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. 1989 Dec;91(4):1594–1601. doi: 10.1104/pp.91.4.1594

Evidence for a Universal Pathway of Abscisic Acid Biosynthesis in Higher Plants from 18O Incorporation Patterns 1

Jan A D Zeevaart 1,2, Timothy G Heath 1,2, Douglas A Gage 1,2
PMCID: PMC1062227  PMID: 16667222

Abstract

Previous labeling studies of abscisic acid (ABA) with 18O2 have been mainly conducted with water-stressed leaves. In this study, 18O incorporation into ABA of stressed leaves of various species was compared with 18O labeling of ABA of turgid leaves and of fruit tissue in different stages of ripening. In stressed leaves of all six species investigated, avocado (Persea americana), barley (Hordeum vulgare), bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), cocklebur (Xanthium strumarium), spinach (Spinacia oleracea), and tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum), 18O was most abundant in the carboxyl group, whereas incorporation of a second and third 18O in the oxygen atoms on the ring of ABA was much less prominent after 24 h in 18O2. ABA from turgid bean leaves showed significant 18O incorporation, again with highest 18O enrichment in the carboxyl group. The 18O-labeling pattern of ABA from unripe avocado mesocarp was similar to that of stressed leaves, but in ripe fruits there was, besides high 18O enrichment in the carboxyl group, also much additional 18O incorporation in the ring. In ripening apple fruit tissue (Malus domestica), singly labeled ABA was most abundant with more 18O incorporated in the tertiary hydroxyl group than in the carboxyl group of ABA. Smaller quantities of this monolabeled product (C-1′-18OH) were also detected in the stressed leaves of barley, bean, and tobacco, and in avocado fruits. It is postulated that a large precursor molecule yields an aldehyde cleavage product that is, in some tissues, rapidly converted to ABA with retention of 18O in the carboxyl group, whereas in ripening fruits and in the stressed leaves of some species the biosynthesis of ABA occurs at a slower rate, allowing this intermediate to exchange 18O with water. On the basis of 18O-labeling patterns observed in ABA from different tissues it is concluded that, despite variations in precursor pool sizes and intermediate turnover rates, there is a universal pathway of ABA biosynthesis in higher plants which involves cleavage of a larger precursor molecule, presumably an oxygenated carotenoid.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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