Immunohistochemical Localization of Endogenous IAA in Peach (Prunus persica L.) Fruit during Development

Peach (Prunus persica L.) is a model species for stone fruit studies within the Rosaceae family. Auxin plays an important role in the development of peach fruit. To reveal the distribution of auxin in the tissues of peach fruit, immunohistochemical localization of IAA was carried out in the seed, mesocarp, and endocarp in developing peach fruit using an anti-indole-3-acetic acid (anti-IAA) monoclonal antibody. A strong IAA signal was observed throughout the outer and inner integument during peach fruit development, and the distribution was zonal. The IAA signal was mainly focused in mucilage layers in the outer integument. The outer integument may function to produce or store IAA in the seed; a strong IAA signal was detected in the cells around the vascular tissue, whereas a weak IAA signal was located in the vascular tissues. In the mesocarp, the cells around the vascular bundle tissue gave rise to an IAA signal that increased in the late phase of fruit growth, which coincided with a significant increase in fruit growth. The distribution of IAA, however, was changed when fruit was treated with auxin transport inhibitors NPA (1-N-naphthylphthalamic acid) or TIBA (2, 3, 5-triiodobenzoic acid); in mesocarp tissues, an IAA signal was detected mainly in vessels of the treated fruit. During the critical period of endocarp lignification, the vessel lignification process was negatively correlated with IAA signal. The present results confirmed that the distribution of IAA was different in various tissues of peach fruit according to the developmental stage. This research provides cytological data for further study of the regulatory mechanism of auxin in peach fruit.