Regulation of cyanogenic potential in cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz)
1995
McMahon, Jeniffer M. | Sayre, Richard Thomas
The food safety of cassava is compromised by the presence of cyanogenic glycosides, of which linamarin is predominant. It has been generally assumed that all cyanogenic glycosides present in cassava are produced in the leaves and subsequently transported to other organs. Recently, we have determined that linamarin can be synthesized in both roots and leaves of cassava. The potential for roots to synthesize linamarin suggests that their linamarin content may not be determined solely by transport of cyanogenic glycosides from the top of the plant. We have also determined that rates of linamarin synthesis are highest in leaves of young, high-cyanogenic plants and decrease in an age-dependent manner. In vitro labeling studies indicate that leaf protoplasts are capable of synthesizing linamarin from (14)C-valine, but in a pattern which differes from whole leaves. Fractionation of leaf protoplasts has indicated that linamarin can also be synthesized from valine by isolated vacuoles, where it is then sequestered.
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