Hormonal regulation of phosphatidylcholine synthesis in plants. The inhibition of cytidylyltransferase activity by indol-3-ylacetic acid

Abstract

Indol-3-ylacetic acid stimulated stem elongation within 1 h of treatment of Pisum sativum L. cv. Feltham First stem sections. This elongation was accompanied by an increase in the endogenous level of phosphocholine and a decrease in that of CDP-choline. Measurements in vitro of the CDP-base pathway enzymes showed an increase in choline phosphotransferase and a decrease in cytidylyltransferase activity on hormone treatment. These results indicate that the decrease in phosphatidylcholine labelling from [14C]choline that is observed on indol-3-ylacetic acid treatment of pea stem sections is caused by the decrease in cytidylyltransferase activity.