Sialic acid concentrations in plants are in the range of inadvertent contamination.
Planta
; 224(1): 222-7, 2006 Jun.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-16395581
ABSTRACT
The long held but challenged view that plants do not synthesize sialic acids was re-evaluated using two different procedures to isolate putative sialic acid containing material from plant tissues and cells. The extracts were reacted with 1,2-diamino-4,5-methylene dioxybenzene and the fluorescently labelled 2-keto sugar acids analysed by reversed phase and normal phase HPLC and by HPLC-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry. No N-glycolylneuraminic acid was found in the protein fraction from Arabidopsis thaliana MM2d cells. However, we did detect 3-deoxy-D -manno-octulosonic acid and trace amounts (3-18 pmol/g fresh weight) of a compound indistinguishable from N-acetylneuraminic acid by its retention time and its mass spectral fragmentation pattern. Thus, plant cells and tissues contain five orders of magnitude less sialic acid than mammalian tissues such as porcine liver. Similar or lower amounts of N-acetylneuraminic acid were detected in tobacco cells, mung bean sprouts, apple and banana. Yet even yeast and buffer blanks, when subjected to the same isolation procedures, apparently contained the equivalent of 5 pmol of sialic acid per gram of material. Thus, we conclude that it is not possible to demonstrate unequivocally that plants synthesize sialic acids because the amounts of these sugars detected in plant cells and tissues are so small that they may originate from extraneous contaminants.
Buscar no Google
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Açúcares Ácidos
/
Arabidopsis
/
Ácido N-Acetilneuramínico
/
Ácidos Neuramínicos
Limite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Planta
Ano de publicação:
2006
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Áustria