Cauxin
Appearance
Cauxin is a peptidase that is excreted in large amounts in cat urine. Cauxine has been shown to hydrolyze 3-methylbutanol-cysteinylglycine (3-MBCG) in the urine into felinine which then slowly degrades into the putative cat pheromone 3-mercapto-3-methylbutan-1-ol (MMB).[1]
Cauxin protein from feline urine was reported in 2008 to act as a nucleator for struvite crystals, in an in vivo system containing magnesium, ammonium, and phosphate ions.[2] Thus, this protein may act as one cause for feline urinary stones.
Chemistry
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Felinine | MMB |
See also
References
- ^ M. Miyazaki; T. Yamashita; Y. Suzuki; Y. Saito; S. Soeta; H. Taira; A. Suzuki (October 2006). "A major urinary protein of the domestic cat regulates the production of felinine, a putative pheromone precursor" (pdf). Chem. Biol. 13 (10): 1071–1079. doi:10.1016/j.chembiol.2006.08.013. PMID 17052611.
- ^ Cauxin from feline urine as nucleator for struvite