A Novel Means for Dealing with L-Canavanine, a Toxic Metabolite
Authors:
- Gerald A. RosenthalGRGerald A. Rosenthal
- D. L. DahlmanDDD. L. Dahlman
- Daniel H. JanzenDJDaniel H. Janzen
- 16 April 1976
- journal article
- Published by American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Science
- Vol. 192 (4236) , 256-258
Abstract
L-Canavanine is a highly toxic L-arginine analog found in some leguminous seeds. Larvae of the bruchid beetle Caryedes brasiliensis , collected in Costa Rica, subsist solely on tissues of the mature seed of Dioclea megacarpa , which contains more than 8 percent L-canavanine by dry weight. The arginyl-tRNA synthetase of the bruchid beetle larvae discriminates between L-arginine and L-canavanine, and canavanyl proteins are not synthesized. In this way, bruchid beetle larvae avoid an adverse biochemical effect of L-canavanine.Keywords
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