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Culture tames the unruly strigolactones.
Marek Marzec1, Philip B Brewer2
1University of Silesia in Katowice, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Institute of Biology, Biotechnology and Environmental Protection, Jagiellonska 28, 40-032 Katowice, Poland.
Trends in Plant Science
|June 17, 2025
Summary
Researchers optimized microbial biosynthesis of strigolactone (SL), a plant hormone. This advance aids in understanding shoot branching and discovering SLs for crop improvement.
Area of Science:
- Plant biology
- Microbial biotechnology
- Synthetic biology
Background:
- Strigolactones (SLs) are crucial plant hormones regulating shoot branching and symbiotic interactions.
- Understanding SL biosynthesis pathways is key to manipulating plant architecture and crop yield.
- Previous methods for SL production were limited, hindering detailed study.
Purpose of the Study:
- To optimize microbial consortium biosynthesis of strigolactone (SL).
- To enable the dissection of specific pathways involved in shoot branching inhibition.
- To identify SLs relevant for crop improvement traits.
Main Methods:
- Engineering microbial consortia for enhanced SL production.
- Utilizing synthetic biology approaches for pathway optimization.
- Quantifying hormone production at milligram levels.
Main Results:
- Achieved milligram-level production of strigolactones using optimized microbial consortia.
- Enabled detailed analysis of pathways controlling shoot branching.
- Provided insights into the evolution of SL biosynthesis.
Conclusions:
- Microbial biosynthesis offers a scalable platform for SL production.
- This work facilitates the discovery of novel SLs for agricultural applications.
- Optimized SL production supports research into plant development and crop breeding.
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