Distribution of Free and Ester Indole-3-Acetic Acid in the Cortex and Stele of the Zea mays Mesocotyl

The distribution of free and ester-linked indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) in the vascular stele and cortex-epidermis of the Zea mays mesocotyl was measured by gas chromatography-selected ion monitoring-mass spectrometry and by radioimmunoassay with good agreement between the two assay methods. On a per plant basis, 72% of the free IAA was found in the stele and 28% was in the cortex, whereas 80% of the ester IAA was in the cortex with 20% localized in the stele. On a fresh weight basis, the concentration of free IAA was 15 to 28 times higher in the stele than in the cortex, whereas the concentration of ester IAA was similar in the two tissues. The concentration of free IAA in the apical portion of the cortex was 3 times higher than in the basal portion, and this distribution correlated with the relative growth rates of the apical and basal portions of the mesocotyl. No changes in the longitudinal distribution of ester IAA were found in either the cortex or stele.