Opine

Opine (N- carboxyethyl - amino acids) are nitrogen- rich organic compounds formed by the condensation of α -keto acids and amino acids.

Synthesis

Opines are end products of anaerobic degradation and by binding of pyruvate to an amino acid.

Properties

Opines are found in nature mainly in marine invertebrates before, but also in genetically modified plant cells. The transfection of plant cells is caused by bacteria of the genus Agrobacterium, that is, the bacteria, the genes for opine synthesis transferred into the plant cell. Plants, it is not possible to use opines - but living bacteria in the plant to serve as carbon, nitrogen and energy source. It induces and utilizes each Agrobacterium strain his own opines. The genes for the opine synthesis are on a special plasmid called Ti - plasmid. So far, more than 30 different opines have been described. The first of these was isolated in 1927 from Morizawa from the cephalopod Octopus octopodia and hence are called octopine. The first Opindehydrogenase 1969 isolated from the adductor muscle of the scallop, Pecten maximus.

The opines include, for example,

• Alanopin
• Strombin
• Opaline
• Nopaline
• Agropine
• Mannopine
• Octopine

However, the main opines octopine and nopaline are, condensates of arginine with pyruvate and α -ketoglutarate.

Octopine found in genetically modified cells and muscle cells of certain mollusc species, including the octopus, again. Hence the name comes octopine. Nopal is the French name for the cactus Opuntia vulgaris. In tumors, this cactus out the connection nopaline was found.