Metabolism of indole derivatives 



Solutions treated with wheat coleoptile tissue 



The colour chromatogram of the extracts from wheat treated solutions 

 [Figure 3) showed no clear spots in the extract of the water control. Treated 

 lAA gave rise to a large blue area, corresponding to that formed by authentic 

 lAA, with a diffuse pink streak below; there was also an ill-defined dark 

 area between R^ 0-8-1 -0. The treated lAAm showed only the blue area 

 corresponding to authentic lAAm, succeeded by a dark area, Rf 0-8-1 -0, 

 which was also apparent in the products of IAN treatment, below the 



Figure 3. Diagrammatic representation of a colour chromatogram of extracts from solutions treated 

 with wheat tissue. The chromatogram was developed in n-butanoljammoniajwater (100 : 3 : 18) and 

 subsequentty sprayed with Ehrlich's reagent. 



IAN region of the chromatogram. Although there was no visible production 

 of I AA from the amide, the nitrile gave rise to a blue area corresponding to 

 that given by authentic lAA, with a red spot above corresponding in Ry to 

 indole-3-carboxylic acid (ICA). The colour chromatogram of the methyl 

 ester showed the formation of lAA. 



Biological examination of another chromatogram of the same extracts 

 substantiated the evidence shown by the colour chromatogram of the kinds of 

 degradation occurring during treatment with wheat tissue. The histograms 

 of the results obtained in the coleoptile elongation test [Figure 4) shows peak 

 of activity corresponding to lAA, lAAm, IAN, and lAMe where they occur 

 in the chromatograms. A slight peak of activity between R^ 0-1-0-2 in the 

 I AAm chi-omatogram suggests the formation of a small amount of lAA not 

 detected on the colour chromatogram. Activity in the region oi Rf 0-8-1-0 

 in the water extract which is increasingly evident in the case of the I AA and 

 lAAm extracts appears to correspond with dark areas in this region of the 



, 237 



