Studies on Cassava, Manihot utilissima. II. Biosynthesis of Asparagine-14C from 14C-labelled Hydrogen Cyanide and its Relations with Cyanogenesis

Seeds and seedlings of Manihot utilissima were analysed for cyanogenic glycosides und free amino acids, with special reference to valine and isoleucine which serve as precursors of the aglycone moieties of linamarin and lotaustralin. Seeds contained traces of valine and isoleucine but no glycosides, whereas seedlings contained high concentrations of these amino acids and glycosides. Illumination of seedlings led to a steep increase in the concentration of glycosides followed by a decrease without excretion of detectable HCN. Seeds accumulated asparagine, while seedlings accumulated both asparagine and glutamine in the storage and transport of nitrogen. Seedlings incorporated 13.2 per cent of label from valine-¹⁴C(U) and 2.4 per cent of label from isoleucine-¹⁴C(U)into linamarin and lotaustralin, respectively. In both cases, appreciable amounts of label were also incorporated into asparagine. 49 per cent of label from H¹⁴CN was incorporated inio asparagine in which ca. 98 per cent of total radioactivity was located in the amide-carbon atom. The different patterns of labelling which occurred during the assimilation of H¹⁴CN and ¹⁴CO₂ showed that cyanide metabolism did not proceed via CO₂, and that M. utilissima contains an efficient enzyme-system which catalyses the conversion on high concentrations of HCN into asparagine, which subsequently enters different metabolic pools involved with respiration, protein and carbohydrate syntheses. Cyanogenesis in M. utilissima appears lo be directly influenced by available pools of valine and isoleucine, and the metabolism of HCN released from linamarin and lotaustralin by the action of linamarase may be directly related to respiratory and synthetic processes by way of the incorporation of HCN as a unit into asparagine.