Volume 5, Number 4, pp. 145 - 150
Uptake and oxidative degradation of pentane in plants
T. Varazashvili and M. Pruidze
Durmishidze Institute of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Georgian Academy of Sciences, David Agmasheneblis Kheivani, 10th km, 0159 Tbilisi, GeorgiaThe metabolic transformation of the aliphatic hydrocarbon pentane by annual and perennial plants has been studied. It has been shown that 14C pentane is assimilated by plants and becomes included in the cell low-molecular fractions, organic and amino acids. Part of the labelled pentane is oxidized, releasing 14CO2. In the plant cell, peroxidase and phenoloxidase participate in the pentane oxidative transformation. The chloroplast intramembrane structure is changed under the hydrocarbon effect, and the chlorophyll content is decreased. It is postulated that pentane undergoes deep metabolic transformation in plants.
Keywords: alkanes, cell ultrastructure, hydrocarbons, oxidative degradation, pentane, peroxidase, phenoloxidase, xenobiotic metabolism