Determination by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry of [15N5]Adenine Incorporation into Endogenous Cytokinins and the Effect of Tissue Age on Cytokinin Biosynthesis in Datura innoxia Crown Gall Tissue

In this study gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric techniques have been used to identify and quantify the metabolic incorporation of [(15)N(5)]adenine into zeatin and its metabolites by 3-week-old Datura innoxia Mill, crown gall tissue. In a parallel study the levels of endogenous cytokinins were also determined by the stable isotope dilution technique using deuterium ((2)H)-labeled internal standards. Incorporation levels of the [(15)N(5)]adenine after 8 hours of incubation, expressed as a percentage of the endogenous cytokinins, were as follows: zeatin (1.0%), zeatin riboside (1.5%), and zeatin riboside 5'-phosphate (10.2%). These results are consistent with those observed in complementary experiments using [U-(14)C]adenine, and support the proposal that the cytokinin biosynthesis occurs primarily at the nucleotide level. The effect of tissue age on cytokinin biosynthesis, determined by [U-(14)C]adenine incorporation into cytokinins by tissues at varying growth stages, indicated a steady increase with time reaching maximal synthesis at five weeks following subculture after which the level of (14)C incorporation into cytokinins declined.