Formation of 2-guanidinoethanol by a transamidination reaction from arginine and ethanolamine by the rat kidney and pancreas.

The formation of 2-guanidinoethanol (GEt) from L-arginine (Arg) and ethanolamine (EA) was studied using rat kidney homogenates. Maximum GEt formation was observed between pH 8.7 and 9.1, and the enzyme catalyzing the GEt synthesis was stable between pH 5.6 and 9.1. The rate of GEt formation from Arg and EA by rat kidney homogenates obeyed simple Michaelis-Menten type kinetics. L-Ornithine and glycine inhibited GEt formation by rat kidneys. Both of them inhibited GEt formation in a linear mixed-type inhibitory manner when Arg concentrations were varied at a fixed concentration of EA, while they showed competitive inhibition when EA concentrations were varied at a fixed concentration of Arg. L-Canavanine and guanidinoacetic acid as well as Arg acted as an amidine donor for GEt formation, but L-homoarginine, 3-guanidinopropionic acid and 4-guanidinobutyric acid did not. GEt synthesis was also observed in the rat pancreas. It had almost half of the activity of rat kidney to form GEt. This ratio of kidney to pancreas was approximately equal to that of L-arginine:glycine amidinotransferase (transamidinase, EC 2.1.4.1) in kidney and pancreas. These results suggest that GEt may be synthesized from Arg and EA by a transamidinase catalyzing reaction.