title: Pyridine metabolism in tea plants: salvage, conjugate formation and catabolism.
abstract: Pyridine compounds, including nicotinic acid and nicotinamide, are key metabolites of both the salvage pathway for NAD and the biosynthesis of related secondary compounds. We examined the in situ metabolic fate of [carbonyl-(14)C]nicotinamide, [2-(14)C]nicotinic acid and [carboxyl-(14)C]nicotinic acid riboside in tissue segments of tea (Camellia sinensis) plants, and determined the activity of enzymes involved in pyridine metabolism in protein extracts from young tea leaves. Exogenously supplied (14)C-labelled nicotinamide was readily converted to nicotinic acid, and some nicotinic acid was salvaged to nicotinic acid mononucleotide and then utilized for the synthesis of NAD and NADP. The nicotinic acid riboside salvage pathway discovered recently in mungbean cotyledons is also operative in tea leaves. Nicotinic acid was converted to nicotinic acid N-glucoside, but not to trigonelline (N-methylnicotinic acid), in any part of tea seedlings. Active catabolism of nicotinic acid was observed in tea leaves. The fate of [2-(14)C]nicotinic acid indicates that glutaric acid is a major catabolite of nicotinic acid; it was further metabolised, and carbon atoms were finally released as CO(2). The catabolic pathway observed in tea leaves appears to start with the nicotinic acid N-glucoside formation; this pathway differs from catabolic pathways observed in microorganisms. Profiles of pyridine metabolism in tea plants are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Humanities and Sciences, Ochanomizu University, 2-1-1 Otsuka, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 112-8610, Japan. ashihara.hiroshi@ocha.ac.jp
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ashihara
authors.forename: Wei-Wei
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Deng
mesh_terms: D000470:Alkaloids / Q000378:metabolism; D028241:Camellia sinensis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000378:metabolism; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes / Q000378:metabolism; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D057075:Enzyme Assays; D005977:Glutarates / Q000378:metabolism; D009243:NAD / Q000378:metabolism; D009249:NADP / Q000378:metabolism; D009525:Niacin / Q000378:metabolism*; D009536:Niacinamide / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D012263:Ribonucleosides / Q000378:metabolism; D036226:Seedlings / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000470:Alkaloids; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D005977:Glutarates; D010940:Plant Proteins; D012263:Ribonucleosides; D009243:NAD; D002245:Carbon Dioxide; C030285:nicotinic acid ribonucleoside; D009536:Niacinamide; D009525:Niacin; C009560:trigonelline; D009249:NADP; C035736:glutaric acid