title: Occurrence of free D-aspartic acid in marine macroalgae.
abstract: The biologically rare D-aspartic acid was found in extracts of marine macroalgae. DL-aspartic acid was isolated from the Phaeophyta, Hizikia fusiformis, by ion-exchange chromatography, and crystallized from aqueous ethanol. It was characterized by optical-rotatory-dispersion analysis and reversed-phase HPLC analysis. The crystal consisted of equal amounts of D and L isomers. The presence of free D-aspartic acid was verified in 15 species from among 20 species of marine macroalgae by the same method (HPLC). Generally, Phaeophyta contained a high concentration of D-aspartic acid in contrast with the low concentration in Phycophyta and Rhodophyta. Particularly in Costaria costata, Hizikia fusiformis and Sargassum yezoensis, belonging to Phaeophyta, D-aspartic acid was found in concentrations proportional to those of L-aspartic acid.
authors.affiliation: School of Fisheries Sciences, Kitasato University, Iwate, Japan.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nagahisa
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kanno
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sato
mesh_terms: D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D000460:Chlorophyta / Q000378:metabolism; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D003460:Crystallization; D009905:Optical Rotatory Dispersion; D000459:Phaeophyceae / Q000378:metabolism*; D000461:Rhodophyta / Q000378:metabolism; D013045:Species Specificity; D013237:Stereoisomerism
chemical_list: D001224:Aspartic Acid