Duckweeds: Model organisms for research on plant sterols and steroids

More than two centuries since the birth of the botanist Matthias Jacob Schleiden, who first described many duckweed (Lemnaceae) species, interest in these small aquatic monocots is still alive. Lemnaceae have high biomass production capacity and can be used as animal feed and in human nutrition. Efficient transformation protocols and available genome data for several Lemnaceae species make them an ideal model system for research into biosynthesis and physiology of sterols and/or steroids in plants, especially monocots. Here we emphasize how studies using duckweed species can address current problems in plant physiology, with a strong focus on sterol and steroid biology in monocots. Further, we discuss how this knowledge can be translated to solve agricultural and industrial problems.