Liberation of amino acids in perennial rye grass during wilting

Abstract

The various groups of nitrogenous compounds formed by proteolysis in wilting grass were estimated and it was shown that all the N from the degraded protein reappears as alpha-amino acid, volatile base, amide or peptide. Many of the free amino acids were determined and the results compared with those expected from the extent of protein breakdown. Except for proline, all the amino acids were present in amounts smaller than calculated and these deficits varied greatly. Proline was found in wilting grass in amounts greatly in excess of expectation, but no synthesis occurred when the grass was not allowed to lose moisture during starvation. The possibility of a connection between this synthesis and the known formation of amide during starvation is discussed.