This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Wagner, G. Articles by Loewus, F. A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Wagner, G. Articles by Loewus, F. A. Agricola Articles by Wagner, G. Articles by Loewus, F. A.

Articles

L-Ascorbic Acid Metabolism in Vitaceae

Conversion to (+)-Tartaric Acid and Hexoses ¹

^a Department of Biology, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14214

The metabolic fate of L-ascorbic acid-1-¹⁴C and -6-¹⁴C has been investigated in two species in two genera of Vitaceae. Results suggest that ascorbic acid metabolism in the Vitaceae involves splitting the 6-carbon chain into 4- and 2-carbon fragments. The former, corresponding to C1 through C4 of ascorbic acid, is further oxidized to tartaric acid while the latter, corresponding to C5 and C6, is recycled into hexose phosphate metabolism. Comparison of these findings with previous observations on the conversion of ascorbic acid to (+)-tartaric acid in Pelargonium crispum clearly reveals two distinct processes of tartaric acid biosynthesis in those plants identified as tartaric acid accumulators.

¹ This work was supported by Grant GM-12422 from the National Institutes of Health and by a special grant from Hoffmann-LaRoche, Inc., Nutley, N. J. It represents part of a thesis submitted in 1974 to the Graduate School of the State University of New York at Buffalo in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Ph.D. degree.