Studies on the Metabolism of Valerate-1-C14 by Uredospores of Wheat Stem Rust

When uredospores of Puccinia graminis var. tritici race 15B were shaken in a medium containing M/30 phosphate buffer, pH 6.2, and valerate-1-C14, 97% of the radioactivity was removed from the solution in a period of 3 hours. Fifty-five per cent of the carbon-14 was released as carbon dioxide, and 42% was incorporated into the spores. Carbon-14 was found in many cellular components but the water-soluble fraction accounted for 48% of the tracer in the spores. About two thirds of the water-soluble carbon-14 was in a fraction containing amino acids, amides, and peptides, with glutamic acid, glutamine, and γ-aminobutyric acid being highly radioactive. Carbon-5 of glutamic acid and carbon-1 of γ-aminobutyric acid were particularly radioactive. In addition carbon-1 of glutamic acid was appreciably radioactive. The results are consistent with the view that γ-aminobutyric acid was formed by decarboxylation of glutamic acid and that glutamic acid became labelled as a result of β-oxidation of the valerate-1-C14 to yield acetate-1-C14 which in turn was metabolized by the tricarboxylic acid cycle.