Plant Hormones

Dr. Sue Abram's Biological Chemistry group at the Plant Biotechnology Institute of the National Research Council in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, is investigating the chemistry of abscisic acid (ABA).

ABA is a small organic molecule that controls the growth and development of plants. It is called a plant hormone and ABA is present in all higher plants. Plant hormones are different from mammalian hormones since they are not produced in separate organs but they are similar since they also are active in the micromolar concentration range.

Some hormones are responsible for the ripening of fruit, some will induce cell division in the plant, and others will act like steroids causing stem elongation in seedlings. ABA will trigger plant defense mechanisms to a variety of stresses such as excess heat, cold and salinity.

Dr. Abram and her team want to know how the ABA molecule regulates so many different processes in the same plant. As chemists, they study ABA metabolism in plants and produce ABA metabolites for biological assessment.

This chemistry has a very practical side since this team is aiming to increase plant productivity by manipulating plant growth regulating systems that are controlled by ABA.