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Mass-spectrometric quantitation of cytokinins in tobacco crown-gall tumours induced by mutated octopine Ti plasmids of Agrobacterium tumefaciens

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Abstract

The levels of the major cytokinins, zeatin, zeatin riboside, zeatin riboside-5′-monophosphate and zeatin-7-glucoside were measured in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) crown-gall tissues carrying insertion and deletion mutations in the T-DNA. Measurements were made by combined gas chromatography-mass spectrometry using selected ion monitoring with 15N- and 2H-labelled internal standards. The results demonstrate that, relative to wild-type tumour tissue, cytokinin levels are considerably elevated in tissues lacking functional T-DNA auxin-biosynthetic genes. From a detailed analysis of the major cytokinin metabolites it is concluded that a reduction in the extent of cytokinin degradation via N6-side-chain cleavage is an important factor leading to increased cytokinin levels in these tissues.

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Abbreviations

IAA:

indole-3-acetic acid

SIM:

selected ion monitoring

Z:

zeatin

[7G]Z:

zeatin-7-glucoside

[9R]Z:

zeatin-9-riboside

[9R-5′P]Z:

zeatin riboside-5′-monophosphate

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Rowett Research Institute, Greenburn Road, Bucksburn, AB2 9SB, Aberdeen, UK

    Brian A. McGaw

  2. Department of Botany and Microbiology, University College of Wales, SY23 3DA, Aberystwyth, Dyfed, UK

    Roger Horgan & Jim K. Heald

  3. Department of Experimental Botany, Research Group in Molecular Plant Physiology, Botanical Laboratory, University of Nijmegen, Toernooiveld, NL-6525 ED, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

    George J. Wullems

  4. Department of Plant Molecular Biology, State University of Leiden, Wassenaarseweg 64, NL-2333 AL, Leiden, The Netherlands

    Rob A. Schilperoort

Authors
  1. Brian A. McGaw
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  2. Roger Horgan
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  3. Jim K. Heald
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  4. George J. Wullems
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  5. Rob A. Schilperoort
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McGaw, B.A., Horgan, R., Heald, J.K. et al. Mass-spectrometric quantitation of cytokinins in tobacco crown-gall tumours induced by mutated octopine Ti plasmids of Agrobacterium tumefaciens . Planta 176, 230–234 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00392449

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