Occurrence in higher plants

Smith, T. A., S. J. Croker, and R. S. T. Loeffler. Occurrence in higher plants of l-(3-aminopropyl)-pyrrolinium and pyrroline products of polyamine oxidation. Phytochemistry 1986 25(3) 683-689. 

Among the deoxyhexosyl esters of guanosine 5 -pyrophosphate, the most common is the /3-L-fucopyranosyl ester 22. It was isolated from extracts of Aerobacter aerogenes,90 milk,91 mammary gland,76 and blood cells,48 and was considered of probable occurrence in higher plants also (compare Ref. 92). 

Citrostadienol. ... /V . 1. 24 Widespread occurrence in higher plants ACM ru4i... 

In addition to the isolation of these four pure gibberellins, a vast body of evidence indicates the widespread occurrence in higher plants of extractable substances with gibberellin-like biological properties. It is instructive to compare published Rf values for unidentified gibberellin-like substances of crude extracts with the Rf values of the known gibberellins. 

The classification of pectic enzymes in general, their occurrence in higher plants and micro-organisms and the properties of pectic enzymes from some plants and food grade micro-organisms are described with special emphasis on their substrate specificity. Their technological roles and applications, also in combination with (hemi-)cellulases, in a variety of processes are discussed. Evidence is presented for the existence of a new type of pectic enzyme which acts specifically in the hairy regions of pectic substances. 

There are no reports of the occurrence in higher plants of the enzymes or intermediates of the kynurenine degradative pathway. Wiltshire (1953) did report that pea seedling slices metabolized tryptophan and produced a product which he suggested might be 3-hydroxykynurenine. 

Vitamin B12 is considered to be synthesised exclusively by microorganisms and its presence in foods is thought to be ultimately of microbial origin. The main natural sources of the vitamin are foods of animal origin, liver being a particularly rich source. Its limited occurrence in higher plants is still controversial, since many think that its presence in trace amounts may result from contamination with bacteria or insect remains. 

Monoterpenoids are widely distributed in plant and animal kingdoms, both terrestrial and marine (379). Lists of their occurrence in higher plants have been compiled (19, 155, 175, 275, 395, 396). Thble 8.1.2 lists plant families that are, by far, the most prolific in accumulating monoterpenoids. a-Pinene, cineol and limonene are the most widely distributed monoterpenoids. 

NT439 Noma, M., and M. Noguchi. Occurrence of nicotianamine in higher plants. Phytochemistry 1976 15 1701-1702. 

Bentley and Bhate (66) described the properties of the enzyme isolated from P. notatum, and Wallenfels and Herrman have reported the isolation and substrate specificity of a mutarotase from E. coli (63). The widespread occurrence of the enzyme in higher plants (53), fish (69), birds (70) and amphibia (69) has been noted. Sacks has recently described the properties of the enzyme in human red blood cells (75). 

Evidence for the Widespread Occurrence of a Gibberellic Acid-Like Substance in Higher Plants... 

In contrast to the almost ubiquitous occurrence of the flavonoids in higher plants, the isoflavonoids have a very limited taxonomic distribution. They are in general confined to one group of plants - the sub-family Lotoideae of the Leguminosae [390, 391 ]. Occasionally they occur in a few other families [326], The overall biological properties also differ from those of the flavonoids flavonoids on the whole are innocuous substances [392], but isoflavonoids usually have oestrogenic, insecticidal, piscicidal and/or antifungal activities. 

Radley, M. "Occurrence of substances similar to gibberellic acid in higher plants." Nature (London), 1956, 178, 1070-1071. 

MacMillan, J., Suter, P.J. "The occurrence of gibberellin A] in higher plants isolation from the seed of runner bean (Phaseolus multiflorus)." Naturwissen. 1958, 1 5, 1 6. 

The occurrence of a D-fructosylraffinose in wheat, reported by White and Secor,63 suggests that similar trans-D-fructosylation reactions involving raffinose may occur in higher plants. 

KUEHN, G.D., RODRIGUEZ-GARAY, B BAGGA, S., PHILLIPS, G.C., Novel occurrence of uncommon polyamines in higher plants. Plant Physiol., 1990, 94, 855-857. 

Table I. Occurrence of pectin esterase and polygalacturonase in higher plants (23,26,35,45)...

Recently, with the aid of the new, efficient methods of detection, e.g., paper and thin-layer chromatography, clavine alkaloids have also been found to occur in ergot obtained from rye. Furthermore, in 1960, Hofmann and Tscherter surprisingly found the occurrence of alkaloids of the clavine type in higher plants, i.e., in genera of the family of twining plants (Convolvulaceae) (70, 71). 

The conversion of animal hides into leather by treatment with water-soluble plant extractives has been practiced since antiquity. This process became known as tanning and obviously involved the reaction of a naturally occurring extractive, tannin, with the protein in the hide. We now know, of course, that tannins comprise a whole spectrum of chemical compounds, but generally they are polyphenolic and polymeric. Tannins have been isolated from a wide variety of raw materials, including insect galls, fruit skins, seed hulls, leaves, bark, and heartwood. Indeed, tannins are of nearly ubiquitous occurrence in higher orders... 

A far more complex situation arises in higher plants that use both the pathways in parallel.53 With hindsight, it is even obvious that the belated discovery of the deoxyxylulose pathway can be traced to a significant extent to the very occurrence of both the pathways in plants. More specifically, due to metabolite exchange between the two pathways that is the subject of this chapter, it appears likely that labeled mevalonate can contribute at least some label to most if not all plant isoprenoids hence, it was easy to jump to the conclusion — fallacious as we now know — that all plant isoprenoids are invariably biosynthesized from mevalonate. 

Occurrence of Phylloquinone in Higher Plants, Algae and Cyanobacteria.580... 

Table I. Occurrence and Levels of BS in Higher Plant Tissues/Organs...

Two minor alkaloids were also isolated from B. zeylanica timber. The structure of one of these, C1oN8N202, mp 223-224°C, was revised from 3,4-dihydroxy-2,2 -bipyridine (18) to 8-hydroxyquinoline-4-carbaldehyde oxime (2) based on synthetic, NMR and nuclear overhauser effect (NOE) difference NMR spectroscopic evidence (19). Natural occurrence of oximes, although rare in higher plants, is not without precedence, and the essential oil of Ruta montana L. has been reported to contain the bis-oxime of 3,4-hexanedione (20). The structure of the nonpolar minor alkaloid broussonetine, C22H16N2O4, mp 238-239°C, was elucidated as 3,4-bis(8-hydroxyquinolin-4-yl)-y-butyrolactone (4) (21). 

The occurrence of normal alkanes in living matter was reviewed by Lester (1979). In most cases the major alkanes contain an odd number of carbon atoms and in higher plants, the typical range is n-C15 to n-C. In oils and fats, the alkane concentration and composition is to some extent dependent on the condition of the raw material from which the oil was extracted. It was shown, for example, that their concentration in crude PKO from fresh whole kernels, was 3.7 mg/kg, while that from low quality kernels was 15.4 mg/kg (Tan and Kuntom 1994). Also, processing of the oil has been shown to reduce the total hydrocarbon concentration by more than one third (Kuksis 1964). 

Phillip D and Young AJ (1995) Occurrence of the carotenoid lactucaxanthin in higher plant LHC II. Photosynth Res 43 273-282... 

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