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The Effect of Plant Growth Substances on the Hyperchromicity of DNA
Author(s) -
SPANG HENRY A.,
PLATT ROBERT S.
Publication year - 1972
Publication title -
physiologia plantarum
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.351
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1399-3054
pISSN - 0031-9317
DOI - 10.1111/j.1399-3054.1972.tb03621.x
Subject(s) - hyperchromicity , dna , absorbance , cuvette , chemistry , ampoule , biochemistry , biology , chromatography , organic chemistry , physics , quantum mechanics
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was isolated from four day old, dark grown corn seedlings according to the procedure of Bonner for the isolation of chromatin followed by separation and purification according to Marmur. The purified DNA was dissolved in dilute saline‐citrate and the absorbance at 260 nm of the solution measured as the solution was slowly heated in a quartz cuvette. The degree of increase in absorbance of the DNA in solution as it is thermally denatured was used to assess the interaction of the DNA with plant hormones. Concentrations of 4 x 10 ‐5 M NAA, IAA, 2,4‐D, and GA 3 increased the hyperchromicity of the DNA when added to the DNA. Conversely, the same concentrations of CCC, AMO 1618, TIBA, and ABA decreased the hyperchromicity of the DNA. Kinetin, IAN, and tryptophan at 4 x 10 ‐5 M had no measurable effect on the hyperchromicity of the DNA. Deoxyribonucleic acid from Escherichia coli and salmon sperm showed no change in hyperchromicity with added NAA at 4 x 10 ‐5 M . The effect of these plant growth substances is most likely either on the thermally disrupted single strands or on the process in which the double strand opens up to single strands since only the high temperature portion was affected. It is postulated that if the plant growth substances act to alter the binding of the double strands of DNA in an isolated system and if this effect has a relationship to the DNA in an intact cell then this effect may be important in the control of plant growth and development.