Abstract
The rat tapeworm, Hymenolepis diminuta, has been found to take up uracil, thymine and cytosine in vitro. The addition of glucose to the medium results in a marked increase in the uptake of uracil and thymine, but not of cytosine. Uracil and thymine are degraded to [beta]-alanine and [beta]-aminoisobutyric acid respectively by this parasite. The degradation of [2-14C]uracil results in the formation of radioactive dihydrouracil, carbamoyl-[beta]-alanine, carbon dioxide and, in addition, a-[1-14C]alanine, some unidentified compounds and an organic acid which is chromatographically identical with succinic acid.