E ROOT ALKALOIDS 



27 ( J 



2. Uric acid has been isolated, although possibly as a degradation 

 product, from spores of Aspergillus oryzae (513). 



3. Allantoinase, converting allantoin to allantoic acid, is found in 

 cell-free extracts of basidiomycete sporophores (83) and Aspergillus 

 niger (84). Allantoin serves as a nitrogen source for Fusarium oxy- 

 sporum f. nicotianae (607). 



4. Sporophores of basidiomycetes may contain significant amounts 

 of allantoic acid (162). 



Proof of the role of this sequence in a single organism, and demonstra- 

 tion of allantoicase and its products in a cell-free system are required 

 for acceptance of the pathway as written in Equation 19. 



8. ERGOT ALKALOIDS 



At least since the Middle Ages, it has been known that the black 

 sclerotia of the ergot fungus cause disease and often death if eaten 

 (41). The alkaloids of the fungus now also occupy a place in pharma- 

 cology and have been intensively investigated as drugs (205, 436). Al- 

 though the classical organism is Claviceps purpurea, there is reason to 

 believe that sclerotia of other species of the genus, especially C. paspali, 

 also contain the active materials (82). 



Chemically, the known ergot alkaloids comprise three basic types, 

 all amides of lysergic acid, which has the structure: 



H 



COOH 



' H 2 



N— CH 3 

 H 



H 



Y/^N 7 



H 



In the ergotamine and ergotoxine alkaloids, lysergic acid is linked to 

 a peptide; ergonovine (ergometrine, ergobasine) is made up of lysergic 

 acid and L-2-amino-l-propanol (508). A number of compounds closely 

 related to the pharmacologically active materials are produced in cul- 

 ture by specific strains of Claviceps spp. (3, 509); the structure and pos- 

 sible biosynthetic relationships of these are reviewed by Stickings and 

 Raistrick (504). Agroclavine production is greater in still than in 



