chlorophyll-a and sinapinic-acid

The analysis of chlorophylls and their derivatives by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry is described. Four matrices-sinapinic acid, a-cyano-4-hydroxycinnnamic acid, terthiophene, and 3-aminoquinoline-were examined to determine optimal conditions for analysis of the molecular mass and structure of chlorophyll a as a representative chlorophyll. Among them, terthiophene was the most efficient without releasing metal ions, although it caused fragmentation of the phytol-ester linkage. Terthiophene was useful for the analyses of chlorophyll derivatives as well as porphyrin products such as 8-deethyl-8-vinyl-chlorophyll a, pheophorbide a, pyropheophorbide a, bacteriochlorophyll a esterified phytol, and protoporphyrin IX. The current method is suitable for rapid and accurate determination of the molecular mass and structure of chlorophylls and porphyrins.

Topics: Chlorophyll; Coumaric Acids; Porphyrins; Protoporphyrins; Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization; Thiophenes

The activity of p-coumarate 3-hydroxylase (C3H) is thought to be essential for the biosynthesis of lignin and many other phenylpropanoid pathway products in plants; however, no conditions suitable for the unambiguous assay of the enzyme are known. As a result, all attempts to purify the protein and clone its corresponding gene have failed. By screening for plants that accumulate reduced levels of soluble fluorescent phenylpropanoid secondary metabolites, we have identified a number of Arabidopsis mutants that display a reduced epidermal fluorescence (ref) phenotype. Using radiotracer-feeding experiments, we have determined that the ref8 mutant is unable to synthesize caffeic acid, suggesting that the mutant is defective in a gene required for the activity or expression of C3H. We have isolated the REF8 gene using positional cloning methods, and have verified that it encodes C3H by expression of the wild-type gene in yeast. Although many previous reports in the literature have suggested that C3H is a phenolase, the isolation of the REF8 gene demonstrates that the enzyme is actually a cytochrome P450-dependent monooxygenase. Although the enzyme accepts p-coumarate as a substrate, it also exhibits significant activity towards other p-hydroxylated substrates. These data may explain the previous difficulties in identifying C3H activity in plant extracts and they indicate that the currently accepted version of the lignin biosynthetic pathway is likely to be incorrect.

Topics: Arabidopsis; Arabidopsis Proteins; Caffeic Acids; Chlorophyll; Chromosome Mapping; Cloning, Molecular; Coumaric Acids; Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System; Ethylenes; Fluorescence; Genetic Complementation Test; Lignin; Malates; Mixed Function Oxygenases; Monophenol Monooxygenase; Mutation; Phenylpropionates; Ultraviolet Rays