Free radical-scavenging activity and DNA damaging potential of auxins IAA and 2-methyl-IAA evaluated in human neutrophils by the alkaline comet assay.

Auxins, of which indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) is the most widespread representative, are plant hormones. In addition to plants, IAA also naturally occurs in humans in micromolar concentrations. In the presence of peroxidase, indolic auxins are converted to cytotoxic oxidation products and have thus been proposed for use in gene-directed enzyme/prodrug tumor therapy. Since data on the genotoxicity of IAA and its derivatives are not consistent, here we investigate the early DNA damaging effects (2-h treatment) of the auxins, IAA, and 2-methyl-indole-3-acetic acid (2-Me-IAA) by the alkaline comet assay and compare them with their free radical-scavenging activity measured by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. Human neutrophils are chosen as the test system since they possess inherent peroxidase activity. The results of the comet assay indicate an increase in DNA damage in a dose-dependent manner up to 1.00 mM of both auxins. Generally, IAA applied in the same concentration had greater potential to damage DNA in human neutrophils than did 2-Me-IAA. The genotoxicities of the two examined auxins are negatively correlated with their antioxidant activities, as measured by the DPPH assay; 2-Me-IAA showed a higher antioxidant capacity than did IAA. We assume that differences in the molecular structure of the tested auxins contributed to differences in their metabolism, in particular, with respect to interactions with peroxidases and other oxidative enzymes in neutrophils. However, the exact mechanisms have to be elucidated in future studies.

Isolation of novel indole-3-acetic acid conjugates by immunoaffinity extraction.

An analytical protocol for the isolation and quantification of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and its amino acid conjugates was developed. IAA is an important phytohormone and formation of its conjugates plays a crucial role in regulating IAA levels in plants. The developed protocol combines a highly specific immunoaffinity extraction with a sensitive and selective LC-MS/MS analysis. By using internal standards for each of the studied compounds, IAA and seven amino acid conjugates were analyzed in quantities of fresh plant material as low as 30 mg. In seeds of Helleborus niger, physiological levels of these compounds were found to range from 7.5 nmol g(-1) fresh weight (IAA) to 0.44 pmol g(-1) fresh weight (conjugate with Ala). To our knowledge, the identification of IAA conjugates with Gly, Phe and Val from higher plants is reported here for the first time.

Auxin amidohydrolases from Brassica rapa cleave the alanine conjugate of indolepropionic acid as a preferable substrate: a biochemical and modeling approach.

Two auxin amidohydrolases, BrIAR3 and BrILL2, from Chinese cabbage [Brassica rapa L. ssp. pekinensis (Lour.) Hanelt] were produced by heterologous expression in Escherichia coli, purified, and screened for activity towards N-(indol-3-ylacetyl)-L-alanine (IAA-Ala) and the long-chain auxin-amino acid conjugates, N-[3-(indol-3-yl)propionyl]-L-alanine (IPA-Ala) and N-[4-(indol-3-yl)butyryl]-L-alanine (IBA-Ala). IPA-Ala was shown to be the favored substrate of both enzymes, but BrILL2 was approximately 15 times more active than BrIAR3. Both enzymes cleaved IBA-Ala and IAA-Ala to a lesser extent. The enzyme kinetics were measured for BrILL2 and the obtained parameters suggested similar binding affinities for the long-chain auxin-amino acid conjugates (IPA-Ala and IBA-Ala). The velocity of the hydrolyzing reaction decreased in the order IPA-Ala > IBA-Ala > IAA-Ala. In a root growth bioassay, higher growth inhibition was caused by IPA-Ala and IBA-Ala in comparison with IAA-Ala. Neither these conjugates nor the corresponding free auxins affected the expression of the BrILL2 gene. A modeling study revealed several possible modes of IPA-Ala binding to BrILL2. Based on these results, two possible scenarios for substrate hydrolysis are proposed. In one the metal binding water is activated by the carboxyl group of the substrate itself, and in the other by a glutamate residue from the active site of the enzyme.

Binding of ring-substituted indole-3-acetic acids to human serum albumin.

The plant hormone, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), and its ring-substituted derivatives have recently attracted attention as promising pro-drugs in cancer therapy. Here we present relative binding constants to human serum albumin for IAA and 34 of its derivatives, as obtained using the immobilized protein bound to a support suitable for high-performance liquid chromatography. We also report their octanol-water partition coefficients (logK(ow)) computed from retention data on a C(18) coated silica gel column. A four-parameter QSPR (quantitative structure-property relationships) model, based on physico-chemical properties, is put forward, which accounts for more than 96% of the variations in the binding affinities of these compounds. The model confirms the importance of lipophilicity as a global parameter governing interaction with serum albumin, but also assigns significant roles to parameters specifically related to the molecular topology of ring-substituted IAAs. Bulky substituents at ring-position 6 increase affinity, those at position 2 obstruct binding, while no steric effects were noted at other ring-positions. Electron-withdrawing substituents at position 5 enhance binding, but have no obvious effect at other ring positions.

Binding behavior of amino acid conjugates of indole-3-acetic acid to immobilized human serum albumin.

The affinity of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), indole-3-propionic acid, indole-3-butyric acid and 24 of their amino acid conjugates to immobilized human serum albumin, as expressed by the retention factor k (determined by HPLC), was dependent on (1) lipophilicity, (2) chirality and (3) functional groups in the amino acid moiety; in some cases conformation plays an additional role. Two lipophilicity-related parameters afforded quantitative correlations with k: retention on a C18 reversed-phase column (experimental approach) and the distance between the hydrophilic and hydrophobic poles of the molecules (in silico approach). Most compounds examined are possible metabolic precursors of IAA, an experimental tumor therapeutic.

Cytokinins in the perianth, carpels, and developing fruit of Helleborus niger L.

Reproductive development in the Christmas rose (Helleborus niger L.) differs from that in commonly investigated model plants in two important aspects: (i) the perianth develops a photosynthetic system, after fertilization, and persists until seed ripening; and (ii) the ripe seed contains an immature embryo which continues to mature off the mother plant. The possible roles of cytokinins in these processes are investigated here by analysing extracts of the perianth and the carpels/maturing fruit prepared during anthesis and four stages of post-floral development. trans-Zeatin, dihydrozeatin, N6-(Delta2-isopentenyl)adenine, and their ribosides were identified by tandem mass spectrometry. Single ion monitoring in the presence of deuterated internal standards demonstrated the additional presence of the corresponding riboside-5'-monophosphates, O-glucosides, and 9-glucosides, and afforded quantitative data on the whole set of endogenous cytokinins. Fruit cytokinins were mostly localized in the seeds. Their overall concentrations increased dramatically during early seed development and remained high for 6-8 weeks, until shortly before seed ripening (the last time point covered in this work). Overall cytokinin levels in the perianth did not change markedly in the period covered, but the level of N6-(Delta2-isopentenyl)adenine-type cytokinins appeared to increase slightly and transiently during the greening phase. The perianths of unpollinated or depistillated flowers, which survived, but did not pass through the complete greening process, contained significantly less cytokinins than observed in fruit-bearing flowers. This suggests that perianth greening requires defined cytokinin levels and supports the role of the developing fruit in their maintenance.

Noninvasive and continuous recordings of auxin fluxes in intact root apex with a carbon nanotube-modified and self-referencing microelectrode.

Auxin (also known as indole-3-acetic acid, IAA) represents an ancient signaling molecule of plants that also exerts bioactive actions on yeast and animal cells. Importantly, IAA emerges as a new anticancer agent due to the ability of oxidatively activated IAA to selectively kill tumor cells. IAA acts as a pheromone-like molecule in brown algae, whereas the hormone concept of IAA dominates current plant biology. However, recent advances also favor the morphogen- and transmitter-like nature of IAA in plants, making this small molecule one of the most unique molecules in the eukaryotic superkingdom. Here, we introduce new technology for the continuous measuring of IAA fluxes in living cells, tissues, and whole organs that is based on a carbon nanotube-modified and self-referencing microelectrode specific for IAA. This technique not only will advance our knowledge of how IAA regulates plant development but will also be applicable in medicine for its potential use in cancer therapy.

Aminoethyl-substituted indole-3-acetic acids for the preparation of tagged and carrier-linked auxin.

Indole-3-acetic acid is an indispensable hormone (auxin) in plants and an important metabolite in humans, animals, and microorganisms. Here we introduce its 5- and 6-(2-aminoethyl)-derivatives for use in the design of novel research tools, such as immobilized and carrier-linked forms of indole-3-acetic acid and its conjugates with biochemical tags or biocompatible molecular probes. The aliphatic nitrogens of 5- and 6-(2-aminoethyl)indole were acetylated and the products were converted to the corresponding 3-(N,N-dimethylamino)methyl derivatives (gramines). These were reacted with cyanide. Saponification of the resulting acetonitriles was accompanied by N-deprotection to yield 5- and 6-(2-aminoethyl)indole-3-acetic acids. The latter were chemically stable and could be linked, via their amino groups, and without prior protection of their carboxyl moieties, to bovine serum albumin and to biotin, including appropriate spacer modules. One of the protein conjugates was used to elicit the formation of monoclonal antibodies, which were evaluated using the biotin conjugates in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay employing streptavidin-coupled alkaline phosphatase, and thus shown to recognize predominantly the indole-3-acetic acid moiety.

Absorption and fluorescence spectra of ring-substituted indole-3-acetic acids.

The absorption and fluorescence spectra of indole-3-acetic acid (1), a plant growth regulator (auxin) and experimental cancer therapeutic, 29 ring-substituted derivatives and the 7-aza analogue (1H-pyrrolo[2,3b]pyridine-3-acetic acid) are compared. Two to four absorbance maxima in the 260-310-nm range are interpreted as overlapping vibronic lines of the 1La<--1A and 1Lb<--1A transitions. Two further maxima in the 200-230-nm region are assigned to the 1Ba<--1A and 1Bb<--1A transitions. 4- and 7-Fluoroindole-3-acetic acid exhibit blue shifts with respect to 1, most other derivatives show red shifts. All indole-3-acetic acids studied, with the exception of chloro-, bromo- and 4- or 7-fluoro-derivatives, fluoresce at 345-370 nm when excited at 275-280 nm. 7-Azaindole-3-acetic acid emits at 411 nm. The fluorescence quantum yield of 6-fluoroindole-3-acetic acid significantly exceeds that of 1 (0.3); the other derivatives have lower quantum yields. The plant-growth promoting activity of the ring-substituted indole-3-acetic acids studied correlates with the position of the 1Bb<--1A transition band.

A novel auxin conjugate hydrolase from wheat with substrate specificity for longer side-chain auxin amide conjugates.

This study investigates how the ILR1-like indole acetic acid (IAA) amidohydrolase family of genes has functionally evolved in the monocotyledonous species wheat (Triticum aestivum). An ortholog for the Arabidopsis IAR3 auxin amidohydrolase gene has been isolated from wheat (TaIAR3). The TaIAR3 protein hydrolyzes negligible levels of IAA-Ala and no other IAA amino acid conjugates tested, unlike its ortholog IAR3. Instead, TaIAR3 has low specificity for the ester conjugates IAA-Glc and IAA-myoinositol and high specificity for the conjugates of indole-3-butyric acid (IBA-Ala and IBA-Gly) and indole-3-propionic-acid (IPA-Ala) so far tested. TaIAR3 did not convert the methyl esters of the IBA conjugates with Ala and Gly. IBA and IBA conjugates were detected in wheat seedlings by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, where the conjugate of IBA with Ala may serve as a natural substrate for this enzyme. Endogenous IPA and IPA conjugates were not detected in the seedlings. Additionally, crude protein extracts of wheat seedlings possess auxin amidohydrolase activity. Temporal expression studies of TaIAR3 indicate that the transcript is initially expressed at day 1 after germination. Expression decreases through days 2, 5, 10, 15, and 20. Spatial expression studies found similar levels of expression throughout all wheat tissues examined.

Developing fruit direct post-floral morphogenesis in Helleborus niger L.

In fertilized flowers of Helleborus niger L., the sepals (the showy elements of the perianth at anthesis) grow, spread, and turn green, and the peduncles elongate. These processes did not proceed to completion when the pistils were removed at the bud stage, but could be restored by the application of plant growth regulators. Cytokinins and gibberellins stimulated the formation of well-developed chloroplasts in, and spreading of, the sepals; the gibberellin, GA3, and the auxin, 4-chloroindole-3-acetic acid, promoted peduncle elongation. In fruit-bearing flowers, on the other hand, paclobutrazol, an inhibitor of gibberellin biosynthesis, reduced chlorophyll formation in the sepals, reversed sepal spreading, and inhibited peduncle elongation. Of the endogenous growth regulators in developing fruit, the following cytokinins were identified: zeatin, dihydrozeatin, N6-(2-isopentenyl)adenine and their ribosides and 9-glucosides. Zeatin riboside drastically increased in abundance (about 200 times), shortly after fertilization, when chlorophyll accumulation in the sepals occurred at the fastest rate, and remained the most prominent identified cytokinin until seed ripening.