METABOLIC ROUTES OF BETA-(ISOXAZOLIN-5-ON-2-YL)-L-ALANINE (BIA), THE PRECURSOR OF THE NEUROTOXIN ODAP (BETA-N-OXALYL-L-ALPHA,BETA,-DIAMINOPROPIONIC ACID), IN DIFFERENT LEGUME SEEDLINGS
Yh. Kuo et al., METABOLIC ROUTES OF BETA-(ISOXAZOLIN-5-ON-2-YL)-L-ALANINE (BIA), THE PRECURSOR OF THE NEUROTOXIN ODAP (BETA-N-OXALYL-L-ALPHA,BETA,-DIAMINOPROPIONIC ACID), IN DIFFERENT LEGUME SEEDLINGS, Phytochemistry, 49(1), 1998, pp. 43-48
BIA, beta-(isoxazolin-5-on-2-yl)-alanine, is formed in high concentrat
ions in the seedling stage of many plants belonging to the tribe Vicie
ae. The metabolism of this compound in different legume seedlings has
been studied by radioisotope feeding. In Lathyrus sativus, BIA is meta
bolised to the neurotoxin ODAP (beta-N-oxalyl-alpha,beta-diaminopropio
nic acid) and the gamma-glutamyl derivative of BIA. In L. odoratus see
dlings BIA is metabolised to the decarboxylation product of the glutam
yl derivative, and the glutamyl derivative is proposed as an intermedi
ate. In Pisum sativum seedlings, the main part of BIA is not further m
etabolised. While in Lens culinaris seedlings, besides the formation o
f the glutamyl derivative, another four unknown amino acids were found
. Approaches for the detoxification of Lathyrus sativus by genetic tra
nsformation are suggested. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights r
eserved.