This invention relates to an O-methyltransferase gene cloned from sorghum, the sorghum O-methyltransferase-3 gene, SbOMT3. Quantitative real-time RT-PCR and recombinant enzyme studies with putative ...O-methyltransferase sequences obtained from an EST data set from sorghum have led to the identification of the novel root hair-specific O-methyltransferase designated SbOMT3. Transgenic plants which express SbOMT3 can convert resveratrol into pterostilbene in planta. SbOMT3 is also involved in the biosynthesis of sorgoleone.
Studies on rice allelochemicals Rimando, Agnes M; Duke, Stephen O
Rice : origin, history, technology, and production / editors, C. Wayne Smith, Robert H. Dilday,
2003
Publication
Scientists interested in determining the relative amounts of an important amino acid called citrulline that's present in different watermelon varieties were recently surprised to find it concentrated ...in the melons' rind. Citrulline plays an important role in the body's urea cycle, and helps convert it to urea that is excreted in the urine.
Rehydration of powdered tissues of Podophyllum peltatum L. prior to extraction with an organic solvent allows endogenous beta-glucosidases to hydrolyze lignan 4-O-beta-D-glucosides in situ and ...increase the yield of podophyllotoxin. Aqueous extraction of rhizomes and leaves of P. peltatum yielded 4- to 10-fold greater quantities of podophyllotoxin than the traditional ethanolic extraction. Most significantly, leaves were shown to contain over 52 mg of podophyllotoxin per g of dry weight (5.2%), exceeding levels previously reported from any source. These results point to the use of leaves harvested from cultivated P. peltatum as an attractive alternative to the destructive collection of natural populations.
