NSunnary. 'I'lTe metalolismii of tryptophan by Taphrina deformnzn% has beell sttudie(d to confirimi the reported ability of this organism ti prod(luce trpl)tanine. Stich amine production was uot observed, (lespite tise of amille oxi(lase inhibitors at levels which should have resulted in the acculmiulationl of tryptamvine in the mie(liuimii. It has been ishown that the metabolites of tryptopbhln includ(e indolepvr-rnic aci(l, in(lolelactic acid, tryptophol, and indoleacetic acid. and that the original report of trypltamiline production muist be reevaltlated in light of the extraction l)rocedlures emiployed.WNhile miuch in(lirect evidence, stiimimiiarize(I in the reviews of Stowe (10)
The exceptionally high levels in woad (Isatis tinctoria L.) of three indolic goitrogens, namely glucobrassicin, neoglucobrassicin, and glucobrassicin-l-sulfonate, permit the facile study of their distribution in the plant and their changes during its development. Woad seeds contain as much as 0.23 % fresh weight of glucobrassicin but no other indole glucosinolate, while 1-week-old seedlings also contain substantial amounts of neoglucobrassicin and glucobrassicin-l-sulfonate in their shoots whether grown in the light or dark. The sulfonate is not found in roots, and light depresses neoglucobrassicin levels in shoots. Sterile root cultures synthesize glucobrassicin and neoglucobrassicin, and significant quantities of these were even found to be excreted by the roots of intact sterile seedlings in culture. This may explain the long known deleterious effect of woad and other cruciferous crops on subsequent plantings and the observation could be of ecological importance. Long term changes in levels of all three substances in the plant are similar and are compatible with earlier suggestions that the compounds could be auxin precursors at the time of flower stem elongation. Since sterile seedlings readily incorporate 3SO42-into indole glucosinolates and relative specific radioactivities suggest that glucobrassicin is the precursor of the other two compounds, pathways of goitrogen biosynthesis should be relatively easily determined in this material.In previous papers (9, 10) of the plant (e.g., during very rapid growth such as "bolting" of the flower shoot).Animal nutrition is influenced by indole glucosinolates due to the fact that the enzyme myrosinase (which is released from special cells in the plant tissues upon crushing) acts to release the goitrogenic thiocyanate ion from them (10, 41). In areas where large quantities of brassicaceous crops are eaten or fed to cows (which transfer part of the thiocyanate to their milk) these thiocyanate ions are at least partially responsible for endemic goiter in the human population (Ref. 28 and references therein).Finally, the distribution of indole glucosinolates in the plant kingdom has provided useful information for chemotaxonomic considerations (1 1. 31, 33).As the woad plant has exceptionally high levels of three indole glucosinolates, its study should cast light on these topics. We have examined the changes which occur in the levels of each of the indole glucosinolates in the shoots and roots of woad plants during germination, growth, and flowering. A similar study with the mustard plant (Sinapis alba L.) has recently been published by Bergmann (3).
MATERIALS AND METHODSPlant Material. Seeds of woad (l. tinctoria L.) were collected from plants which had flowered in Yale University's Marsh Botanic Garden in 1967 and had been stored at room temperature over the winter. The field-grown woad plants were obtained from the crop produced by sowing these seeds in the spring of 1968.For sterile culture, seeds were dissected out of the fruits, sterilized as described pr...
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.