg of parasite and approximately equal amounts of adenine and guanine ribonucleotides were synthesized. 3. This is the first demonstration of the capacity for a mammalian parasitic helminth to synthesize purines de novo.