, vol. 88, no. 3, pp. 255-262, 1978.
Summary In the present work, an assay for L-histidine ammonia lyase (L-HAL) from Vicia faba isdescribed. The necessity of divalent metal ion, -SH reagent, cyano-combalamine (B12) and AMP for optimal enzyme activity were investigated. The changes in the concentration of total free α-amino acids and histidine were determined for various stages of growth of two types of Vicia faba (Romi and Baldi). It was found that the concentration of histidine in the two types reached a maximum value on the 11th and the 9th day, respectively, and coincided with the maximum in vivo level of L-HAL. This finding suggests that Vicia faba L-HAL is an iducible enzyme which is metabolically regulated via changes in the cell-free histidine concentration.