Abstract
Field pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.) is a winter annual crucifer with a cold requirement for stem elongation and flowering. In the present study, the metabolism of exogenous [(2)H]-ent-kaurenoic acid (KA) and [(14)C]-gibberellin A(12)-aldehyde (GA(12)-aldehyde) was compared in thermo- and noninduced plants. Thermoinduction greatly altered both quantitative and qualitative aspects of [(2)H]-KA metabolism in the shoot tips. The rate of disappearance of the parent compound was much greater in thermoinduced shoot tips. Moreover, there was 47 times more endogenous KA in noninduced than in thermoinduced shoot tips as determined by combined gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The major metabolite of [(2)H]-KA in thermoinduced shoot tips was a monohydroxylated derivative of KA, while in noninduced shoot tips, the glucose ester of the hydroxy KA metabolite was the main product. Gibberellin A(9) (GA(9)) was the only GA in which the incorporation of deuterium was detected by GC-MS, and this was observed only in thermoinduced shoot tips. The amount of incorporation was small as indicated by the large dilution by endogenous GA(9). In contrast, thermo- and noninduced leaves metabolized exogenous [(2)H]-KA into GA(20) equally well, although the amount of conversion was also limited. These results are consistent with the suggestion (JD Metzger [1990] Plant Physiol 94: 000-000) that the conversion of KA in to GAs is under thermoinductive control only in the shoot tip, the site of perception for thermoinductive temperatures in field pennycress. There were essentially no differences in the qualitative or quantitative distribution of metabolites formed following the application of [(14)C]-GA(12)-aldehyde to the shoot tips of thermo- or noninduced plants. Thus, the apparent thermoinductive regulation of the KA metabolism into GAs is probably limited to the two metabolic steps involved in converting KA to GA(12)-aldehyde.