coniferyl-alcohol and coniferin

Verticillium longisporum is a soil-borne vascular pathogen causing economic loss in rape. Using the model plant Arabidopsis this study analyzed metabolic changes upon fungal infection in order to identify possible defense strategies of Brassicaceae against this fungus. Metabolite fingerprinting identified infection-induced metabolites derived from the phenylpropanoid pathway. Targeted analysis confirmed the accumulation of sinapoyl glucosides, coniferin, syringin and lignans in leaves from early stages of infection on. At later stages, the amounts of amino acids increased. To test the contribution of the phenylpropanoid pathway, mutants in the pathway were analyzed. The sinapate-deficient mutant fah1-2 showed stronger infection symptoms than wild-type plants, which is most likely due to the lack of sinapoyl esters. Moreover, the coniferin accumulating transgenic plant UGT72E2-OE was less susceptible. Consistently, sinapoyl glucose, coniferyl alcohol and coniferin inhibited fungal growth and melanization in vitro, whereas sinapyl alcohol and syringin did not. The amount of lignin was not significantly altered supporting the notion that soluble derivatives of the phenylpropanoid pathway contribute to defense. These data show that soluble phenylpropanoids are important for the defense response of Arabidopsis against V. longisporum and that metabolite fingerprinting is a valuable tool to identify infection-relevant metabolic markers.

Topics: Arabidopsis; Biomarkers; Biosynthetic Pathways; Cinnamates; Coumaric Acids; Disease Resistance; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Genes, Plant; Glucosides; Lignans; Lignin; Metabolomics; Mutation; Phenols; Plant Diseases; Plant Leaves; Plant Vascular Bundle; Propanols; Solubility; Verticillium

Two methyl esters of fatty acids, namely octadecanoic acid methyl ester (methyl stearate) and hexadecanoic acid methyl ester (methyl palmitate), in addition to four cinnamyl alcohol derivatives, sinapyl alcohol, coniferyl alcohol, p-coumaryl alcohol and coniferyl alcohol 4-O-glucoside (coniferin), were isolated from callus cultures of Wedelia prostrata. The structure of coniferin was established by spectroscopic and chemical methods, while the other compounds were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and thin layer chromatography in comparison with standards.

Topics: Cell Culture Techniques; Chromatography, Thin Layer; Cinnamates; Coumaric Acids; Esters; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; Methanol; Palmitates; Phenols; Phenylpropionates; Plant Shoots; Propanols; Propionates; Stearates; Wedelia

To examine the behavior of monolignol and monolignol glucosides in lignin biosynthesis, pentadeutero[9-D(2), 3-OCD(3)]coniferyl alcohol and pentadeutero[9-D(2), 3-OCD(3)]coniferin were synthesized and fed to growing Eucalyptus camaldulensis and Magnolia kobus. The differences in the incorporation patterns of these labeled precursors were studied using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Both precursors were incorporated into lignin, but the labeled coniferyl alcohol was incorporated more directly, resulting in a high proportion of pentadeutero-labeled guaiacyl and syringyl units in newly formed xylem, while labeled coniferin tended to be incorporated in lignin as tetradeutero units, especially in syringyl lignin in both trees. However, the incorporation efficiencies of the precursors into syringyl lignin were higher in Magnolia than in Eucalyptus, and the ratios of tetradeutero to pentadeutero in guaiacyl lignin were lower in Magnolia than in Eucalyptus when the trees were fed coniferin.

Topics: Cinnamates; Deuterium; Eucalyptus; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; Isotope Labeling; Lignin; Magnolia; Phenols

American beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh) bark exclusively accumulates cis-monolignols and their glucosidic conjugates; no evidence for the accumulation of trans-monolignols has been found. The glucosyltransferase from this source exhibits a very unusual substrate specificity for cis, and not trans, monolignols. This is further evidence that cis monolignols are involved in lignin formation in these plant tissues. Preliminary evidence for the existence of a novel trans-cis monolignol isomerase was obtained, in agreement with our contention that this isomerization is not photochemically mediated.

Topics: Cell Wall; Cinnamates; Culture Techniques; Glucosides; Glucosyltransferases; Isomerases; Lignin; Phenols; Plant Extracts; Substrate Specificity; Trees

UDPglucose:coniferyl-alcohol glucosyltransferase was isolated from cambial sap of spruce (Picea abies). An apparently homogeneous enzyme was obtained by a seven-step procedure including dye-ligand chromatography. The enzyme has an Mr of about 50 000 and consists of one polypeptide chain. Transferase activity is not influenced by metal ions. The enzyme shows a pronounced substrate specificity towards UDPglucose and coniferyl alcohol with Km values of respectively 220 microM and 250 microM. The only reaction product is coniferin (coniferyl alcohol 7-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside). No formation of 'isoconiferin' (coniferyl alcohol 1-O-beta-D-glucoside) was detected. The reversibility of the reaction was proved by formation of [3H]UDPglucose from [3H]UDP and coniferin in the presence of the transferase. The products UDP and coniferin inhibit the reaction noncompetitively. Product inhibition patterns are consistent with a mono-iso-ordered bibi mechanism involving two isomeric enzyme forms.

Topics: Cinnamates; Glucosyltransferases; Molecular Weight; Phenols; Plants; Substrate Specificity; Trees; Uridine Diphosphate; Uridine Diphosphate Glucose