ABSTRACT
Over 20 gram-positive bacteria were isolated by elective culture with (+/-)-alpha-pinene as the sole carbon source. One of these strains, Nocardia sp. strain P18.3, was selected for detailed study. alpha-Pinene-grown cells oxidized, without lag, alpha-pinene, alpha-pinene oxide (epoxide), and the cis and trans isomers of 2-methyl-5-isopropylhexa-2,5-dienal. No other tested terpene was oxidized at a significant rate. alpha-Pinene was not metabolized by cell extracts in the presence or absence of NADH or NADPH. Cell extracts catalyzed a rapid decyclization of alpha-pinene oxide, in the absence of added cofactors, with the formation of cis-2-methyl-5-isopropylhexa-2,5-dienal. Further oxidation of the aldehyde to the corresponding acid occurred in the presence of NAD. Both activities were induced by growth with alpha-pinene. A rapid, nonenzymic transformation of the cis aldehyde into the trans isomer occurred in glycine buffer. The trans isomer was also a substrate for the NAD-linked aldehyde dehydrogenase. The distribution of the alpha-pinene oxide lyase in alpha-pinene-utilizing Pseudomonas spp. was also investigated and was compatible with the two alternative ring-cleavage sequences that have been proposed on the basis of accumulated metabolites.
Subject(s)
Aldehyde-Lyases/metabolism , Monoterpenes , Nocardia/metabolism , Terpenes/metabolism , Bicyclic Monoterpenes , Biotransformation , Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel , Kinetics , Oxygen ConsumptionABSTRACT
High-resolution 31P nuclear-magnetic-resonance (NMR) spectra are reported for oil-palm (Elaeis guineensis) cells in suspension culture. The spectra are a significant improvement on the results that have appeared for other cultures and they are comparable with the spectra of the meristematic tissue in seedling roots. The NMR technique was used in parallel with other analytical methods to investigate the growth characteristics of the suspension culture, including the effect of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid.
Subject(s)
Plant Development , 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid/pharmacology , Culture Techniques , Cytoplasm/drug effects , Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy , Phosphorus/metabolism , Plants/metabolismABSTRACT
Complete assignments are given for the 13C NMR spectra of hyaluronate and chondroitin in deuterium oxide solution at 50.32 MHz. The assignments published earlier for chondroitin 4-sulphate and chondroitin 6-sulphate were largely confirmed but were found to need some revision in detail. Our conclusions for hyaluronate and the chondroitin sulphates were confirmed by off-resonance experiments based on the proton NMR assignments. The spectra for hyaluronate show line narrowing and chemical shift changes from neutral to alkaline solution which are consistent with, and clearer than, the effects reported earlier for the proton spectra. As before no such changes occur for the chondroitin sulphates. The suggested interpretation is in terms of a conformation change for hyaluronate which originates mainly in altered interaction energies across the 1 leads to 3 linkage with the results that motional freedom is enhanced above that of the parent hyaluronate and even above the chondroitin sulphates. This, and the evidence from a temperature effect, suggests that an additional potential energy minimum is made favourable in alkali so that the overall amplitudes of the bond oscillations are increased.
Subject(s)
Chondroitin Sulfates , Chondroitin , Hyaluronic Acid , Carbohydrate Conformation , Chondroitin/analogs & derivatives , Hydrogen-Ion Concentration , Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy , Models, Molecular , Structure-Activity RelationshipABSTRACT
I.r. absorption bands associated with the functional groups of carboxylic acid derivatives are useful for the analysis of alginates and pectins. The ester, amide, and uronate contents of pectins and the uronate content of alginates were determined, respectively, from the ester-carbonyl stretching band (1740 cm- minus 1), the amide I band (1650 cm- minus 1), and the carboxylate antisymmetric stretching band (1607 cm- minus 1) obtained from the spectra of solutions in D2O-phosphate buffer. The results are accurate to within plus or minus 2-4%, are self consistent, and agree well with the few reliable results that are available. The method should be applicable for the determination of carboxylic acid derivatives in other polysaccharides.
