In further substantiating the novel mevalonate-independent pathway for isoprenoid biosynthesis, which generates isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP) via l-deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphate, labeling experiments with l-[2 Hi]deoxy-D-xylulose were performed with various higher plants and algae: efficient incorporation was observed into isoprene emitted by Populus, Chelidonium, and Salix, into the phytol moiety of chlorophylls in a red alga (Cyanidium), in two green algae (Scenedesmus, Chlamydomonas), and a higher plant (Lemna). By contrast, 13 Cmevalonate applied was incorporated into isoprene and phytol to a much lower extent or not at all. This demonstrates that this '1-deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphate pathway' for biosynthesis of plastidic isoprenoids is widely distributed in photosynthetic organisms.

Summary The principal supply of carbon precursors for fatty acid synthesis in leaf tissue has been a much debated topic, with some experiments suggesting a direct supply from the C3 products of photosynthetic carbon fixation and colleagues suggesting the utilization of free acetate (for which concentrations in leaves in the range of 0.05–1.4 mM have been reported). To address this issue we first reassessed the in vivo rate of fatty acid synthesis using a new method, that of [13C]carbon dioxide labeling of intact Arabidopsis plants with the subsequent analysis of fatty acids by gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry (GC‐MS). This method gave an average value of 2.3 mmoles carbon atoms h−1 mg chlorophyll−1 for photosynthetic tissues. The method was extended by isotopic dilution analysis to measure the rate of fatty acid synthesis in the dark. There was negligible fatty acid synthesis (< 5% of the rate in the light) in the dark. In addition, the method allowed an estimate of the absolute rate of fatty acid degradation of about 4% of the total fatty acid content per day. With the in vivo rate of fatty acid synthesis in the light defined, if the bulk tissue acetate concentration available for fatty acid synthesis is 1 mM, this acetate pool can sustain fatty acid synthesis for approximately 60 min. When the leaves of Arabidopsis, barley and pea were given a 5 min pulse of [14C]carbon dioxide, the label rapidly appeared in fatty acids with a lag phase of less than 2–3 min. Continuous labeling with [14C]carbon dioxide, for up to 1 h, showed a similar result. Furthermore, 14C‐label in free acetate was less than 5% of that in fatty acids. In conclusion, these data suggest that either the bulk pool of acetate is not involved in fatty acid synthesis or the concentration of acetate must be less than 0.05 mM under strong illumination.

Allicin is shown to be a specific inhibitor of the acetyl-CoA synthetases from plants, yeast and mammals. The bacterial acetyl-CoA-forming system, consisting of acetate kinase and phosphotransacetylase, was inhibited too. Non-specific interaction with sulfhydryl-groups could be excluded in experiments with dithioerythritol and p-hydroxymercuribenzoate.Binding of allicin to the enzyme is non-covalent and reversible. P4C]-Acetate incorporation into fatty acids of isolated plastids was inhibited by allicin with an I,,-value lower than 10 yM. Other enzymes of the fatty acid synthesis sequence were not affected, as was shown using precursors other than acetate.

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The effect of the herbicides and aryloxy-phenoxy-propionic acid derivatives diclofop, fenoxaprop, fluazifop and haloxyfop and their ethyl, methyl or butyl esters on the de novo fatty-acid biosynthesis of isolated chloroplasts was investigated with intact chloroplasts isolated from sensitive grasses (Poaceae) and tolerant dicotyledonous plants (Pisum, Spinacia). The 4 herbicides (free-acid form) block the de novo fatty-acid biosynthesis ([2-l4 C]acetate incorporation into the total fatty-acid fraction) of the sensitive Avena chloroplasts in a dose-dependent manner. The / 50 -values (a 50% inhibition of the [ 14 C]acetate incorporation) lie in the range of 10~7 to 2 x 10~6 M. The ethyl or methyl esters (diclofop, fenoxaprop, haloxyfop) and butyl ester (fluazifop) do not affect the de novo fatty-acid biosynthesis of isolated chloroplasts or only at a very high concentration of ca. 10" 4 M. In contrast, the de novo fatty-acid biosynthesis of the tolerant dicotyledonous species (pea, spinach) is not affected by the 4 aryloxy-phenoxy-propionic acid herbicides.In an enzyme preparation isolated from chloroplasts of the herbicide-sensitive barley plants the de novo fatty-acid biosynthesis from [14 C]acetate and [ 14 C]acetyl-CoA is blocked by all 4 herbicides (free acids), whereas that of [ l4 C]malonate and [ I4 C]malonyl-CoA is not affected. This strongly suggests that the target of all 4 herbicides (free-acid form) is the acetyl-CoA carboxylase within the chloroplasts. The applied ester derivatives, in turn, which are ineffective in the isolated chloroplast test system, have equally little or no effect on the activity of the acetyl-CoA carboxylase. It is assumed that the acetyl-CoA carboxylase of the tolerant dicot plants investigated is modified in such a way that the 4 herbicides cannot bind to and affect the target.