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Title: Occurrence and metabolism of 4-substituted glutamic acids in the seedlings of various species of legumes. [Sophora japonica]

Conference · · Plant Physiol., Suppl.; (United States)
OSTI ID:5725747

The authors measured the levels of 4-methyleneglutamic acid (Meglu), 4-methyleneglutamine (Megln), erythro-4-methylglutamic acid (e-Mglu), and threo-4-methylglutamic acid (t-Mglu) in seedlings of various species of legumes by HPLC and ion exchange chromatography. High levels of e-Mglu and Megln but no t-Mglu or Meglu are present in Sophora japonica. Peanut seedling contain both e-Mglu and t-Mglu at 20-50% and 5%, resp., of the level of Meglu whereas only traces of Meglu and Mglu occur in soybean seedlings. Excised peanut embryos germinated on Linsmaier and Skoog medium + (U-/sup 14/C)-leucine incorporated isotope into e-Mglu, Meglu, and Megln; (U-/sup 14/C)-proline or glycine was not so incorporated. Soybean embryos rapidly converted added (2-/sup 14/C)-Meglu to a variety of non-amino acid products; peanut embryos, in contrast, retain 25% of added Meglu unchanged and 50% as Megln. These results suggest that in a variety of legumes leucine may serve as a precursor of Mglu and Meglu during germination; also, whereas Meglu remains as such or as Megln in some species, it is rapidly metabolized in others.

Research Organization:
Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor
OSTI ID:
5725747
Report Number(s):
CONF-8707108-
Journal Information:
Plant Physiol., Suppl.; (United States), Vol. 83:4; Conference: Annual meeting of the American Society of Plant Physiologists, St. Louis, MO, USA, 19 Jul 1987
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English