Metabolism of Linoleic Acid or Mevalonate and 6-Pentyl-α-Pyrone Biosynthesis by Trichoderma Species

The understanding of the biosynthetic pathway of 6-pentyl-α-pyrone in Trichoderma species was achieved by using labelled linoleic acid or mevalonate as a tracer. Incubation of growing cultures of Trichoderma harzianum and T. viride with [U-¹⁴C]linoleic acid or [5-¹⁴C]sodium mevalonate revealed that both fungal strains were able to incorporate these labelled compounds (50 and 15%, respectively). Most intracellular radioactivity was found in the neutral lipid fraction. At the initial time of incubation, the radioactivity from [¹⁴C]linoleic acid was incorporated into 6-pentyl-α-pyrone more rapidly than that from [¹⁴C]mevalonate. No radioactivity incorporation was detected in 6-pentyl-α-pyrone when fungal cultures were incubated with [1-¹⁴C]linoleic acid. These results suggested that β-oxidation of linoleic acid was a probable main step in the biosynthetic pathway of 6-pentyl-α-pyrone in Trichoderma species.     

Elicitor-inducible 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme a reductase activity is required for sesquiterpene accumulation in tobacco cell suspension cultures

Addition of cell wall fragments from Phytophthora species or cellulase from Trichoderma viride, but not pectolyase from Aspergillus japonicus, to tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) cell suspension cultures induced the accumulation of the extracellular sesquiterpenoid capsidiol. Pulse-labeling experiments with [¹⁴C]acetate and [³H]mevalonate suggested that enzymatic steps preceding mevalonate were limiting capsidiol biosynthesis in the pectolyase-treated cell cultures. Treatment of the cell cultures with either Phytophthora cell wall fragments or cellulase induced 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMGR) and sesquiterpene cyclase activities, enzymes of the sesquiterpene biosynthetic pathway, and phenylalanine ammonia lyase activity, an enzyme of the general phenylpropanoid pathway. Pectolyase treatment induced sesquiterpene cyclase and phenylalanine ammonia lyase activities, but not HMGR activity. These results corroborate the importance of inducible HMGR enzyme activity for sesquiterpene accumulation.     

Biosynthesis of Territrems by Aspergillus terreus

Different radioactive precursors were added to 8-day potato-dextrose liquid cultures of Aspergillus terreus 23-1. Territrems were isolated from chloroform extracts of the cultures at day 14 and purified by thin-layer chromatography and high-pressure liquid chromatography. The territrem B obtained was treated with alkaline hydrogen peroxide, and 3, 4, 5-trimethoxy benzoic acid was isolated from an ethyl acetate extract of the reaction mixture and purified by thin-layer chromatography and high-pressure liquid chromatography. By comparison of the specific radioactivities of territrem B and its cleaved aromatic product (disintegrations per minute per micromole of compound), it was demonstrated that the radioactivity of territrem B was located mainly on its aromatic moiety when [U-C]shikimate, l-[methyl-C]methionine, and l-[methyl-H]methionine were precursors; however, the radioactivity of territrem B was located mainly on its nonaromatic moiety when [2-C]mevalonate was the precursor. Mevinolin, a specific inhibitor of beta-hydroxyl beta-methyl glutaryl coenzyme A reductase, was shown to inhibit production of territrems by A. terreus 23-1. When [U-C]acetate was used as a precursor, mevinolin inhibited the incorporation of radioactive carbon into territrem but mevinolin did not inhibit incorporation of radioactive carbon from [2-C]mevalonate into territrem.     

Stimulation by 6-azauridine of carbamoyl phosphate synthesis for pyrimidine biosynthesis in mouse spleen slices

1. Slices of spleen from anaemic mice were incubated with [14C]bicarbonate in the presence and absence of 6-azauridine and the amounts of 14C that entered the de novo pyrimidine biosynthetic pathway were assessed and compared. Compounds analyzed included carbamoylaspartate, dihydroorotate, orotate plus its derivatives, acid-soluble uracil and cytosine 5'-nucleotides, nucleic acid pyrimidines, free pyrimidine bases and nucleosides. As the intracellular levels of carbamoyl phosphate and acid-soluble deoxyribonucleotides are known to be relatively low, the radioactivities of these compounds were not measured. Degradation of labelled uridine was limited in this tissues, therefore the radioactivity of degradative products of pyrimidines was not considered. 2. When the slices were incubated with 0.5 mM 6-azauridine for 10 min and then with [14C]bicarbonate for an additional 10 min and 30 min, the sum of radioactivity found in the above compounds, which represents the total amount of 14C that entered the pyrimidine pathway, was 2.1 and 2.3 times greater than when the tissue slices were incubated in the absence of the analogue. 3. When the 14C distribution among the carbon atoms of the molecules of labelled carbamoylaspartate and uracil was investigated, we found that more than 90% of the total 14C in these compounds derived directly from carbamoyl phosphate and the remaining portion was from aspartate, either in the presence or absence of 6-azauridine. 4. There was no indication that 6-azauridine altered [14C]bicarbonate permeation through the cell membrane or its intracellular metabolism. 5. These results, along with the pattern of early intermediate accumulation seen in the presence of 6-azauridine, indicate that 6-azauridine stimulates the production of carbamoyl phosphate for the pyrimidine biosynthetic pathway in the mouse spleen. 6. Of the radioactive early intermediates which accumulated, only orotate, its derivatives (orotidine and orotidine 5'-monophosphate) or both appeared in the medium, presumably the result of leakage through the cell membranes. 7. Stimulation of the pyrimidine pathway was not observed in the case of Ehrlich ascites tumour cells incubated under similar conditions with 6-azauridine.     

Evidence from cell-free systems for differences in the sterol biosynthetic pathway of Rhizoctonia solani and Phytophthora cinnamomi.

Cell-free preparations of both Rhizoctonia solani, a sterol-synthesizing fungus, and Phytophthora cinnamomi, a non-sterol-synthesizing fungus, incubated in the presence of [2(-14)C]mevalonate and iodacetamide, converted the mevalonate into labelled mevalonate 5-phosphate, mevalonate 5-pyrophosphate and isopentenyl pyrophosphate. In the absence of iodoacetamide, but under anaerobic conditions, the same preparations converted the mevalonate into labelled geraniol, farnesol and squalene, the first two compounds presumably as their pyrophosphates. When cell-free preparations of both organisms were incubated aerobically in the presence of [1(-14)C]isopentenyl pyrophosphate, only labelled geraniol, farnesol and squalene were recovered from the P. cinnamomi reaction mixture, whereas labelled geraniol, farnesol, squalene, squalene epoxide, lanosterol and ergosterol were present in the R. solani reaction mixture. When these same preparations were incubated in the presence of 14C-labelled squalene, labelled squalene epoxide, lanosterol and ergosterol were recovered from the R. solani reaction mixture. In contrast, the P. cinnamomi preparation was unable to convert the squalene into products further along the sterol pathway; instead, a portion of the labelled squalene was converted into water-soluble products, indicating the possible existence of a squalene-degradation process in this organism. It appears that the block in the sterol biosynthetic pathway of P. cinnamomi occurs at the level of squalene epoxidation.     

Biosynthesis of triacylglycerol molecular species in an oleaginous fungus,Mortierella ramanniana var. angulispora

The incorporation of radiolabeled lipid precursors into triacylglycerol (TG) molecular species in Mortierella ramanniana var. angulispora, an oleaginous fungus, was studied to determine the biosynthetic pathways for TG molecular species. Radiolabeled TG molecular species were separated and quantified by reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography with a radioisotope detector. The major TG molecular species labeled by [1-(14)C]oleic acid at 30 degrees C were OOP, OOO, and OPP (TG molecular species designations represent three constituent acyl groups. G, gamma-linolenic acid; L, linoleic acid; O, oleic acid; S, stearic acid; P, palmitic acid), which were abundant TG molecular species in this fungus. The incorporation of [1-(14)C]oleic acid at 15 degrees C into these molecular species was the same, while that into most other species was decreased, suggesting that biosynthesis of major molecular species such as OOP, OOO, and OPP differs from that of other TG molecular species. [1-(14)C]Linoleic acid incorporation indicated that the major labeled molecular species were LOP and LOO, which may be due to acylation of oleoyl, palmitoyl-glycerol, or dioleoyl-glycerol by exogenous linoleic acid. This is basically the same mechanism as for OOP and OOO biosynthesis from exogenous oleic acid. [(14)C(U)]Glycerol incorporation suggested that TG molecular species containing palmitic acid such as OPP were more readily synthesized through the de novo pathway. Further experiments involving inhibitors such as sodium azide and cerulenin suggested that OOO biosynthesis included a mechanism differing from that in the cases of OOP and OPP. Trifluoperazine, which inhibits the conversion from phosphatidic acid to TG, decreased [1-(14)C]oleic acid incorporation into all molecular species, suggesting that the incorporation into all molecular species included the de novo TG biosynthetic pathway via phosphatidic acid. These results revealed that the biosynthetic pathways for TG molecular species can be classified into several groups, which exhibit different sensitivities to low temperature and inhibitors of lipid metabolism. This implies that the composition of TG molecular species is regulated through different biosynthetic pathways responsible for specific TG molecular species, providing a new insight into the biosynthesis of TG molecular species.     

Phosphonopyruvic acid: A probable precursor of phosphonic acids in cell-free preparation of Tetrahymena.

1. In cell-free preparations of Tetrahymena, doubly labelled [32P]phosphoenol-[3-14C]pyruvate gives rise to 2-aminoethylphosphonate and 2-amino-3-phosphonopropionate, labelled with the two isotopes in the same ratio as the starting compound. The result is consistent with an intra-molecular rearrangement of phosphoenolpyruvate in the biosynthetic sequence of carbon-phosphorus bond formation. 2. Incubation of [32P]phosphoenolpyruvate with the same preparation, followed by treatment with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine, yielded labelled hydrazones. When these were subjected to hydrogenolysis, the radioactivity was recovered in 2-aminoethylphosphonate and 2-amino-3-phosphonopropionate, suggesting that 2-phosphonoacetaldehyde and 3-phosphonopyruvic acid were probable precursors of the aminoalkylphosphonic acids. 3. Radioactivity from 2-amino-3-phosphono-[3-14C]propionic acid was incorporated into 2-aminoethylphosphonic acid, but incorporation of the radioactivity into lipids was negligible.     

Frontalin: De novo biosynthesis of an aggregation pheromone component by Dendroctonus spp. bark beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytidae)

The pheromone component, frontalin (1,5-dimethyl-6,8-dioxabicyclo[3.2.1]octane) is thought to be formed in Dendroctonus spp. bark beetles through the cyclization of oxygenated 6-methyl-6-hepten-2-one (6-MHO). Unlike many of the isoprenoid pheromone components of bark beetles, there is no obvious immediate host conifer precursor for 6-MHO or frontalin. To elucidate the biosynthetic pathway of frontalin, juvenile hormone-treated male Dendroctonus jeffreyi were injected separately with [1-(14)C]acetate, [2-(14)C]mevalonolactone, [1-(14)C]isopentenol, [1-(14)C]:[1-(3)H]isopentenol, and [4,5-(3)H]leucine. Subsequently volatiles were collected on Porapak Q from these males and abdominal tissues were extracted. Radio-HPLC analyses of extracts from males injected with each radiolabeled substrate showed that radioactivity from the injected precursors eluted in a peak with a retention time that matches that of unlabeled frontalin. In all cases, HPLC fractions containing radiolabel that eluted at the same time as a frontalin standard were analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS to confirm the presence of frontalin. In a separate study, male D. jeffreyi were injected with [1-(13)C]acetate and an abdominal tissue extract from these insects was analyzed by tandem gas chromatography-isotope ratio monitoring-mass spectrometry (GC-IRM-MS), which unequivocally showed incorporation of (13)C into frontalin. Because mevalonate is the key intermediate in the isoprenoid pathway, its incorporation (as mevalonolactone) into frontalin provides compelling evidence that the biosynthesis of frontalin involves that pathway in some form. In the experiment with [1-(14)C]:[1-(3)H]isopentenol, there was no significant difference in the mean percentage incorporation of either radioisotope into frontalin. This supports the role of the classical isoprenoid pathway, as tritium would be lost if only a hybrid pathway were involved. Confirming that de novo synthesis may be general to all Dendroctonus spp., (14)C-acetate was also incorporated into frontalin by females of D. rufipennis and D. simplex. A radiolabeled precursor/pathway inhibitor study showed that the fatty acid synthase inhibitor, 2-octynoic acid, increased (although not significantly) the mass of frontalin produced and significantly increased the percentage incorporation of radioactivity from [1-(14)C]acetate into frontalin. This suggests that as fatty acid biosynthesis is blocked, an increased amount of acetate is funneled into frontalin production via the isoprenoid pathway.     

Biosynthetis of phytoquinones. Biosynthetic origins of the nuclei and satellite methyl groups of plastoquinone, tocopherols and tocopherolquinones in maize shoots, bean shoots and ivy leaves

1. By using dl-[ring-(14)C]phenylalanine, dl-[beta-(14)C]phenylalanine, dl-[alpha-(14)C]-tyrosine and dl-[beta-(14)C]tyrosine it was shown that in maize shoots (Zea mays) the nucleus and one nuclear methyl group of each of the following compounds, plastoquinone, gamma-tocopherol (aromatic nucleus) and alpha-tocopherolquinone, are formed from the nuclear carbon atoms and beta-carbon atom respectively of either exogenous phenylalanine or exogenous tyrosine. With ubiquinone only the aromatic ring of the amino acid is used in the synthesis of the quinone nucleus. Chemical degradation of plastoquinone and gamma-tocopherol molecules labelled from l-[U-(14)C]tyrosine established that a C(6)-C(1) unit directly derived from the amino acid is involved in the synthesis of these compounds. Radioactivity from [beta-(14)C]cinnamic acid is not incorporated into plastoquinone, tocopherols or tocopherolquinones, demonstrating that the C(6)-C(1) unit is not formed from any of the C(6)-C(1) phenolic acids associated with the metabolism of this compound. 2. The incorporation of radioactivity from l-[U-(14)C]tyrosine, dl-[beta-(14)C]tyrosine and dl-[U-(14)C]phenylalanine into bean shoots (Phaseolus vulgaris) and dl-[beta-(14)C]tyrosine and l-[Me-(14)C]methionine into ivy leaves (Hedera helix) was also investigated. Similar results were obtained to those reported for maize, except that in beans phenylalanine is only used for ubiquinone biosynthesis. This is attributed to the absence of phenylalanine hydroxylase from these tissues. In ivy leaves it is found that the beta-carbon atom of tyrosine gives rise to the 8-methyl group of delta-tocopherol, and it is suggested that for all other compounds examined it will give rise to the nuclear methyl group meta to the polyprenyl unit. 3. Preliminary investigations with the alga Euglena gracilis showed that in this organism ring-opening of tyrosine occurs to such an extent that the incorporation data from radiochemical experiments are meaningless. 4. The above results, coupled with previous observations, are interpreted as showing that in higher plants the nucleus of ubiquinone can be formed from either phenylalanine or tyrosine by a pathway involving as intermediates p-coumaric acid and p-hydroxybenzoic acid. Plastoquinone, tocopherols and alpha-tocopherolquinone are formed from p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate by a pathway in which the aromatic ring and C-3 of the side chain give rise respectively to the nucleus and to one nuclear methyl group. 5. Dilution experiments provided evidence that in maize shoots p-hydroxyphenylpyruvic acid and homogentisic acid (produced from p-hydroxyphenylpyruvic acid) are involved in plastoquinone biosynthesis, and presumably the biosynthesis of related compounds: however, other possible intermediates in the conversion including toluquinol (the aglycone of the proposed key intermediate) showed no dilution effects. Further, radioactivity from [Me-(14)C]toluquinol is not incorporated into any of the compounds examined. 6. Dilution experiments with 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde and radioactive-labelling experiments with 3,4-dihydroxy[U-(14)C]benzoic acid demonstrated that these compounds are not involved in the biosynthesis of either ubiquinone or phylloquinone in maize shoots. 7. Evidence is also presented to show that in maize shoots ring-opening of the aromatic amino acids takes place. The suggestion is offered that this may take place via homogentisic acid, as in animals and some micro-organisms.     

Glycerolipid synthesis in Chlorella kessleri 11h. I. Existence of a eukaryotic pathway

The fatty acid distributions at the sn-1 and sn-2 positions in major chloroplast lipids of Chlorella kessleri 11h, monogalactosyl diacylglycerol (MGDG) and digalactosyl diacylglycerol (DGDG), were determined to show the coexistence of both C16 and C18 acids at the sn-2 position, i.e. of prokaryotic and eukaryotic types in these galactolipids. For investigation of the biosynthetic pathway for glycerolipids in C. kessleri 11h, cells were fed with [14C]acetate for 30 min, and then the distribution of the radioactivity among glycerolipids and their constituent fatty acids during the subsequent chase period was determined. MGDG and DGDG were labeled predominantly as the sn-1-C18-sn-2-C16 (C18/C16) species as early as by the start of the chase, which suggested the synthesis of these lipids within chloroplasts via a prokaryotic pathway. On the other hand, the sn-1-C18-sn-2-C18 (C18/C18) species of these galactolipids gradually gained radioactivity at later times, concomitant with a decrease in the radioactivity of the C18/C18 species of phosphatidylcholine (PC). The change at later times can be explained by the conversion of the C18/C18 species of PC into galactolipids through a eukaryotic pathway. The results showed that C. kessleri 11h, distinct from most of other green algal species that were postulated mainly to use a prokaryotic pathway for the synthesis of chloroplast lipids, is similar to a group of higher plants designated as 16:3 plants in terms of the cooperation of prokaryotic and eukaryotic pathways to synthesize chloroplast lipids. We propose that the physiological function of the eukaryotic pathway in C. kessleri 11h is to supply chloroplast membranes with 18:3/18:3-MGDG for their functioning, and that the acquisition of a eukaryotic pathway by green algae was favorable for evolution into land plants.     

Studies on antibiotic biosynthesis by protoplasts and resting cells of Streptomyces echinatus. Part II. Effect of chromophore precursors

Washed cell and protoplast suspensions from Streptomyces echinatus A8331, which produces the quinoxaline antibiotic echinomycin, have been used to study the effects of analogues of the natural chromophore upon antibiotic biosynthesis. Addition of quinoline-2-carboxylic acid caused a decrease in the labelling of echinomycin from L-[methyl-14C]methionine and an increase in labelled chloroform-extractable material. Quinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid increased the incorporation of radioactivity into both fractions. Thieno[3,2-b]pyridine-5-carboxylic acid, 6-methylquinoline-2-carboxylic acid, and quinoline-2-carboxylic acid (also to a lesser extent 7-chloroquinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid) increased markedly the incorporation of radioactivity into chloroform-extractable material and virtually abolished echinomycin synthesis. Autoradiographs of extracts from suspensions supplemented with the latter four analogues revealed bis-substituted metabolites not found in unsupplemented cultures. When protoplast suspensions were incubated with L-[U-14C]serine, L-[U-14C]valine, or DL-[benzene ring-U-14C]tryptophan, quinoline-2-carboxylic acid, thieno[3,2-b]pyridine-5-carboxylic acid, and 6-methylquinoline-2-carboxylic acid directed the synthesis of antibiotically active bis derivatives at the expense of echinomycin. When analogues of quinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid previously found unsuitable for incorporation by growing cultures were tested in protoplast suspensions, only isoquinoline-3-carboxylic acid caused a large increase in the incorporation of radioactivity from L-[methyl-14C]methionine into chloroform-extractable material. With DL-[benzene ring-U-14C]tryptophan as the radiolabel, benzotriazoline-2-acetic acid and 6-bromoquinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid as well as isoquinoline-3-carboxylic acid sharply reduced the labelling of echinomycin.     

Biosynthesis of the pyrimidinyl amino acid lathyrine by Lathyrus tingitanus L.

The biosynthesis of the pyrimidinyl amino acid lathyrine by seedlings of Lathyrus tingitanus L. was shown to be stimulated by uracil. [6(-14)C]Orotate, [2(-14)C]uracil and [3(-14)C]serine were incorporated into lathyrine; the incorporation of [6(-14)C]orotate was substantially decreased in the presence of uracil. Chemical degradation to locate the 14C incorporated from labelled precursors showed that 90% of the radioactivity incorporated into lathyrine from [3(-14)C]serine could be recovered in the alanine side chain. Over 80% of the radioactivity incorporated from [2(-14)C]uracil was shown to be located in C-2 of lathyrine. It is concluded that under the conditions studied, lathyrine arises from a preformed pyrimidine arising via the orotate pathway. Paradoxically, it was also possible to confirm previous reports that radioactivity from L-[guanidino-14C]homoarginine is incorporated into lathyrine and gamma-hydroxyhomoarginine. However, as homoarginine and gamma-hydroxyhomoarginine are also both labelled by [2(-14)C]uracil, it is suggested that they are products of the ring-opening of lathyrine and that reversibility of this process accounts, at least in part, for their observed experimental incorporation into lathyrine.     

Biosynthesis of pteroside B in Pteridium aquilinum var. Latiusculum,proof of the sesquiterpenoid origin of the pterosides

Pteroside B was isolated in radioactive form after administration of [2-¹⁴C]mevalonate to Pteridium aquilinum var. latiusculum, demonstrating that the biosynthesis of the aglycone proceeds through the ordinary pathway to sesquiterpenoids. Kuhn-Roth oxidation of the radioactive aglycone was carried out to examine the distribution of the radioactivity among the 3 methyls of the aglycone. The biosynthetic implications of these results are discussed.     

Interrelationships of Ubiquinone and Sterol Syntheses in Cultured Cells of Neural Origin

Abstract: Ubiquinone synthesis has been studied in cultured C-6 glial and neuroblastoma cells by utilizing an inhibitor, 3-β-(2-diethylaminoethoxy) androst-5-en-17-one hydrochloride (U18666A), of cholesterol biosynthesis. Exposure of C-6 glial cells to nanomolar quantities of U18666A caused a marked inhibition of total sterol synthesis from [¹⁴C]acetate or [³H]mevalonate within minutes. A 95% inhibition was apparent after a 3-h exposure to 200 ng/ml of U18666A. These observations, together with studies of the incorporation of radioactivity from the two precursors into cholesterol, desmosterol, lanosterol, and squalene, indicated that although the most sensitive site to inhibition by U18666A is desmosterol reduction to cholesterol, a major site of inhibition is demonstrable at a more proximal site, perhaps squalene synthetase. As a consequence of the latter inhibition, exposure of C-6 glial cells to U18666A caused a marked stimulation of incorporation of [¹⁴C]acetate or [³H]mevalonate into ubiquinone. Over a wide range of U18666A concentrations, the increase in ubiquinone synthesis was accompanied by an approximately similar decrease in total sterol synthesis. Whereas in the absence of U18666A only approximately 7% of the radioactivity incorporated from [³H]mevalonate into isoprenoid compounds was found in ubiquinone, in the presence of the drug approximately 90% of incorporated radioactivity was found in ubiquinone. The reciprocal effects of U18666A on ubiquinone and sterol syntheses were apparent also in the neuronal cells. The data thus demonstrate a tight relationship between ubiquinone and sterol biosyntheses in cultured cells of neural origin. In such cells ubiquinone synthesis is exquisitely sensitive to the availability of isoprenoid precursors derived from the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway.     

13C NMR study of the biosynthesis of toxins by Fusarium graminearum

13C NMR spectroscopic investigations on the biosynthesis of mycotoxins produced by Fusarium graminearum (M69) were carried out through the incorporation of [1-13C]- and [2-13C]acetate precursors. The major secondary metabolites produced by this species in still culture were deoxynivalenol (3,7,15-trihydroxy-12,13-epoxytrichothec-9-en-one), 15-acetyldeoxynivalenol, zearalenone, and butenolide. [1-13C]- and [2-13C]acetate were incorporated in alternate carbon atoms in zearalenone, consistent with the head to tail condensation of nine acetate units. The trichothecenes were enriched in a manner consistent with the condensation of three mevalonate units. 13C/13C couplings, observed between C-5 and C-12, as well as between C-6 and C-15 of 15-acetyldeoxynivalenol, confirms the current hypothesis of formation of the trichothecene ring system by cyclization of farnesyl pyrophosphate. The incorporation pattern in ergosterol is also consistent with a mevalonate origin, while the adjacent incorporation of acetate methyl groups in butenolide suggests a glutamate precursor. The degree of enrichment in the secondary metabolites, which ranged from 3 to 10% at each carbon site, was observed in the 13C NMR spectra of the crude fungal extracts to be dependent on the timing of acetate addition to the culture. The specific toxins produced together with the quantity of each, were also found to be dependent on the timing of acetate addition. Competition between the three biosynthetic pathways of secondary metabolism, i.e. polyketide, mevalonate, and amino acid for the labeled acetate in this organism is a complex function of culture conditions.     

Evidence from mycelial studies for differences in the sterol biosynthetic pathway of Rhizoctonia solani and Phytophthora cinnamomi.

Phytophthora cinnamomi, a member of the Pythiacease, does not synthesize sterols. Small amounts of squalene, but no squalene epoxide or sterol, were isolated from the dried mycelium of this fungus after growth in sterol-free medium. The dried mycelium of Rhizoctonia solani, a sterol-synthesizing fungus grown under the same conditions, contained small amounts of squalene and squalene epoxide and large amounts of ergosterol. When the two organisms were grown in the presence of [14C]acetate, only labelled geraniol, farnesol and squalene were recovered from the P. cinnamomi mycelium, whereas labelled geraniol, farnesol, squalene, squalene epoxide and ergosterol were recovered from the R. solani mycelium. Similar results were obtained when the organisms were incubated in the presence of [2(-14)C]mevalonate; in this case, labelled lanosterol was also detected in the R. solani mycelium. Both organisms, when incubated in the presence of unlabelled squalene, squalene epoxide or lanosterol, incorporated these compounds into their mycelia; however, only the R. solani mycelium was able to convert these substrates into products further along the sterol pathway. It appears that squalene is the terminal compound in the sterol biosynthetic pathway of P. cinnamomi.     

Coronatine biosynthesis: Incorporation of l-[U-14C]isoleucine and l-[U-14C] threonine into the 1-amido-1-carboxy-2-ethylcyclopropyl moiety

Addition of either l-[U-¹⁴C]threonine or l-[U-¹⁴C]isoleucine to 2.7-day-old shaking liquid cultures of Pseudomonas syringae pv. atropurpurea resulted in incorporation of radioactivity into coronatine, but not into N- coronafacoylvaline, another phytotoxin excreted by P.s. atropurpurea. In contrast, addition ofl-[U-¹⁴C]valine did not lead to incorporation of radioactivity into coronatine, but instead into coronafacoylvaline. Acid hydrolysis of the purified [¹⁴C] coronatine obtained after incorporation of either [¹⁴C]isoleucine or [¹⁴C]threonine demonstrated that > 94% of the radioactivity was present in the 1-amido-1-carboxy-2-ethylcyclopropyl moiety of coronatine, and < 6 % was in the coronafacoyl moiety. These findings are used to propose a biosynthetic pathway for coronatine.     

Studies on the positional integrity of glyceride fatty acids during digestion and absorption in rats

1. Rats previously starved for 24hr. were separately given by intraduodenal injections 0.5ml. of a dispersion containing 10mg. of sodium taurocholate, with 50mg. of glycerol 1,3-dioleate 2[1-(14)C]-palmitate, glycerol 1,2-dioleate 3[1-(14)C]-palmitate, a mixture of [1-(14)C]palmitic acid and triolein, or a mixture of [1-(14)C]-palmitic acid and oleic acid. 2. At the end of 30min., the net amounts, and the radioactivity, of the neutral-lipid components recovered from the intestinal lumen and mucosa, and the position of the labelled palmitic acid in the mucosal triglycerides, were determined. 3. When glycerol 1,3-dioleate 2[1-(14)C]-palmitate was administered, most of the labelled acid was retained in the di- and monoglycerides of the lumen; the triglycerides were the major components containing the radioactivity in the mucosa and 75-80% of the labelled acid was located at the beta-position of these triglycerides. 4. When glycerol 1,2-dioleate 3[1-(14)C]-palmitate was administered, the labelled acid was readily split off in the lumen and virtually no radioactivity could be traced in the monoglyceride fraction; in the intestinal mucosa, triglycerides were again the chief components containing most of the radioactivity, and 80-85% of the labelled acid was esterified at the outer positions of the glycerol. 5. When [1-(14)C]palmitic acid mixed with triolein was administered, the concentrations of free fatty acids increased markedly in the intestinal lumen and mucosa, and 80-88% of the radioactivity of the mucosal triglycerides was located at the outer positions of the glycerol. 6. When [1-(14)C]palmitic acid mixed with oleic acid was administered, the labelled acid accumulated in the lumen as well as in the cell, and it was randomly incorporated into all three positions of the mucosal triglycerides.     

Sex-related differences in desaturation and chain elongation of essential fatty acids studied in isolated rat hepatocytes

When [14C]linoleic acid (18:2(n-6)) or [14C]dihomogammalinolenic acid (20:3(n-6)) was incubated with isolated liver cells from rats fed an essential fatty acid deficient diet, delta 6- and delta 5-desaturation, chain elongation and synthesis of 14C-labelled C14-C18 fatty acids (from [14C]acetate) were enhanced in female cells compared with male ones. No sex difference in total secretion of very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) was observed. However, VLDL secreted from female cells contained significantly more C16-C18 fatty acids than male cells. It is suggested that the observed sex differences, at least in part, may be related to the different content of fatty acid binding proteins in female cells compared with males.     

Increased catabolism of phosphatidylcholine to betaine regulates the liver phosphatidylcholine content in rats fed orotic acid

Feeding a semi-synthetic diet containing 1% orotic acid to rats for one day stimulates the CDPcholine pathway of liver phosphatidylcholine synthesis 4.5-fold without significantly increasing the liver phosphatidylcholine level. The liver betaine level increases 1.6-fold. The present experiments were performed to investigate the source of the increased liver betaine. Orotic acid feeding did not alter the rate of oxidation of 1,2[14C] choline to betaine. After liver phosphatidylcholine was labelled in vivo with 2[14-C]-ethanolamine, over 90% of the choline-derived radioactivity was recovered in liver betaine and this was consistently increased in rats fed orotic acid. It is concluded that the increased synthesis of liver phosphatidylcholine caused by dietary orotic acid is accompanied by an increased rate of liver phosphatidylcholine catabolism, with betaine as the major end-product of the choline moiety.