Β-Aminobutyric acid
chemical compound
β-Aminobutyric acid (BABA) is an isomer of the amino acid aminobutyric acid with the chemical formula C4H9NO2. It has two isomers, α-aminobutyric acid and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a neurotransmitter in animals that is also found in plants, where it may play a role in signalling. All three are non-proteinogenic amino acids, not being found in proteins. BABA is known for its ability to induce plant disease resistance, as well as increased resistance to abiotic stresses, when applied to plants.
Synthesis
Methods to synthesise BABA are known from at least 1857. Early methods to produce BABA included from ammonia and crotonic acid under pressure; from the acetoacetic ester phenylhydrazone; or from malonic acid, acetaldehyde, and ammonia. In 1957, Zilkha reported a new simpler method based on adding amines to crotonic acid and then catalytically hydrogenolysing the product to produce BABA. Since 2000, methods to produce only the S stereoisomer of BABA have also been reported.
Plant disease resistance
BABA was first found to increase the resistance of plants to disease in 1960, when it was observed that it decreased late blight of tomato. Further tests were made in the 1960s, but it was not until the 1990s that interest in the compound was renewed. Since then, it has been shown to be effective in many different pathosystems under controlled conditions.
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