A flexible analytical system which allows for the continuous potentiometric monitoring of the disappearance of an electrochemical species, ferrocyanide, by the peroxidase enzyme is described. The ability of peroxidase to mediate the oxidation of indole-3-acetic acid is followed by observing the competition of indole-3-acetic acid with ferrocyanide for the peroxidase enzyme. This is accomplished by examining potentiometrically the decrease in the rate of ferrocyanide oxidation with increasing indole-3-acetic acid concentration. Homogenates of Avena sativa coleoptiles are investigates for both peroxidase and indole-3-acetic acid oxidase activity. (2,4,5,7,9,13). It has been suggested that the IAA-oxidase system may function as a plant growth regulating mechanism because of its role in limiting the supply of IAA within the plant.Quantitative determinations of IAA oxidase activity have generally been limited to three basic assay approaches for IAA: (a) physiological response to IAA in decapitated Avena coleoptiles (13), (b) absorbance changes at 261 nm (11), and (c) colorimetric determination of indoles with Salkowski reagent (6,14). The latter technique depends on the development of a pink colored complex with Fe3`in the presence of a concentrated mineral acid. However, Perley and Stowe (10) ( 1) where: AH = donor in reduced form, A = donor in oxidized form to the oxidation of IAA by the reaction peroxidase IAA + H202 -* IAAoxidized + H20(2) or attributed to a competition between IAA and the electron donor species (AH) for H202. According to Ray, the results suggested that in the presence of both substrates, an inactive form of the enzyme, incapable of oxidizing either of them, accumulates.We report here a slightly different interpretation of the interactions of the peroxidase and IAA oxidase systems, based on observations made by means of a new continuous flow, potentiometric technique developed first by R. I. Porterfield and C. L. Olson of the Ohio State University (personal communication) employed in this laboratory to study the peroxidase-IAA oxidase systems. The advantages and problems posed by this new analytical system, as well as several further applications, are discussed.
MATERIALS AND METHODSPlant Culture and Homogenate Preparation. Oats (Avena sativa cv. Victory) were grown on water-saturated cotton in complete darkness at 23 C. At from 8 to 18 days, the etiolated coleoptiles and primary leaves were cut off in the light at 5 C, weighed, placed in 0.15 M potassium phosphate buffer (pH 6.20), and homogenized for 3 min in a Waring Blendor. The brei was then pressed through four layers of cheesecloth, centrifuged at 25,000g for 15 min at 5 C, and the supernatant decanted. This supernatant, which contained the plant enzyme studied, was used immediately without further purification or separation.Analytical System. The experimental apparatus consisted of four components and plastic tubing (Tygon through the pump,