Kinetin (N-6-furfuryladenine) was the first cytokinin to be isolated almost
45 years ago from DNA as an artifactual rearrangement product of the autoc
laving process. Since then its chemical structure and properties have been
well described. Most importantly, a wide variety of biological effects of k
inetin, including those on gene expression, on inhibition of auxin action,
on stimulation of calcium flux, on cell cycle, and as an anti-stress and an
ti-ageing compound have been reported. Recently, views on this very well kn
own plant growth factor have undergone substantial modifications. New data
have appeared which show that kinetin is formed in cellular DNA as the prod
uct of the oxidative, secondary modification of DNA. Although the biologica
l significance of the endogenous kinetin and the molecular mechanisms of it
s action are not completely understood at present, most of the experimental
data point toward kinetin acting as a strong antioxidant in vitro and in v
ivo, with potential beneficial uses in agriculture and human healthcare. (C
) 1999 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.