title: Evidence of cyanamide production in hairy vetch Vicia villosa.
abstract: Cyanamide (NH(2)CN) has recently been isolated as a plant growth inhibitor from Vicia villosa, which is the first discovery of cyanamide from natural sources. To reveal the presence of the biosynthesized cyanamide in plants, 3.4 mM potassium ((15)N)nitrate was administered to 15- to 35-day-old plants of V. villosa, from which the cyanamide was purified and subjected to GC/MS analysis. The isotopic ratio (15)N/((14)N + (15)N) of the cyanamide was calculated to be 0.143, while that of the cyanamide extracted from V. villosa grown in the presence of a natural N source was 0.0065. The (15)N-enrichment proved de novo biosynthesis of cyanamide.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, Shinshu University, 8304 Minami-minowa, Kami-ina, Nagano 399-4598, Japan. kamo274@shinshu-uac.jp
authors.forename: Tsunashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kamo
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Syuntaro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hiradate
authors.forename: Eri
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nakajima
authors.forename: Yoshiharu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fujii
authors.forename: Mitsuru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hirota
mesh_terms: D003484:Cyanamide / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D006801:Humans; D009566:Nitrates / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D009587:Nitrogen Isotopes / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000737:chemistry; D031306:Vicia / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D009566:Nitrates; D009587:Nitrogen Isotopes; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators; D003484:Cyanamide