Planta

, Volume 171, Issue 3, pp 422–428 | Cite as

Endogenous indoles and the biosynthesis and metabolism of indole-3-acetic acid in cultures of Rhizobium phaseoli

  • A. Ernstsen
  • G. Sandberg
  • A. Crozier
  • C. T. Wheeler
Article
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Accepted:

Abstract

Gas chromatography-mass spectrometric analyses of purified extracts from cultures of Rhizobium phaseoli wild-type strain 8002, grown in a non-tryptophan-supplemented liquid medium, demonstrated the presence of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), indole-3-ethanol (IEt), indole-3-aldehyde and indole-3-methanol (IM). In metabolism studies with 3H-, 14C- and 2H-labelled substrates the bacterium was shown to convert tryptophan to IEt, IAA and IM; IEt to IAA and IM; and IAA to IM. Indole-3-acetamide (IAAm) could not be detected as either an endogenous constituent or a metabolite of [3H]tryptophan nor did cultures convert [14C]IAAm to IAA. Biosynthesis of IAA in R. phaseoli, thus, involves a different pathway from that operating in Pseudomonas savastanio and Agrobacterium tumefaciens-induced crown-gall tumours.

Key words

Auxin biosynthesis (IAA) Indole-3-acetic acid (biosynthesis, metabolism) Rhizobium (auxin biosynthesis) 

Abbreviations

IAA

indole-3-acetic acid

IAld

indole-3-aldehyde

IAAm

indole-3-acetamide

IEt

indole-3-ethanol

IM

indole-3-methanol

HPLC-RC

high-performance liquid chromatography-radio counting

GC-MS

gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

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Copyright information

© Springer-Verlag 1987

Authors and Affiliations

  • A. Ernstsen
    • 1
  • G. Sandberg
    • 1
  • A. Crozier
    • 2
  • C. T. Wheeler
    • 2
  1. 1.Department of Forest Genetics and Plant PhysiologyThe Swedish University of Agricultural SciencesUmeåSweden
  2. 2.Department of BotanyThe UniversityGlasgowUK

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