Wolfram - 14-10-2004 at 04:06
How do one do to analyse what enzymes in a plant catalyze difrent steps in a biosythetic pathway? The precursors and intermediary products are known
but not the enzymes involved.
Any suggestions?
[Edited on 14-10-2004 by Wolfram]
sorry
Wolfram - 14-10-2004 at 05:28
Sorry could you maybee move this to biochemistry admin??
Edit:Thanx
[Edited on 14-10-2004 by Wolfram]
Taaie-Neuskoek - 20-10-2004 at 03:16
You can do something with the photosynthesis pathway.
A nice experiment is to take a CAM plant, which take CO2 during nighttime to prevent water loses thru it's stomata, and detect malic acid after a
time in the dark. additional CO2 can be fed into a jar to improve the effect more dramaticaly.
This a rather basic experiment, If you want I have a protocol for it.
i am currently working on terpene syntheses from plants, if interested I can post some info thereof.
I have to ask the researchers out here what I excactly can say, and what nót.
If you have more information on the equipment you have (eg GSMS, HPLC) and the level, I can maybe hand on some nice experiments.
Star - 20-10-2004 at 12:08
hallo TNK,
Yes, I am interrested in terpene synthesis with plants, please Do post the Info here.
Taaie-Neuskoek - 20-10-2004 at 23:09
It is commonly known that terpenes are produced in plants. Essential oils are a very good example thereof; oil is actually not a very good name since
no oil is present. Most essential oils contain mono and sesquiterpenes, where moneterpenes are 10 C figures and sesquiterpenes are C15 figures.
A lot of terpenes have been identified from different plant species, like limonene, germagrene A, a-pinene, the list goes on and on. On molecular
level also a lot of cDNA's responsible for the synthesis of terpenes are known.
I can give some nice examples of cDNA's which were cloned and expressed in bacteria, but I don't think it is really easy on basement-lab
scale. If you have a GCMS available with a suitable column for terpenes a lot of nice experiments can be performed.
The isolation of the oils present in plants is also a nice setup, steam distillation is the most common used.
If you have a soxhlet extractor, it is maybe nice to extract lavendel, or something else, with ethanol so you get some nice flavours. These flavours
can be used in all your cooking experiments, or aromatherapy blabla.
I have a lot of info on the exact structure of terpenes, and on different cDNA's which are cloned. I also have a biosynthetic pathway somewhere.
I don't have access to the FTP, but I can mail the articles to someone for uploading.
(I hope Axehandle's vodka experiments do not have a to large effect on the functioning of the FTP...)
Again, with more detailed info on your lab-equipment, it is easier to give info...
For the sake of clarity, I do not have any chemical synthesis of any terpene, actual I am a molecular biologist / botanist, so no info thereon from MY
side. If someone else has something nice....
TN