Alkaloid Gramine Research Articles

Zur Biosynthese des Gramins: Biosynthesis of Gramine

The hypothesis, glycine might represent an intermediate in the conversion of tryptophan to the alkaloid gramine, has been tested by incorporation experiments with glycine-[2- 14 C, 15 N]. Incorporation of the radioactivity of the latter compound was considered to occur either via the C 1 pool into CH 3 groups or via serine and tryptophan as intermediates. The (α-C atom of tryptophan is not incorporated into gramine. Whereas N-monomethyl-tryptophan-[β- 14 C, 14 CH 3 ] is incorporated, at low incorporation rate, into gramine without split of the N-CH 3 -group, the radioactivity of N, N-dimethyltryptophan seems to be incorporated after fragmentation of the molecule.