STUDIES ON WHEAT PLANTS USING CARBON-14 COMPOUNDS: XI THE RELATIVE INCORPORATION OF CARBONS 1, 2, AND 3 OF PYRUVATE

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Abstract
The incorporation of carbons 1, 2, and 3 of pyruvate into maturing plants has been compared by use of pyruvate-1-C14, -2-C14, and -3-C14as tracers. The carbon-14 content of kernel proteins and lipids increased markedly when pyruvate was labelled in higher-number positions. The effect was strikingly demonstrated in the glutamic acid from the protein in which the specific activity varied in the proportion 1:5:10.5 when pyruvate labelled in the 1, 2, or 3 position respectively was administered. A small amount of administered pyruvate appeared to be utilized as the intact carbon skeleton for biosynthesis of starch and of alanine. It is considered, however, that most of the injected pyruvate undergoes decarboxylation, carbon-1 being utilized as carbon dioxide and carbons 2 and 3 as acetate.