Oligopeptides and plant morphogenesis: A working hypothesis

The two plant hormones—the cytokinins and the auxins—which can induce or enhance morphogenetic events as bud-initiation and root-initiation, contain strong structural relations to amino-acids. Since oligopeptides gathered more and more importance as molecular signals in animal physiology within the last few years, oligopeptides may have comparable functions in plant physiology and especially in plant morphogenesis. The working hypothesis describes bud formation as regulated by an oligopeptidic bud activator with auxins as bud inhibitor, and root formation as regulated by an oligopeptidic root activator and cytokinins as root inhibitor. Some possible proofs of this hypothesis are discussed.