Simple and rapid capillary zone electrophoresis method for the detection of coronamic acid, a precursor to the Pseudomonas syringae phytotoxin coronatine.

The phytotoxin coronatine (COR) is produced by various pathovars of the plant pathogen Pseudomonas syringae, which infects a wide variety of crops. COR consists of two distinct moieties, coronafacic acid (CFA) and coronamic acid (CMA), which are derived from a modified polyketide pathway and isoleucine, respectively. Mutants defective in the CMA or CFA structural gene clusters have been used to study COR biosynthesis, and these mutants are commonly characterized using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).