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Phytohormones in the formation of crown gall tumors

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Abstract

Crown gall tumors were initiated in a variety of plant species by infection with Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain B6 and the concomitant changes in the tissue levels of phytohormones, mainly indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and cytokinins, were analyzed. A comparison was made of these hormones with those produced by virulent and avirulent strains of the bacterium in liquid culture and with those of bacteria-free crown gall callus cultures. Specific radioimmunoassays were employed for hormone determinations. An assay for the quantitation of femto-mol amounts of isopentenyladenosine and related cytokinins was newly developed and is described in detail. The results can be summarized as follows: Virulence in strain B 6 is associated with the ability to release trans-zeatin and increased amounts of IAA into the surrounding environment. In many, but not all plants analyzed, the development of crown gall tumors is also associated with a sharp rise in the levels of trans-zeatin-type zytokinins and IAA (e.g., Euphorbia lathyris, Catharanthus roseus). Crown gall calli growing on hormone-free media varied greatly in their cytokinin levels. In a culture of Nicotiana tabacum, both trans-zeatin and isopentenyladenine or related cytokinins were not detected. Thus, tumor growth cannot be explained on the basis of elevated levels of IAA and/or cytokinins alone.

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Abbreviations

ABA:

abscisic acid

GC-MS:

gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy

HPLC:

high pressure liquid chromatography

IAA:

indole-3-acetic acid

RIA:

radioimmunoassay

TLC:

thin layer chromatography

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Lehrstuhl für Pflanzenphysiologie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Postfach 102148, D-4630, Bochum, Federal Republic of Germany

    Elmar W. Weiler & Kurt Spanier

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  1. Elmar W. Weiler
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  2. Kurt Spanier
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Part 19 in the series “Use of immunoassay in plant science”

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Weiler, E.W., Spanier, K. Phytohormones in the formation of crown gall tumors. Planta 153, 326–337 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00384251

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00384251

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