Licorice‐derived compounds inhibit linoleic acid (C:18:2ω6) desaturation in soybean chloroplasts

FEBS Letters

Baker, Michael E.²  Pillai, Parthasarathy¹  Norman, Helen A.¹ 

[1] Building 264, Room 105 Weed Science Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA;Department of Medicine 0623B, University of California at San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0623, USA

关键词: Linoleic acid desaturase;    Licorice;    Soybean chloroplast;   

DOI  :  10.1016/0014-5793(95)00627-L

学科分类：生物化学/生物物理

来源: John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

【 摘 要 】

Although glycyrrhizic acid, a major constituent of licorice root, has important pharmacological effects in humans, the biological activity of glycyrrhizic acid and its aglycone glycyrrhetinic acid in plants is unknown. Here we report that these licorice-derived compounds and the analog carbenoxolone inhibit desaturation of linoleic acid (C18:2ω6) in soybean chloroplasts using monogalactosyldiacylglycerol and phosphatidylcholine substrates in an in vitro assay for desaturase activity. At 10 nM glycyrrhetinic acid, there is significant inhibition of desaturation of linoleic acid suggesting that licorice-derived compounds could prove useful in investigating biochemical pathways of linoleic acid desaturation in plant chloroplasts and plant desaturase regulation, which has application in modification of plant response to environmental stress, as well as optimization of oil seed composition.

【 授权许可】

Unknown