Indoleacetic acid elongation

Scheme 1. Molecular structure of the plant growth hormone auxin (indoleacetic acid, IAA). Extremely small amounts (nanomolar) can be detected by the auxin standard test 5 mm long segments of pea shoots elongate faster in the presence of exogenous auxin, which can be taken as a sensitive assay...

The most promising leads have come from studying the hormonal requirements of the system. By themselves, we can find no indication whatsoever of any growth promotion by any of the alkyl lipides. When gibberellic acid is also applied, response remains small. If indoleacetic acid, or another auxin, is added, the sections show the classic bioassay response—and this is further stimulated by the active lipides. In the presence of both auxin and gibberellic acid, however, the sections show their greatest capacity to elongate still further in the presence of the alkyl lipides (I). Remarkably, the lipides are most effective at concentrations corn-... 

There are three major classes of synthetic auxins the aryl acetic acids, which include indoleacetic acid (lAA) itself (Fig. 1 structure 2-1) and 1-naphthyl acetic acid (2-4), phenoxy acetic acids, represented by 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D) (2-7) and the benzoic acids, e.g. 2,3,6-trichloro benzoic acid (2-9). It remains the case however, that there is no stmcture-activity proposal which satisfactorily covers all molecules which are known to have auxin activity. As is well known, auxins have multiple effects, including promotion of cell elongation, cell division and gene expression. There may well be different receptors for each effect, and differences between receptors. An auxin binding protein (ABP), has now been characterised, and is possibly a receptor controlling cell elongation [3]. 

The simple model of a hormone system implies that the chemical species will induce the regulatory response in some place remote from the site of its synthesis. This model is extremely well adapted to the auxin regulation of coleoptile growth where the indoleacetic acid was found to be produced in the coleoptile tip and moved in a directional transport system to the elongating portion of the coleoptile where it stimulated growth. 

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