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. 1981 Apr;67(4):820–824. doi: 10.1104/pp.67.4.820

Relationship of Camphor Biosynthesis to Leaf Development in Sage (Salvia officinalis) 1,2

Rodney Croteau 1,3, Mark Felton 1, Frank Karp 1, Robert Kjonaas 1
PMCID: PMC425779  PMID: 16661761

Abstract

The camphor content of sage (Salvia officinalis L.) leaves increases as the leaves expand, and the increase is roughly proportional to the number of filled peltate oil glands which appear on the leaf surface during the expansion process. 14CO2 is more rapidly incorporated into camphor and its direct progenitors in expanding leaves than in mature leaves, and direct in vitro measurement of the key enzymes involved in the conversion of geranyl pyrophosphate to camphor indicates that these enzymes, including the probable rate-limiting cyclization step, are at the highest levels during the period of maximum leaf expansion. These results clearly demonstrate that immature sage leaves synthesize and accumulate camphor most rapidly.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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