Preparation and biological activity of molecular probes to identify and analyze jasmonic acid-binding proteins

Several types of jasomonic acid (JA) derivatives, including JA-amino acid conjugates, a JA-biotin conjugate, a JA-dexamethasone heterodimer, and a JA-fluoresceine conjugate, were prepared as candidates for molecular probes to identify JA-binding proteins. These JA derivatives, excepting the JA-fluoresceine conjugate, exhibited significant biological activities in a rice seedling assay, a rice phytoalexin-inducing assay, and/or a soybean phenylalanine ammonia-lyase-inducing assay. These A derivatives could therefore be useful probes for identifying JA-binding proteins. The activity spectra of the prepared compounds were different from each other, suggesting that different types of JA receptors were involved in the perception of A derivatives in the respective bioassays.