Cyanogenic glucosides in barley

 

Barley contains the leucine derived cyanogenic glucoside epiheterodendrin and four non-cyanogenic cyanoglucosides. We discovered that the barley leaf is not cyanogenic because the leaves do not contain beta-glucosidase activity able to cleave epiheterodendrin.

 

The function of the cyanoglucosides and the effect of re-introduction of cyanogenesis in the barley leaf by transient expression of an epiheterodendrin hyrolyzing beta-glucosidase are now being studied with special emphasis on resistance to the powdery mildew fungus.