Utilization of the Plant Hormone Indole-3-Acetic Acid for Growth by Pseudomonas putida Strain 1290

We have isolated from plant surfaces several bacteria with the ability to catabolize indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). One of them, isolate 1290, was able to utilize IAA as a sole source of carbon, nitrogen, and energy. The strain was identified by its 16S rRNA sequence as Pseudomonas putida. Activity of the enzyme catechol 1,2-dioxygenase was induced during growth on IAA, suggesting that catechol is an intermediate of the IAA catabolic pathway. This was in agreement with the observation that the oxygen uptake by IAA-grown P. putida 1290 cells was elevated in response to the addition of catechol. The inability of a catR mutant of P. putida 1290 to grow at the expense of IAA also suggests a central role for catechol as an intermediate in IAA metabolism. Besides being able to destroy IAA, strain 1290 was also capable of producing IAA in media supplemented with tryptophan. In root elongation assays, P. putida strain 1290 completely abolished the inhibitory effect of exogenous IAA on the elongation of radish roots. In fact, coinoculation of roots with P. putida 1290 and 1 mM concentration of IAA had a positive effect on root development. In coinoculation experiments on radish roots, strain 1290 was only partially able to alleviate the inhibitory effect of bacteria that in culture overproduce IAA. Our findings imply a biological role for strain 1290 as a sink or recycler of IAA in its association with plants and plant-associated bacteria.     

Indole-3-Acetic Acid Biosynthesis in Colletotrichum gloeosporioides f. sp. aeschynomene

We characterized the biosynthesis of indole-3-acetic acid by the mycoherbicide Colletotrichum gloeosporioides f. sp. aeschynomene. Auxin production was tryptophan dependent. Compounds from the indole-3-acetamide and indole-3-pyruvic acid pathways were detected in culture filtrates. Feeding experiments and in vitro assay confirmed the presence of both pathways. Indole-3-acetamide was the major pathway utilized by the fungus to produce indole-3-acetic acid in culture.     

Oxidation of Indole-3-Acetic Acid to Oxindole-3-Acetic Acid by an Enzyme Preparation from Zea mays

Indole-3-acetic acid is oxidized to oxindole-3-acetic acid by Zea mays tissue extracts. Shoot, root, and endosperm tissues have enzyme activities of 1 to 10 picomoles per hour per milligram protein. The enzyme is heat labile, is soluble, and requires oxygen for activity. Cofactors of mixed function oxygenase, peroxidase, and intermolecular dioxygenase are not stimulatory to enzymic activity. A heat-stable, detergent-extractable component from corn enhances enzyme activity 6- to 10-fold. This is the first demonstration of the in vitro enzymic oxidation of indole-3-acetic acid to oxindole-3-acetic acid in higher plants.     

Indole-3-Acetic Acid Production by Endophytic Streptomyces sp. En-1 Isolated from Medicinal Plants

Plant-associated actinobacteria are rich sources of bioactive compounds including indole-derived molecules such as phytohormone indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). In view of few investigations concerning the biosynthesis of IAA by endophytic actinobacteria, this study evaluated the potential of IAA production in endophytic streptomycete isolates sourced from medicinal plant species Taxus chinensis and Artemisia annua. By HPLC analysis of IAA combined with molecular screening approach of iaaM, a genetic determinant of streptomycete IAA synthesis via indole-3-acetamide (IAM), our data showed the putative operation of IAM-mediated IAA biosynthesis in Streptomyces sp. En-1 endophytic to Taxus chinensis. Furthermore, using the co-cultivation system of model plant Arabidopsis thaliana and streptomycete, En-1 was found to be colonized intercellularly in the tissues of Arabidopsis, an alternative host, and the effects of endophytic En-1 inoculation on the model plant were also assayed. The phytostimulatory effects of En-1 inoculation suggest that IAA-producing Streptomyces sp. En-1 of endophytic origin could be a promising candidate for utilization in growth improvement of plants of economic and agricultural value.     

Translocation of Radiolabeled Indole-3-Acetic Acid and Indole-3-Acetyl-myo-Inositol from Kernel to Shoot of Zea mays L.

Either 5-[³H]indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) or 5-[³H]indole-3-acetyl-myo-inositol was applied to the endosperm of kernels of dark-grown Zea mays seedlings. The distribution of total radioactivity, radiolabeled indole-3-acetic acid, and radiolabeled ester conjugated indole-3-acetic acid, in the shoots was then determined. Differences were found in the distribution and chemical form of the radiolabeled indole-3-acetic acid in the shoot depending upon whether 5-[³H]indole-3-acetic acid or 5-[³H]indole-3-acetyl-myo-inositol was applied to the endosperm. We demonstrated that indole-3-acetyl-myo-inositol applied to the endosperm provides both free and ester conjugated indole-3-acetic acid to the mesocotyl and coleoptile. Free indole-3-acetic acid applied to the endosperm supplies some of the indole-3-acetic acid in the mesocotyl but essentially no indole-3-acetic acid to the coleoptile or primary leaves. It is concluded that free IAA from the endosperm is not a source of IAA for the coleoptile. Neither radioactive indole-3-acetyl-myo-inositol nor IAA accumulates in the tip of the coleoptile or the mesocotyl node and thus these studies do not explain how the coleoptile tip controls the amount of IAA in the shoot.     

In Planta Production of Indole-3-Acetic Acid by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides f. sp. aeschynomene

The plant pathogenic fungus Colletotrichum gloeosporioides f. sp. aeschynomene utilizes external tryptophan to produce indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) through the intermediate indole-3-acetamide (IAM). We studied the effects of tryptophan, IAA, and IAM on IAA biosynthesis in fungal axenic cultures and on in planta IAA production by the fungus. IAA biosynthesis was strictly dependent on external tryptophan and was enhanced by tryptophan and IAM. The fungus produced IAM and IAA in planta during the biotrophic and necrotrophic phases of infection. The amounts of IAA produced per fungal biomass were highest during the biotrophic phase. IAA production by this plant pathogen might be important during early stages of plant colonization.     

The Multifunctional Enzyme CYP71B15 (PHYTOALEXIN DEFICIENT3) Converts Cysteine-Indole-3-Acetonitrile to Camalexin in the Indole-3-Acetonitrile Metabolic Network of Arabidopsis thaliana

Accumulation of camalexin, the characteristic phytoalexin of Arabidopsis thaliana, is induced by a great variety of plant pathogens. It is derived from Trp, which is converted to indole-3-acetonitrile (IAN) by successive action of the cytochrome P450 enzymes CYP79B2/B3 and CYP71A13. Extracts from wild-type plants and camalexin biosynthetic mutants, treated with silver nitrate or inoculated with Phytophthora infestans, were comprehensively analyzed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. This metabolomics approach was combined with precursor feeding experiments to characterize the IAN metabolic network and to identify novel biosynthetic intermediates and metabolites of camalexin. Indole-3-carbaldehyde and indole-3-carboxylic acid derivatives were shown to originate from IAN. IAN conjugates with glutathione, γ-glutamylcysteine, and cysteine [Cys(IAN)] accumulated in challenged phytoalexin deficient3 (pad3) mutants. Cys(IAN) rescued the camalexin-deficient phenotype of cyp79b2 cyp79b3 and was itself converted to dihydrocamalexic acid (DHCA), the known substrate of CYP71B15 (PAD3), by microsomes isolated from silver nitrate–treated Arabidopsis leaves. Surprisingly, yeast-expressed CYP71B15 also catalyzed thiazoline ring closure, DHCA formation, and cyanide release with Cys(IAN) as substrate. In conclusion, in the camalexin biosynthetic pathway, IAN is derivatized to the intermediate Cys(IAN), which serves as substrate of the multifunctional cytochrome P450 enzyme CYP71B15.     

Conversion of Endogenous Indole-3-Butyric Acid to Indole-3-Acetic Acid Drives Cell Expansion in Arabidopsis Seedlings

Genetic evidence in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) suggests that the auxin precursor indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) is converted into active indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) by peroxisomal β-oxidation; however, direct evidence that Arabidopsis converts IBA to IAA is lacking, and the role of IBA-derived IAA is not well understood. In this work, we directly demonstrated that Arabidopsis seedlings convert IBA to IAA. Moreover, we found that several IBA-resistant, IAA-sensitive mutants were deficient in IBA-to-IAA conversion, including the indole-3-butyric acid response1 (ibr1) ibr3 ibr10 triple mutant, which is defective in three enzymes likely to be directly involved in peroxisomal IBA β-oxidation. In addition to IBA-to-IAA conversion defects, the ibr1 ibr3 ibr10 triple mutant displayed shorter root hairs and smaller cotyledons than wild type; these cell expansion defects are suggestive of low IAA levels in certain tissues. Consistent with this possibility, we could rescue the ibr1 ibr3 ibr10 short-root-hair phenotype with exogenous auxin. A triple mutant defective in hydrolysis of IAA-amino acid conjugates, a second class of IAA precursor, displayed reduced hypocotyl elongation but normal cotyledon size and only slightly reduced root hair lengths. Our data suggest that IBA β-oxidation and IAA-amino acid conjugate hydrolysis provide auxin for partially distinct developmental processes and that IBA-derived IAA plays a major role in driving root hair and cotyledon cell expansion during seedling development.The auxin indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) controls both cell division and cell expansion and thereby orchestrates many developmental events and environmental responses. For example, auxin regulates lateral root initiation, root and stem elongation, and leaf expansion (for review, see Davies, 2004). Normal plant morphogenesis and environmental responses require modulation of auxin levels by controlling biosynthesis, regulating transport, and managing storage forms (for review, see Woodward and Bartel, 2005a). In some storage forms, the carboxyl group of IAA is conjugated to amino acids or peptides or to sugars, and free IAA can be released by hydrolases when needed (Bartel et al., 2001; Woodward and Bartel, 2005a). A second potential auxin storage form is the side chain-lengthened compound indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), which can be synthesized from IAA (Epstein and Ludwig-Müller, 1993) and is suggested to be shortened into IAA by peroxisomal β-oxidation (Bartel et al., 2001; Woodward and Bartel, 2005a).Genetic evidence suggests that the auxin activity of both IAA-amino acid conjugates and IBA requires free IAA to be released from these precursors (Bartel and Fink, 1995; Zolman et al., 2000). Mutation of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) genes encoding IAA-amino acid hydrolases, including ILR1, IAR3, and ILL2, reduces plant sensitivity to the applied IAA-amino acid conjugates that are substrates of these enzymes, including IAA-Leu, IAA-Phe, and IAA-Ala (Bartel and Fink, 1995; Davies et al., 1999; LeClere et al., 2002; Rampey et al., 2004), which are present in Arabidopsis (Tam et al., 2000; Kowalczyk and Sandberg, 2001; Kai et al., 2007).Unlike the simple one-step release of free IAA from amino acid conjugates, release of IAA from IBA is suggested to require a multistep process (Zolman et al., 2007, 2008). Conversion of IBA to IAA has been demonstrated in a variety of plants (Fawcett et al., 1960; for review, see Epstein and Ludwig-Müller, 1993) and may involve β-oxidation of the four-carbon carboxyl side chain of IBA to the two-carbon side chain of IAA (Fawcett et al., 1960; Zolman et al., 2000, 2007). Mutation of genes encoding the apparent β-oxidation enzymes INDOLE-3-BUTYRIC ACID RESPONSE1 (IBR1), IBR3, or IBR10 results in IBA resistance, but does not alter IAA response or confer a dependence on exogenous carbon sources for growth following germination (Zolman et al., 2000, 2007, 2008), consistent with the possibility that these enzymes function in IBA β-oxidation but not fatty acid β-oxidation.Both conjugate hydrolysis and IBA β-oxidation appear to be compartmentalized. The IAA-amino acid hydrolases are predicted to be endoplasmic reticulum localized (Bartel and Fink, 1995; Davies et al., 1999) and enzymes required for IBA responses, including IBR1, IBR3, and IBR10, are peroxisomal (Zolman et al., 2007, 2008). Moreover, many peroxisome biogenesis mutants, such as peroxin5 (pex5) and pex7, are resistant to exogenous IBA, but remain IAA sensitive (Zolman et al., 2000; Woodward and Bartel, 2005b).Although the contributions of auxin transport to environmental and developmental auxin responses are well documented (for review, see Petrášek and Friml, 2009), the roles of various IAA precursors in these processes are less well understood. Expansion of root epidermal cells to control root architecture is an auxin-regulated process in which these roles can be dissected. Root epidermal cells provide soil contact and differentiate into files of either nonhair cells (atrichoblasts) or hair cells (trichoblasts). Root hairs emerge from trichoblasts as tube-shaped outgrowths that increase the root surface area, thus aiding in water and nutrient uptake (for review, see Grierson and Schiefelbein, 2002). Root hair length is determined by the duration of root hair tip growth, which is highly sensitive to auxin levels (for review, see Grierson and Schiefelbein, 2002). Mutants defective in the ABCG36/PDR8/PEN3 ABC transporter display lengthened root hairs and hyperaccumulate [³H]IBA, but not [³H]IAA, in root tip auxin transport assays (Strader and Bartel, 2009), suggesting that ABCG36 functions as an IBA effluxer and that IBA promotes root hair elongation. The related ABCG37/PDR9 transporter also can efflux IBA (Strader et al., 2008b; Růžička et al., 2010) and may have some functional overlap with ABCG36 (Růžička et al., 2010). In addition to lengthened root hairs, abcg36/pdr8/pen3 mutants display enlarged cotyledons, a second high-auxin phenotype. Both of these developmental phenotypes are suppressed by the mildly peroxisome-defective mutant pex5-1 (Strader and Bartel, 2009), suggesting that IBA contributes to cell expansion by serving as a precursor to IAA, which directly drives the increased cell expansion that underlies these phenotypes. However, whether IBA-derived IAA contributes to cell expansion events during development of wild-type plants is not known.Here, we directly demonstrate that peroxisome-defective mutants are defective in the conversion of IBA to IAA, consistent with previous reports that these genes are necessary for full response to applied IBA. We found that a mutant defective in three suggested IBA-to-IAA conversion enzymes displays low-auxin phenotypes, including decreased root hair expansion and decreased cotyledon size. We further found that these mutants suppress the long-root-hair and enlarged cotyledon phenotypes of an abcg36/pdr8 mutant, suggesting that endogenous IBA-derived IAA drives root hair and cotyledon expansion in wild-type seedlings.     

Rhodococcus ruber CGMCC3090腈水合酶纯化、酶学性质及结晶研究

Rhodococcus ruber CGMCC309菌株为酰胺酶及腈水解酶双重缺陷菌株,研究表明该菌能产宽泛底物特异性的腈水合酶。对该菌株产生的新型腈水合酶(NHase-3090)进行纯化和结晶,并研究了其酶学性质。采用疏水、离子交换及凝胶过滤3种层析方法,使该酶纯化倍数达到17.14,得率高达26.2%。电泳分析表明,全酶分子量为105 kDa,由α(24.3 k Da)和β(28.0k Da)2个亚基组成,并构成α2β2四聚体。酶的最适p H和温度分别为7.5和30℃。该酶明显受不同金属离子影响。动力学研究表明,Km为178.8 m M;Vmax为209.1μmol/L·min·mg。研究发现3种金属离子Zn~(2+),CO~(2+)和Cd~(2+)有利于酶蛋白结晶。结晶最佳条件是:采用112-34#试剂(0.05mol/L水合硫酸镉、0.1mol/L HEPS和1.0mol/L三水醋酸钠),蛋白质浓度为15 mg/ml,结晶温度为16℃,p H为7.5,结晶时间为30 d。腈水合酶蛋白单晶经X射线衍射,分辨率达到了3.7。该腈水合酶的纯化和结晶为进一步深入研究其结构和功能奠定了基础。     

Isolation and Partial Characterization of the Major Amide-Linked Conjugate of Indole-3-Acetic Acid from Phaseolus vulgaris L

A major indole-3-acetic acid conjugate from Phaseolus vulgaris seed has been isolated and partially characterized. It is a 3 kilodalton peptide with apparently 2 indole-3-acetyl moieties in amide linkage per peptide. The indole-3-acetic acid component was identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and the peptide characterized by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, by amino acid analysis using dabsyl derivatives and by its Fourier transform-infrared spectrum. This is the first higher molecular weight amide-linked indole-3-acetic acid conjugate to be characterized from higher plants.     

Indole-3-Pyruvic Acid as an Intermediate in the Conversion of Tryptophan to Indole-3-Acetic Acid. I. Some Characteristics of Tryptophan Transaminase from Mung Bean Seedlings

Seedlings of mung bean (Phaseolus aureus) contain a soluble enzyme capable of converting l-tryptophan to indole-3-pyruvic acid by transamination. The concentration of the enzyme is highest in the stem meristem and primary leaves and lowest in the roots. The enzyme was purified 28.6 fold by ammonium sulphate precipitation, Sephadex G-200 filtration, and electrophoresis. The isoelectric point of the enzyme protein was pH 6.6. The optimum pH and temperature for the catalytic conversion were ca. 8.5 and 53°C respectively. Using l -tryptophan and α-ketoglutarate as substrates Km was found to be 3.3 × 10^?4 M and the activation energy 18,270 cal per mole. The enzyme converted only the l -form of tryptophan, phenylalanine, tyrosine, and histidine. Out of 13 other l -amino acids tested 8 could be transaminated. Eight α-keto acids tested could all be used as substrates. High efficiency of an α-keto acid as an amino group acceptor agreed usually with high efficiency of the corresponding amino acid as a donor. The pari ß-methyl-α-ketoisovaleric acid and isoleucine was an exception to that rule. Addition of pyridoxalphosphate to the reaction mixture was not needed. The indole-3-pyruvic acid formed in the reaction was trapped and partly stabilized as its borate complex and measured spectrophotometrically at 327 nm. The keto acid formed was further identified by chromatography of its 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazone in 4 solvent systems. When using α-keto-glutaric acid as a substrate, the glutamic acid produced was determined by the glutamate dehydrogenase method. The sensitivity of the assay permits enzyme determinations in extracts from 5 mg leaves or 100 mg roots.     

The Identification of Indole-3-Acetic Acid and Indole-3-Acetamide in the Hypocotyls of Japanese Cherry

Both indole-3-acetamide (IAM) and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA)were identified in extracts of the hypocotyls of Japanese cherryby GC/MS. Exogenous IAA and IAM promoted the elongation of segmentsof these hypocotyls and the effect of IAA applied together withIAM was the same as that of IAA alone. (Received July 29, 1992; Accepted October 19, 1992)     

Production of Indole-3-Acetic Acid in the Plant-Beneficial Strain Pseudomonas chlororaphis O6 Is Negatively Regulated by the Global Sensor Kinase GacS

Certain plant growth–promoting bacteria, such as Pseudomonas fluorescens 89B61 and Bacillus pumilus SE34, secreted high levels of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) in tryptophan-amended medium in stationary phase as determined by chromogenic analysis and high-performance liquid chromatography. Two other growth-promoting strains, P. chlororaphis O6 and Serratia marcescens 90-166, did not produce these high levels of IAA. However, when the gacS mutant of P. chlororaphis O6 was grown in tryptophan-supplemented medium, IAA was detected in culture filtrates. IAA production by the gacS mutant in P. chlororaphis O6 was repressed in the tryptophan medium by complementation with the wild-type gacS gene. Thus, the global regulatory Gac system in P. chlororaphis O6 acts as a negative regulator of IAA production from trypophan.     

Measurement of the Rates of Oxindole-3-Acetic Acid Turnover, and Indole-3-Acetic Acid Oxidation in Zea mays Seedlings

Nonhcbcl, H. M. 1986. Measurement of the rates of oxindole-3-aceticacid turnover and indole-3-acetic acid oxidation in Zea maysseedlings.—J. exp. Bat. 37: 1691–1697. Oxindole-3-acetic acid is the pnncipal catabolite of indole-3-aceticacid in Zea mays seedlings. In this paper measurements of theturnover of oxindole-3-acetic acid are presented and used tocalculate the rate of indole-3-acetic acid oxidation. [³H]Oxindolc-3-acetic acid was applied to the endosperm of Zeamays seedlings and allowed to equilibrate for 24 h before thestart of the experiment. The subsequent decrease in its specificactivity was used to calculate the turnover rate. The averagehalf-life of oxindole-3-acetic acid in the shoots was foundto be 30 h while that in the kernels had an average half-lifeof 35 h. Using previously published values of the pool sizesof oxindole-3-acetic acid in shoots and kernels from seedlingsof the same age and variety, and grown under the same conditions,the rate of indole-3-acetic acid oxidation was calculated tobe I-I pmol plant^–1 h^–1 in the shoots and 7·1pmol plant^–1 h^–1 in the kernels. Key words: Oxindole-3-acetic acid, indole-3-acetic acid, turnover, Zea mays     

Indole-3-Pyruvic Acid as an Intermediate in the Conversion of Tryptophan to Indole-3-Acetic Acid. II. Distribution of Tryptophan Transaminase Activity in Plants

Extracts from different organs of 30 plant species belonging to 16 families have been analysed for tryptophan transaminase activity. Only the brown alga Fucus spiralis was found to be devoid of the enzymes. Among the other plants tested, a difference in activity of two orders of magnitude was recorded. None of the genera or families investigated could be considered as particularly rich or poor sources of the enzyme. Extracts from leaves and stem tips contained generally more transaminase activity than extracts from stems and roots. The results are discussed in relation to other reports on the occurrence of the enzyme in plants.     

Concentrations of Abscisic Acid and Indole-3-Acetic Acid in Soybean Seeds during Development

Concentrations of abscisic acid (ABA) and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) in seed parts were determined during reproductive development of soybean plants (Glycine max [L.] Merr. cv `Chippewa 64'). The concentration of ABA and IAA changed independently in individual seed parts with time. Measurement of the level of ABA and IAA in whole seeds masked the changes which occurred in individual seed tissues. The concentration of ABA was generally highest and that of IAA was generally lowest in the embryonic axis of soybean seeds. In the testa, the IAA concentration was generally highest while the ABA concentration was generally the lowest compared to other parts of the seed.