An enzyme-immunoassay of abscisic acid in potato (Solanum commersonii) cultured cells.

Estimation of abscisic acid (ABA) content in potato (Solanum commersonii) suspension-cultured cells with an enzyme-immunoassay (EIA) was investigated. In crude extracts of potato cultured cells or even after simple clean-up using C18 cartridge, EIA based on commercial monoclonal antibodies (Idetek, Inc) failed to detect any ABA content. An interference could be removed by partitioning against ethyl acetate after the C18 cartridge so that the EIA yielded an estimate of ABA similar to that determined by high pressure liquid chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. These results demonstrate the presence of metabolites in potato cultured cell extract that prevent the binding of ABA to its binding site but not the binding of tracer.