Strigolactones and shoot branching: a new trick for a young dog.
Strigolactones secreted by plant roots are exploited by parasitic plants as germination triggers, making their synthesis and signaling important targets for crop protection. Meanwhile, genetic analyses have identified several genes required for the synthesis and signaling of an unknown shoot branching inhibitor. Two recent papers unite these two fields, showing that strigolactones control shoot branching.
Leyser
Ottoline
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Department of Biology, University of York, York YO10 5YW, UK. Electronic address: hmol1@york.ac.uk.
D017343:Genes, Plant; D007783:Lactones / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D038821:Mycorrhizae / Q000378:metabolism; D053147:Plant Exudates / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000469:parasitology; D018520:Plant Shoots / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*; D034362:Striga / Q000737:chemistry
D007783:Lactones; D053147:Plant Exudates