Abstract
ISOPENTENYLADENINE (i6Ade) and closely related derivatives occur naturally either as free bases or as constituents of tRNA1,2. Although these cytokinins have been detected in various organisms, it is still not clear whether they are produced by the degradation of tRNA or whether they are synthesised by some pathway not involving tRNA. A spore germination inhibitor, discadenine, isolated from Dictyostelium discoideum was found to be an i6Ade derivative with a 3-amino-3-carboxypropyl group in the 3 position3—the cells contained a large quantity of free i6Ade, presumably a precursor of discadenine4. These results led us to investigate the cell-free biosynthesis of i6Ade in this organism. We report here the existence of a cytokinin biosynthetic pathway not related to tRNA degradation, showing that 5′-AMP is the actual acceptor molecule for the isopentenyl group. Our findings suggest that the biosynthesis of cytokinin in higher plants may proceed in a similar fashion.
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TAYA, Y., TANAKA, Y. & NISHIMURA, S. 5′-AMP is a direct precursor of cytokinin in Dictyostelium discoideum. Nature 271, 545–547 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1038/271545a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/271545a0
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