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Metabolism and Enzymology

Phenylpropanoid Metabolism in Suspension Cultures of Vanilla planifolia Andr. ¹

II. Effects of Precursor Feeding and Metabolic Inhibitors

Institute of Biotechnology, ETH Hönggerberg, HPT C71, CH-8903 Zurich, Switzerland

Feeding of cinnamic acid and ferulic acid to non-treated and chitosan-treated cell suspension cultures of Vanilla planifolia resulted in the formation of trace amounts of p-hydroxy benzoic acid (5.2 micrograms per gram fresh weight of cells) and vanillic acid (6.4 micrograms per gram fresh weight of cells), respectively. Addition of a 4-hydroxycinnamate: CoA-ligase inhibitor, 3,4-(methylenedioxy)-cinnamic acid (MDCA), resulted in a reduced biosynthesis of ligneous material with a simultaneous significant increased vanillic acid formation (around 75 micrograms per gram fresh weight of cells). A K₁ of 100 micromolar for 4-hydroxycinnamate: CoA-ligase in a crude preparation was estimated for this inhibitor. It is suggested that the conversion of cinnamic acids into benzoic acids does not involve cinnamoyl CoA esters as intermediates. Feeding of ¹⁴C-cinnamic acid and ¹⁴C-ferulic acid to cells treated with MDCA indicate that cinnamic acid, but not ferulic acid, is a precursor of vanillic acid in these cultivated cells of V. planifolia.

³ Present address: Department of Plant Biochemistry, University of Lund, P. O. Box 7007, S-22007 Lund, Sweden.

¹ Supported by a research grant from Danisco Biotechnology, Glostrup, Denmark. This paper is number II in a series, "Phenylpropanoid metabolism in suspension cultures of Vanilla planifolia." The preceding paper is Funk and Brodelius (4).

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