Phorbic Acid biosynthesis in the latex vessel system of euphorbia.
Evidence is presented that phorbic acid is formed in the latex producing cell system, rather than in photosynthetic or chlorophyll-free tissues of Euphorbia resinifera Berg. When a branch of the plant was kept first in a (14)CO(2) atmosphere with 12 hr light-dark periods for 2 days and then left under natural conditions in the air outside for at least 2 to 3 days, radioactive phorbic acid was found in the latex. Phorbic acid synthesis appeared to be independent of the photosynthetic and respiratory activities of the plant.Besides phorbic acid 2 other major radioactive compounds were recognized in the latex, a glycoside or oligosaccharide, and a lipid belonging to the group of triterpenoid compounds characteristic of the latex in several species of Euphorbia.
Nordal
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Marine Biology Research Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92037.
Benson
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