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Points of regulation for auxin action

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Abstract

There have been few examples of the application of our growing knowledge of hormone action to crop improvement. In this review we discuss what is known about the critical points regulating auxin action. We examine auxin metabolism, transport, perception and signalling and identify genes and proteins that might be keys to regulation, particularly the rate-limiting steps in various pathways. Certain mutants show that substrate flow in biosynthesis can be limiting. To date there is little information available on the genes and proteins of catabolism. There have been several auxin transport proteins and some elegant transport physiology described recently, and the potential for using transport proteins to manage free indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) concentrations is discussed. Free IAA is very mobile, and so while it may be more practical to control auxin action through managing the receptor and signalling pathways, the candidate genes and proteins through which this can be done remain largely unknown. From the available evidence, it is clear that the reason for so few commercial applications arising from the control of auxin action is that knowledge is still limited.

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Abbreviations

IAA :

Indole-3-acetic acid

IAAld :

Indole-3-acetaldehyde

IPA :

Indole-3-pyruvate

1-NAA :

Naphthalene-1-acetic acid

NPA :

1-N-naphthylphthalamic acid

TAM :

Tryptamine

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful for funding to EU INCO Copernicus project No. ERBIC15 CT98 0118, to BBSRC (RN), and the Ministry of Education of the Czech Republic, project no.: LN00A081 (EZ).

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  1. Institute of Experimental Botany, The Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Rozvojová 135, 16502 , Prague 6-Lysolaje, Czech Republic

    E. Zazimalova

  2. Horticulture Research International, Wellesbourne, Warwick, CV35 9EF, UK

    R. M. Napier

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  1. E. Zazimalova
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Correspondence to R. M. Napier.

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Communicated by P.P. Kumar

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Zazimalova, E., Napier, R.M. Points of regulation for auxin action. Plant Cell Rep 21, 625–634 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00299-002-0562-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00299-002-0562-9

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