It has been known that gamma‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) is increased in germinating seeds such as those of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Techniques such as ninhydrin reaction method and high‐performance liquid chromatography are used to quantify GABA levels. However, these methods require multiple steps and make it difficult to analyze multiple samples simultaneously. In this study, an enzyme‐based assay for the rapid quantification of GABA levels in multiple wheat grain samples simultaneously was established. It was found that in developing grains, endogenous GABA levels were high but decreased with maturity. The maximum amount of GABA found in immature grains did not correlate with the degree of grain dormancy. However, the onset of decrease in GABA content was earlier in weak dormant lines compared to strong dormant lines. Endogenous GABA levels increased temporarily in strongly dormant grains upon imbibition, but quickly returned to their original levels, while they showed a sharp increase in intermediate dormant grains. Exogenous GABA promoted the germination of weakly dormant grains but was not sufficient to break dormancy in strongly dormant grains, suggesting that the maintenance of GABA levels may be related to the degree of grain dormancy.

中文翻译：

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内源性 GABA 水平在小麦籽粒成熟过程中降低，在未成熟籽粒的发芽中不起作用


众所周知，γ-氨基丁酸 （GABA） 在发芽种子（如小麦 （Triticum aestivum L.））中增加。茚三酮反应法和高效液相色谱法等技术用于定量 GABA 水平。然而，这些方法需要多个步骤，并且难以同时分析多个样品。在这项研究中，建立了一种基于酶的测定法，用于同时快速定量多种小麦籽粒样品中的 GABA 水平。研究发现，在发育中的谷物中，内源性 GABA 水平较高，但随着成熟而降低。在未成熟谷物中发现的最大 GABA 量与谷物休眠程度无关。然而，与强休眠品系相比，弱休眠品系中 GABA 含量降低的开始较早。强休眠籽粒的内源性 GABA 水平在吸吸后暂时增加，但很快恢复到原来的水平，而在中间休眠籽粒中则表现出急剧增加。外源GABA促进了弱休眠籽粒的发芽，但不足以打破强休眠籽粒的休眠，表明GABA水平的维持可能与籽粒休眠程度有关。