Elicitors which Induce the Accumulation of p-Coumaroylamino Acids in Ephedra distachya Cultures

Some ammonium oxalate soluble pectic fragments prepared from cultured cell wall of Ephycla distrahya elicited the accumulation of p-coumarocylamino acids (p-CAA) in E. distachya cultures while water soluble and alkali soluble fractions had no activity. Partial purification of the pectic fragments fraction using DEAE-cellulose chromatography afforded two active fractions (PS-I and PS-II) which were composed of mainly uronic acids (98-99 w/w %). They elicited the accumulation of p-CAA in an amount of 52-60 nmol per gram fresh weight of cultures. The acidic sugar compositions of PS-I and PS-II were found to be galacturonic acid and glucuronic acid by TLC analysis. They were supposed to act as endogenous elicitors of p-CAA accumulation. In order to investigate the effect of ethylene on p-CAA accumulation, Ethrel, which is known as ethylene generator, and ACC(1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid), a direct precusor of ethylene biosynthesis, were added to the culture. However, they did not glycopeptide elicitor [(Con A-II)], either. Consequently, no relationships between ethylene and p-CAA accumulation were recognized. Several tentative elicitors were teted for their activity. Commercial yeast glucan, $CuCl_2$, laminarin and laminariheptaose had slight activity whereas ${\alpha}$-methylmannopyranoside and commercial yeast mannan had no elicitor activity. ${\alpha}$-methylmannopyranoside which has been known as a tentative inhibitor of glucan elicitor in Glycine max did not affect on the elicitor activity of Con A-II.