The essential oil industry of Australia

This industry is founded primarily on eucalyptus oils from several species. The more important minor endemic oils are those of Australian sandalwood and of two or three genera known as “tea-trees”. Various factors have prevented exploitation of other potentially valuable native oils. Among exotic oils, only that of lavender has been commercially produced.     

A David and Goliath story: tobacco advertising and self-regulation in Australia.

A small group of health workers succeeded in getting the largest tobacco advertising campaign in Australia banned by testing a clause in the advertising industry''s voluntary code of self-regulation. The group complained about a series of cigarette advertisements that featured an Australian entertainer who was popular with the young. Though the tobacco company denied the entertainer''s major appeal to the young, the chairman of the Advertising Standards Council ruled that the campaign did breach the code. The delay before the complaint was adjudicated--18 months--contrasted with the speed with which a series of antismoking advertisements had been withdrawn after complaints by a tobacco company''s advertisers. MOP UP''s victory in this case contains several lessons for people interested in restricting the promotional activities of multinational tobacco companies.     

The pyridine-nucleotide cycle in tobacco

In order to elucidate the NAD-recycling pathway the following enzyme activities have been characterized in different tobacco tissues and in tomato root: NAD pyrophosphatase, nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN)/nicotinic acid mononucleotide (NaMN) glycohydrolases, nicotinamidase and nicotinic acid phosphoribosyltransferase. The investigations were performed with protein extracts purified by gel filtration and enzymatic activities were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography methods. The kinetic parameters of the different enzymes from tobacco root and their specificity are reported. The data are in favor of the so-called pyridine-nucleotide cycle VI (NADNMNnicotinamidenicotinic acidNaMNnicotinic acid adenine dinucleotideNAD). In the nicotine-producing tobacco root a further direct route leading from NaMN to nicotinic acid is proposed. These data are reconciled with the assumption that it is nicotinic acid which is provided by the pyridine-nucleotide cycle for the synthesis of nicotine.Abbreviations HPLC high-performance liquid chromatography - Na nicotinic acid - NaAD nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide - NaMN nicotinic acid mononucleotide - NMN nicotinamide mononucleotide - PRPP 5-phosphoribosyl-1-pyrophosphate This contribution is dedicated to Professor Augustin Betz on the occasion of his 65^th birthday