Non-protein amino acid-accumulating clade

Non-protein amino acid-accumulating clade
Canavalia ensiformis, from which canavanine was first isolated
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Clade: Meso-Papilionoideae
Clade: Non-protein amino acid-accumulating clade
(Cardoso et al 2012)
Clades
Synonyms
  • Canavanine-accumulating clade
  • NPAAA clade

The non-protein amino acid-accumulating clade, also known as the Canavanine-accumulating clade is a clade of the flowering plant subfamily Faboideae (or Papilionoideae) that includes the majority of agriculturally-cultivated legumes. It is characterized by the accumulation of the non-proteinogenic amino acid canavanine in the seeds—a deterrent against herbivory. This phylogenetic trait was first recognized in the early 1980s. This clade is consistently resolved in molecular phylogenies. It contains many economically important genera, including Cicer, Glycine, Medicago, Phaseolus, Trifolium, Vicia, and Vigna.