Development of ABA receptors agonists/antagonists more photochemically and metabolically stable than ABA

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K15456
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 38040:Bioorganic chemistry-related
• Research Institution: Shizuoka University
• Principal Investigator: Takeuchi Jun 静岡大学, 農学部, 准教授 (00776320)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: アブシシン酸 / 受容体アゴニスト / 光安定性

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) plays a central role in adaptive responses to abiotic stresses that adversely affect crop growth and productivity. However, ABA photo-instability limits its use in agriculture. To overcome this drawback, in this study, we developed photostable ABA analogs, the BP2A compound series, in which the dienoic acid side chain of ABA was replaced with a phenylacetic acid. All BP2A analogs showed higher stability against UVB irradiation at 302 nm than ABA, and one BP2A analog, Me 1',4'-trans-diol-BP2A, barely decomposed even under sunlight conditions. In physiological assays, BP2A and Me 1',4'-trans-diol-BP2A exhibited ABA-like activities, including inhibition of seed germination and induced drought tolerance in Arabidopsis. Furthermore, Me 1',4'-trans-diol-BP2A inhibited seed germination of tomato, lettuce and rice. Thus, this compound represents a potential plant growth regulator that induces ABA-type responses in agricultural fields.

Free Research Field

生物有機化学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

これまでにも，ABAの光安定性を向上させ，植物成長調節剤としての農業利用を目的に複数のABAアナログが合成されてきたが，それらの多くでは生物活性が著しく低下したことから，いずれも実用化には至っていないのが現状である。本研究で合成したMe 1',4'-trans-diol-BP2Aは，UVBおよび日光照射下で殆ど分解されることなく，シロイヌナズナの発芽抑制や乾燥耐性誘導に対しては高いABA様活性を示した。これらの知見は，長年期待されてきた環境ストレス耐性付与剤としてのABAアナログの農業利用を強力に推進するものである。