Myo-Inositol Esters of Indole-3-acetic Acid as Seed Auxin Precursors of Zea mays L.

Indole-3-acetyl-myo-inositol esters constitute 30% of the low molecular weight derivatives of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) in seeds of Zea mays. [(14)C]Indole-3-acetyl-myo-inositol was applied to a cut in the endosperm of the seed and found to be transported from endosperm to shoot at 400 times the rate of transport of free IAA. The rate of transport of indole-3-acetyl-myo-inositol from endosperm to shoot was 6.3 picomoles per shoot per hour and thus adequate to serve as the seed auxin precursor for the free IAA diffusing downward from the shoot tip. Indole-3-acetyl-myo-inositol is the first seed auxin precursor to be identified.Application of either [(14)C]IAA or (14)C-indole-3-acetyl-myo-inositol ester to the endosperm results in both free and esterified [(14)C]IAA in the seedling shoot. Esterification of free IAA and hydrolysis of indole-3-acetyl-myo-inositol occurred in the shoot and not the endosperm yielding ratios of ester to free IAA which approximate the ratios of ester to free IAA normally found in corn shoot tissue. This proves, for the first time, that esterified IAA and free IAA are interconvertible in the growing shoot. Since free IAA may be limiting for plant growth, knowledge that the free hormone is in "equilibrium" with its conjugates suggests new methods for the control of plant growth.