@article{3c7e2c9011d0491cb69888062c608a58,
title = "Biosynthesis of estragole and t-anethole in bitter fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill. var. vulgare) chemotypes. Changes in SAM:phenylpropene O-methyltransferase activities during development",
abstract = "Estragole and t-anethole are the major constituents of the essential oils of bitter fennel chemotypes (Foeniculum vulgare Mill. var. vulgare. Apiaceae). Cell-free extracts from bitter fennel tissues display O-methyltransferase activities able to in vitro methylate chavicol and t-anol to produce estragole and t-anethole, respectively, by utilizing S-adenosyl-L-methionine as a methyl group donor. Analysis of different plant parts of an estragole-rich chemotype, indicated an association between estragole accumulation and chavicol O-methyltransferase activity during development. Young leaves displayed higher levels of O-methyltransferase activity than old leaves. In developing fruits O-methyltransferase activity levels increased until the wasty stage was reached and then dramatically decreased. This chemotype also displayed t-anol O-methyltransferase activity at higher levels than chavicol O-methyltransferase activity although these tissues accumulate mainly estragole. O-methyltransferases activities extracted from a high-t-anethole fennel chemotype also methylated t-anol and chavicol at comparable rates. Thus, although the chemotypes greatly differ in their phenylpropenoids composition, both are efficient in in vitro forming t-anethole and estragole.",
keywords = "Apiaceae, Bitter fennel, Essential oil, Estragole, Foeniculum vulgare Mill. var. vulgare, O-Methyltransferase, T-Anethole",
author = "Michal Gross and Jacob Friedman and Nativ Dudai and Olga Larkov and Yael Cohen and Einat Bar and Uzi Ravid and Eli Putievsky and Efraim Lewinsohn",
note = "Funding Information: Contribution No. 130/2002 from the Agricultural Research Organization, The Volcani Center, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel. This work was partially funded by a grant from the Ministry of Education of Israel to M. Gross.",
year = "2002",
month = nov,
day = "1",
doi = "10.1016/S0168-9452(02)00279-0",
language = "אנגלית",
volume = "163",
pages = "1047--1053",
journal = "Plant Science",
issn = "0168-9452",
publisher = "Elsevier Ireland Ltd",
number = "5",
}