Phalaris tuberosa

Merewialis pereimu.—When aliphatic aldehydes are fed to this plant they are converted into the corresponding primary amines. A transaminase has been isolated which catalyses the transamination between a-amino-acids and aldehydes. L-Alanine was the most efficient amino donor, and all aldehydes in the homologous series from ethanal to undecanal were active amino acceptors. No requirement for pyridoxal phosphate could be demonstrated. In a later publication it was shown that this reaction takes place in many flowering plants. 

5 Alkaloid Production in Tissue Cultures It was thought that tissue cultures derived from various parts of whole plants would be an ideal system in which to study alkaloid biosynthesis, since sterile conditions and uniform conditions of growth are readily maintained. However, work in this area has been disappointing. In general, tissue cultures produce much less alkaloid than an intact plant, or intact organs. For example, cultures of excised roots of tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum) synthesized the steroidal alkaloid tomatine however, the amount produced was 40 times less than that found in the intact seedling radicles. The addition of established precursors 

A tissue culture of Scopolia parviflora produced an extremely small amount of atropine (0.(X)3%) compared with intact rhizomes (0.34%). The addition of tropic acid increased the yield of alkaloid to 0.08%, suggesting that the tissue culture lacked the capability of synthesizing tropic acid. It has been previously shown that the level of tropane alkaloids in Hyoscyamus niger and Datura stramonium is lower in callus tissue cultures than in intact plants. 

Callus and suspension cultures of Nicotiana tabacum have been studied. Stem callus tissues did not produce nicotine until roots were developed. The fungicide cycloheximide (S8) initiated the synthesis of nicotine. The only known precursor of nicotine which increased the yield of the alkaloid was N-methylputrescine. 

A cell suspension culture established from the roots of Phaseolis vulgaris produced no alkaloids when the culture medium contained only inorganic nitrogen (ammonium and nitrate). Addition of tryptophan resulted in the formation of barman (60) and norharman (59).  

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A report that sheep fed on a perennial grass, Phalaris tuberosa L., developed a condition known as staggers led to the investigation of a related species, P. arundinacea L., and the subsequent isolation from it of 5-methoxy-A-methyltryptamine (XVIII R = H) (116). 5-Methoxy-iV.A-dimethyltryptamine (XVIII R = Me) also occurs naturally, and has been isolated from Dictyoloma incane-scens DC. (40). Both bases have recently been shown to be present in the bark of Piptadenia peregrina Benth. (73a). 

Walker J. A new species of Claviceps on Phalaris tuberosa L. Linn Soc NSW Proc 82 322-327, 1957. 

Walker J. Systemic fungal parasite of Phalaris tuberosa in Australia. Search 1 81-83, 1970. 

O-metliylbufotenine (5- melhoxy-N.N- diinethyltryplamme) amine Phalaris tuberosa (Grammeae), Desmodium pulchellum (Legummosae) and many other families skin secretions of toads and other amphibia binding to 5-HT receptors hallucinogenic [1, 167]... 

Baxter, C. and M. Slaytor 1972. Biosynthesis and turnover of A Al -dimethyltryp-tamine and 5-methoxy-A(Af-dimetbyi-tryptamine in Phalaris tuberosa Phytochemistry It 2767—2773. 

Foster, S, and JA. Duke vyyo.AFieldGuide toMedicinalPiants. Eastern and CentralHtrth America. Houghton-Mifflin, Boston, ma, Frahn, J.L. and D.F. O Keefe 1971. The occurrence oftetrahydro-P-carboline alkaloids in Phalaris tuberosa (Gramineae) Australian Journal of Chemistry 24 2189— 2192,... 

Petahstylu lahicheoides R. Brown—263 Petiveria aUiacea 1 —217,222,271 Petunia sp.—363,368,417 Petunia violacea Lindley-368 Peucedanum japonicum Tluiiiberg—417 Phataris aquatica L. / Phalaris sp—245,254 Phalaris arundinacea L.—45,245-6 Phalaris tuberosa L.-245 Pholiota spectabilis Gillet—309... 

Moore, R. M., and Hutchings, R. J. (1967). Mortalities among sheep grazing Phalaris tuberosa. Aust. J. Exp. Agric. Anim. Husb. 7 17-21. 

Molybdenum deficiency in Phalaris tuberosa is manifested as pale and stunted plants with scorched and necrotic leaves, similar to those seen after frost damage (Lipsett, 1975). The symptoms appear within 3-4 weeks of seedling emergence, and subsequent growth is severely retarded. No such symptoms have been noted in conjunction with the slightly reduced growth of panic plants without Mo (Johansen, 1978a). 

Mack, J.P.G. St. Slaytor, M. 1979. Indolethylamine N-methyl transferases of Phalaris tuberosa Purification and properties. Phytochemistry Vo. 18 1921-1925. 

The grass Phalaris tuberosa accumulates mostly N -dimethyltryptamine (5), 5-methoxy- A -dimethyltrypta-mine, and bufotenin (4), whereas P. arundinacea accumulates mainly gramine (6) and hordenine (7). Although the level of alkaloids is too low to cause acute poisoning in... 

Sclerotium size is largely dependent on host. For example, C. purpurea sclerotia produced in florets of Poa annua or Phalaris tuberosa are about 1-2 mm long. 

The introduction of some new species of grasses into North America and Australia caused losses in animals. The grass species involved were Phalaris tuberosa and P. arundinacea, both accumulating indole derivatives. P. tuberosa contains predominantly A,A-dimethyltryptamine, 5-methoxy-Ar,AT-dimethyltryptamine, and bufotenine, while P. arundinacea contains mainly gramine and hordenine. The tall fescue, Festuca arundinacea, introduced mostly into Missouri, the Dakotas, and Minnesota has other types of alkaloids, loline and perloline. Although the level of these... 

Figure 5.12a. Effect of gramine on the dry matter intake of Phalaris tuberosa by sheep (Arnold and Hill, 1971). Courtesy of Academic Press.

Park, R.J., J.L. Corbett, E.P. Fumival, Flavour differences in meat from lambs grazed on lucerne (Medicago saliva) or phalaris Phalaris tuberosa) pastures, J. Agric. Sci., 78(1), p. 47, 1972. 

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