Impermeant auxin analogues have auxin activity

Protein conjugates of 5-aminonaphthalene-1-acetic acid and of 5-azido-naphthalene-1-acetic acid have been prepared and evaluated for auxin activity in two types of assay. In standard elongation tests with pea (Pisum sativum L.) epicotyl sections the conjugates are inactive. However, if the epicotyls are abraded to perforate the cuticle, auxin activity is observed provided that the conjugates are not too large to traverse the cell wall. In a system lacking a cell wall — tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) protoplasts — conjugates of widely differing size are able to induce membrane hyperpolarization. These results support other recent evidence that auxin receptors are exposed at the exterior face of the plasma membrane and indicate that auxins can produce both rapid and longer-term responses without entering the cell.