Uses
A Nitric Oxide Synthase inhibitor
Uses
Canavanine sulfate salt has been used:
- as a translation inhibitor in yeast translation studies
- as a component of synthetic complete (SC) drop-out medium for screening yeast
- for screening Saccharomyces cerevisiae in canavanine mutation frequency assay
Definition
ChEBI: An organic sulfate salt obtained by combining L-canavanine with one molar equivalent of sulfuric acid.
General Description
Canavanine is a homolog of arginine and a non-protein amino acid. It is present in plants like alfalfa, cloves, beans onions and sprouts. Canavanine is synthesized from L-canavaninosuccinic acid and the biosynthetic pathway was first elucidated in jack bean plant.
Biological Activity
NO synthase inhibitor.
Biochem/physiol Actions
Canavanine is a naturally occurringL-amino acid that competes and interferes withL-arginine-utilizing enzymes due to its structural similarity with thisL-amino acid. It is a selective inhibitor of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). It acts as a substrate for arginyl tRNA and is incorporated during protein synthesis leading to aberrant canavanyl proteins. Supplementation with canavanine worsens the alfalfa induced Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) like syndrome and its incorporation with endosome and proteasome disrupts the antigen processing.
Purification Methods
Recrystallise the sulfate by dissolving (~1g) in H2O (10mL), and adding with stirring 0.5 to 1.0 volumes of 95% EtOH whereby crystals separate. These are collected, washed with Me2CO/EtOH (1:1) and dried over P2O5 in a vacuum. [Hunt & Thompson Biochemical Preparations 13 416 1971, Feacon & Bell Biochem J 59 221 1955, Beilstein 4 III 1636, 4 IV 3188.]
