[Current understanding of signaling transduction pathway and biological functions of Karrikins]

Karrikins are a class of signaling molecules discovered in wildfire smoke, which can significantly promote seed germination in some species (such as Arabidopsis and Avena fatua). The structures of Karrikins were first elucidated in 2004. At present, six different types of Karrikins have been documented, and their biological activities vary significantly. So far, studies for Karrikins have become a hot spot in the plant molecular biology field. Recent advances demonstrate that Karrikins regulate plant photomorphogenesis and leaf differentiation effectively, in addition to the effect on seed germination. Furthermore, Karrikins share highly similar molecular structures and signaling transduction pathways with strigolactone. In this review, we summarize the history of discovery, signaling transduction pathways, physiological functions and ecological significance of Karrikins, and further discuss the future research directions.