= Methylthioadenosine
<Methylthioadenosine> is a sulfur-containing <nucleoside>, commonly called 5′-methylthioadenosine. Relative to <adenosine>, its terminal 5′ hydroxyl group is replaced by $\mathrm{-S-CH_3}$, a <thioether> group. Its formula is $\mathrm{C_{11}H_{15}N_5O_3S}$.<PubChem Compound database by National Center for Biotechnology Information>[5′-Methylthioadenosine, CID439176; structure and formula]{ref}
In <plant> <Ethylene> biosynthesis, cleavage of <S-adenosylmethionine> produces <1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate> and <methylthioadenosine>. The fragments follow different subsequent reactions: the cyclic intermediate supplies <Ethylene>, whereas the sulfur-containing fragment can be recycled. In 1979, feeding differently labelled <methionine> to <apple> tissue connected the sulfur/methyl-labelled portion to a sulfur-containing sugar product, helping distinguish the two routes.<Ethylene biosynthesis: Identification of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid as an intermediate in the conversion of methionine to ethylene by D. O. Adams and S. F. Yang>[Abstract; methyl-14C and 35S tracing, proposed fragmentation and hydrolysis]{ref}
Back to article page
