The biology of the group of plant hormones termed cytokinins is reviewed to reveal areas where further studies of cytokinin-binding proteins could be significant. Such areas include: inhibition of human tumour cell growth by cytokinin ribosides, the role of cytokinins in the development of diverse micro-organisms including the cyanobacteria and Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the very rapid responses of plant cells to exogenous cytokinins, and other aspects of cytokinin plant biology. Photoaffinity labelling (PAL) coupled to the recent advances in HPLC of proteins and mass spectral analysis and sequencing of proteins, may have relevance to these areas. To facilitate PAL, we present experimental details for two methods for synthesis of 8-azido-N⁶-benzyladenine, which has the azido affinity group in the preferred position of the purine ring. Synthesis from [2-³H]adenosine yielded the above-mentioned PAL reagent with ³H in the purine ring and also gave labelled 9-riboside and 8-azido-N⁶,9-dibenzyladenine. 8-Azido-N⁶-benzyladenine was also prepared from 6,8-dichloropurine by a facile synthesis, which would allow a label to be sited in the benzyl group where substituents can also be introduced to vary cytokinin activity. The use of inactive cytokinin analogues in assessing the significance of PAL is discussed.
Keywords: 8-azido-N6-benzyladenine; cytokinin-binding proteins; cytokinins; photoaffinity labelling; receptors; synthesis of cytokinin analogues.