Aspects on the Biosynthesis of the Cyanogenic Glucoside Triglochinin in Triglochin maritima ¹

Abstract

The incorporation of L-[U-¹⁴C]phenylalanine, L-[U-¹⁴C]tyrosine and [U-¹⁴C]4-hydroxyphenylacetonitrile into triglochinin and taxiphyllin, the latter a possible precursor of the former, was studied in seedlings of Triglochin maritima L. The nitrile was by far the best substrate; incorporation of the amino acids was poor. Environmental factors such as light and humidity act differently on production of both compounds which also show a wide variation in individual seedlings. Quantitative evaluation of the specific activities indicate that taxiphyllin cannot be regarded as a precursor of triglochinin and that the two compounds are probably synthesized by two, at least mainly independent, pathways.