THE METABOLISM OF PELARGONATE-1-C14BY WHEAT STEM RUST UREDOSPORES

Abstract

Uredospores of Puccinia graminis var. tritici were incubated in phosphate buffer (pH 6.2) containing pelargonic acid-1-C14. After 3 hours 97.5% of the tracer was assimilated. Fifty-five percent of this was released as C14O2and 36.2% was incorporated into the spores. About one-half of the carbon-14 in the spores was soluble in ethanol and water, whereas nearly a third was ether extractable. The amino acid and carbohydrate fractions contained about equal amounts of carbon-14 and together accounted for two-thirds of the radioactivity in the ethanol–water extract. The organic acids were also radioactive. Glutamic acid, γ-aminobutyric acid, aspartic acid, and alanine were the most highly labelled amino acids. Fifty-three percent of the radioactivity in glutamic acid was found in carbon 1 and 46% in carbon 5. This distribution suggests β-oxidation of pelargonic acid to acetyl CoA and extensive utilization of the latter by means of the glyoxylate cycle.