The auxin conjugate indole-3-acetyl-aspartate affects responses to cadmium and salt stress in Pisum sativum L.

The synthesis of IAA-amino acid conjugates is one of the crucial regulatory mechanisms for the control of auxin activity during physiological and pathophysiological responses. Indole-3-acetyl-aspartate (IAA-Asp) is a low molecular weight amide conjugate that predominates in pea (Pisum sativum L.) tissues. IAA-Asp acts as an intermediate during the auxin degradation pathway. However, some recent investigations suggest a direct signaling function of this conjugate in various processes. In this study, we examine the effect of 100 μM IAA-Asp alone and in combination with salt stress (160 mM NaCl) or heavy metal stress (250 μM CdCl2) on H2O2 concentration, protein carbonylation as well as catalase and ascorbate (APX) and guaiacol peroxidase (GPX) activities in 7-day-old pea seedlings. As revealed by spectrophotometric analyses, IAA-Asp increased the carbonylated protein level and reduced the H2O2 concentration. Moreover, IAA-aspartate potentiated the effect of both Cd2+ ions and NaCl on the H2O2 level. The enzymatic activities (catalase and peroxidases) were examined using spectrophotometric and native-PAGE assays. IAA-Asp alone did not affect catalase activity, whereas the two peroxidases were regulated differently. IAA-Asp reduced the APX activity during 48 h cultivation. APX activity was potentiated by IAA-Asp + NaCl after 48 h. Guaiacol peroxidase activity was diminished by all tested compounds. Based on these results, we suggest that IAA-Asp can directly and specifically affect the pea responses to abiotic stress.