Azido auxins : photoaffinity labeling of auxin-binding proteins in maize coleoptile with tritiated 5-azidoindole-3-acetic Acid.

Tritiated 5-azidoindole-3-acetic acid (5-N(3)-[7-(3)H]IAA), a photoaffinity labeling agent, was used to photolabel proteins of a crude microsomal preparation from maize (Zea mays L., Bear Hybrid, WF9 x BR38) coleoptile. Approximately 50% of the bound radioactivity was solubilized in 5 molar urea containing Triton X-100, and the extract was fractionated using a variety of techniques. High performance liquid chromatography demonstrated that, although many membrane proteins incorporated tritiated label, only a few showed reduced incorporation in the presence of excess indole-3-acetic acid. By contrast, no detectable reduction in incorporation was observed in the presence of excess naphthalene-1-acetic acid. Results from isoelectric focusing gel electrophoresis indicate that the proteins that showed reduced incorporation of photolyzed 5-N(3)-[7-(3)H]IAA in the presence of IAA fell into two main groups: one which focuses between pH 5.2 and 5.7 (pI 4.8-5.3) and another around pH 6.2 (pI 5.8). In sodium dodecylsulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, the proteins migrated as four bands with apparent molecular weights of 60, 49, 45, and 37 kilodaltons. The auxin-transport inhibitor, 2,3,5-triiodobenzoic acid, competes for the labeling by 5-N(3)-[7-(3)H]IAA, suggesting that some of these proteins may be involved in auxin transport.