ISHS Acta Horticulturae 381: International Symposium on Natural Phenols in Plant Resistance
THE METABOLISM OF MEDICARPIN AND RELATED COMPOUNDS IN ALFALFA (MEDICAGO SATIVA L) |
| Authors: | A.C.E. Gregory, R. Edwards |
| Abstract:
The phytoalexin medicarpin rapidly accumulates in cell cultures in response to treatment with elicitors and then disappears. Using radiolabelled medicarpin the rapid degradation of the phytoalexin has been determined in elicited and unelicited aseptic cell cultures. After feeding cells with [3H-methyl]-medicarpin four metabolites were observed in addition to malonylated glucoside of the phytoalexin. Two of the metabolites have been identified as 6a-hydroxy-3,9-dimethoxypterocarpan (variabilin) and 7-hydroxxy-2,4-dimethoxyisoflavan (sativan). Cell cultures also rapidly take up and metabolise coumestrol and formononetin from the medium. Our results demonstrate that plants can metabolise and detoxify phytoalexins in analogous ways to those seen in pathogenic fungi. | |
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