Abstract
The effect of indoleacetic acid (IAA) and fusicoccin (FC) on the breakdown of phosphatidylinositol in maize (Zea mays L.) coleoptiles has been studied. Coleoptiles were able to incorporate [3H] myo-inositol into the phospholipid fraction almost linearly for 8 hours. Thin layer chromatography analysis of total phospholipids showed that [3H]myo-inositol was incorporated only into phosphatidylinositol. Prelabeled coleoptiles treated with IAA showed a loss of the radioactivity incorporated in the phospholipid fraction, whose level decreased by 34% after 1 hour. Treatment with FC, on the contrary, did not modify the content of labelled phosphatidylinositol with respect to the control. The different effects of IAA and FC and a possible mechanism of IAA action on growth are discussed.