The Formation of Indoleacetylaspartic Acid in Pea Seedlings.

Abstract

Although the morphological effects of the application of indoleacetic acid (IAA) to plants are well defined, very little is known of the fate of IAA after it has entered the plant tissues. An enzyme system which brings about the oxidation of IAA to unknown products has been described (4). Recently Siegel and Galston (5) have reported that IAA is incorporated into a protein complex by pea root tips. Andreae (1) working with pea stems and roots observed that exogenous IAA is largely converted in the tissue into an ether-insoluble substance which gives a stable mauve color with the Salkowski reagent (FeCl3-H2S04) and is not affected by the IAA oxidase of peas. This substance has now been identified as indoleacetylaspartic acid.