Strigolactones redefine plant hormones

The interaction between strigolactones and other plant hormones in the regulation of plant development

Plant hormones are small molecules derived from various metabolic pathways and are important regulators of plant development. The most recently discovered phytohormone class comprises the carotenoid-derived strigolactones (SLs). For a long time these compounds were only known to be secreted into the rhizosphere where they act as signaling compounds, but now we know they are also active as endog...

Do strigolactones contribute to plant defence?

Strigolactones are multifunctional molecules involved in several processes outside and within the plant. As signalling molecules in the rhizosphere, they favour the establishment of arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis, but they also act as host detection cues for root parasitic plants. As phytohormones, they are involved in the regulation of plant architecture, adventitious rooting, secondary grow...

Plant hormones

Plant hormones have been studied for more than a century because they have been heavily implicated in the control of plant growth and development. For many years, they have been considered to fall into five classes: auxins, cytokinins, gibberellins, abscisic acid and ethylene. More recently, a variety of additional classes such as brassinosteroids have been added and it seems likely that more w...

Strigolactones

Where did the name come from? Well the lactone part obviously came from the structure and the ‘striga’ part came from their first identified function. They were originally identified as very annoying molecules exuded from plant roots because they stimulated germination of very harmful parasitic weeds, such as Striga sp. and Orobanche sp. The term ‘striga’ comes from the Latin words strix or str...

Microbial Production of Plant Hormones