Medicarpin Explained

Medicarpin is a pterocarpan, a derivative of isoflavonoids.

Natural occurrences

Medicarpin is found in Medicago truncatula and Swartzia madagascariensis. It can also be found in Maackia amurensis cell cultures.^[1]

The root nodule formation by Sinorhizobium meliloti^[2] is apparently dependent on the flavonoids pathway.^[3]

Metabolism

Pterocarpin synthase has 3 substrates : medicarpin, NADP⁺ and H₂O, and 3 products : vestitone, NADPH and H⁺.^[4]

Notes and References

1. Isoflavonoid production by callus cultures of Maackia amurensis. S.A Fedoreyev, T.V Pokushalov, M.V Veselova, L.I Glebko, N.I Kulesh, T.I Muzarok, L.D Seletskaya, V.P Bulgakov and Yu.N Zhuravlev, Fitoterapia, 1 August 2000, Volume 71, Issue 4, Pages 365–372,
2. Dakora FD, Joseph CM, Phillips DA . Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) Root Exudates Contain Isoflavonoids in the Presence of Rhizobium meliloti. . Plant Physiol. . 101 . 3. 819–824 . 1993 . 10.1104/pp.101.3.819 . 158695. 12231731.
3. Wasson . A. P. . Silencing the Flavonoid Pathway in Medicago truncatula Inhibits Root Nodule Formation and Prevents Auxin Transport Regulation by Rhizobia . The Plant Cell Online . 18 . 1617–1629 . 2006 . 7 . 10.1105/tpc.105.038232. 1488924 . 16751348.
4. Conversion of Vestitone to Medicarpin in Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) Is Catalyzed by Two Independent Enzymes. Identification, Purification, and Characterization of Vestitone Reductase and 7,2'-Dihydroxy-4'-MethoxyIsoflavanol Dehydratase . Lining Guo, Richard A. Dixon and Nancy L. Paival . Journal of Biological Chemistry . 269 . 35 . 22372–22378 . 1994 . 10.1016/S0021-9258(17)31799-4 . 8071365 . free .