The Discovery of Abscisic Acid: A Retrospect
2015
Dörffling, Karl
Parallel to the discovery of auxin as a growth-promoting hormone in the first half of the last century, it became evident that inhibitors of auxin-induced cell elongation, seed germination and bud growth also existed in plants. Their activity was noticed first in more or less unspecific bioassays, and their natural function remained unknown for a long time. The introduction of paper chromatography in combination with bioassays enabled improved separation of plant extracts and identification of biologically active compounds. By means of these new techniques, a highly active growth inhibitory fraction named ‘inhibitor β’ was discovered in many plants. Evidence that this fraction seemed also to be involved in abscission processes resulted in the name ‘abscisin II’, whereas another research group that investigated the possible role of inhibitor β in bud dormancy proposed the name ‘dormin’. Great efforts were made to identify the chemical nature of the two compounds. In 1965, it was recognized that abscisin II and dormin possessed the same chemical structure, which received the name ‘abscisic acid’ (ABA). Soon afterwards the extraordinary role of ABA as a hormone involved in stress reactions and in seed maturation was discovered, whereas its suggested function in abscission and bud dormancy processes has not been well established until now. The name ABA is therefore not adequate with regard to the hormonal functions, but it is acceptable with regard to priority rules.
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