Biosynthesis of phenyl acetic acid in plants

Abstract

Auxins are a group of phytohormones that act in many aspects of plant growth and development. Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) is a naturally occurring auxin, whose biosynthesis, transport and signaling has been well studied. Plants also produce other auxins such as phenylacetic acid (PAA) and indole-3-butyric acid, but not much is known about biosynthesis of these auxins. In this study, we established the analysis methods for PAA and its possible mtabolites by LC-ESI-MS/MS to elucidate the PAA biosynthetic pathway in plants. We detected PAA from various kinds of plants we tested, indicating that PAA may have important roles in the regulation of plant growth and development. A possible biosynthetic pathway for PAA will be discussed.