Canavanine
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
L-Canavanine, a non-protein amino acid of certain leguminous plants, is related structurally to the protein amino acid, L-arginine. Canavanine is accumulated primarily in the seeds where it serves both as a defensive compound against herbivores and a vital source of nitrogen for the growing embryo. Organisms that consume it can mistakenly incorporate it into their own proteins, in the place of arginine thereby producing structurally aberrant proteins that may not function properly or not at all. Some specialized herbivores tolerate L-canavanine either because they metabolize it efficiently or avoid its incorporation into their own nascent proteins.
See: http://www.biologie.uni-freiburg.de/data/bio3/igloi/Accuracy.htm
[edit] Reference
Rosenthal, Gerald A. 1986. Biochemical insight into insecticidal properties of L-Canavanine, a higher plant protective allelochemical. Journal of Chemical Ecology, Volume 12, Number 5 : 1145 - 1156. DOI: 10.1007/BF01639001
 |
This botany article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 |
This biochemistry article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
