The endogenous gibberellins of dwarf mutants of lettuce

The gibberellin (GA) content of E-1, a tall genotype of early flowering lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), and of three selected GA-responsive dwarfs, dwf1, dwf2, and dwf2(1), has been determined using (13)C-labeled internal standards and gas chromatographymass spectrometry (GC-MS). In the shoots of the E-1 parent, GA(1), 3-epi-GA(1), GA(3), GA(5), GA(8), GA(19), GA(20), GA(29), and GA(53) were identified by full scan GC-MS and Kovats retention indices. Purification by immunoaffinity chromatography selective for 13-hydroxy GAs, was necessary for GA identification. Relative to the parent E-1, the concentrations of GA(1), GA(8), GA(20), and GA(29) in the shoots of dwf2 plants were reduced to about 10% and in shoots of dwf2(1) plants to less than 50%. In dwf1 the levels of GA(1), GA(8), and GA(29) were also reduced to less than 50% of the parent E-1, but the level of GA(20) was fivefold higher than in E-1. Plant height was correlated with the endogenous levels of GA(1) and GA(8).