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Sterols and fatty acids of Epifagus virginiana , a nonphotosynthetic angiosperm
Author(s) -
Nes W. David,
Patterson Glenn W.,
Southall M. Anne,
Stanley June L.
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
lipids
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.601
H-Index - 120
eISSN - 1558-9307
pISSN - 0024-4201
DOI - 10.1007/bf02533914
Subject(s) - cycloartenol , sterol , lanosterol , fatty acid , biochemistry , biosynthesis , campesterol , phytosterol , chemistry , biology , chromatography , cholesterol , enzyme
The sterol and fatty acid compositions of Epifagus virginiana , which is a nonphotosynthetic flowering plant, have been examined by combined gas liquid chromatography‐mass spectrometry (GLC‐MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The organism exhibited a typical higher plant Δ 5 ‐sterol profile with the C‐24 alkyl group oriented “α” for the major sterol Trace amounts of 24‐methylenecycloartanol and cycloeucalenol established connection with the first cyclic intermediate (cycloartenol) in photosynthetic plant sterol biosynthesis. In a separate in vitro experiment, excised root and stem tissue were incubated with two labeled triterpenoid precursors, [2‐ 3 H] lanosterol and [2‐ 3 H]cycloartenol. Both the radioactive compounds were converted to labeled [ 3 H]sitosterol indicating the presence of an active biosynthetic pathway in Epifagus . Characteristic photosynthetic higher plant fatty acids were also present, and the polyenic acid was identified as α‐linolenic acid.