title: Boosting crop yields with plant steroids.
abstract: Plant sterols and steroid hormones, the brassinosteroids (BRs), are compounds that exert a wide range of biological activities. They are essential for plant growth, reproduction, and responses to various abiotic and biotic stresses. Given the importance of sterols and BRs in these processes, engineering their biosynthetic and signaling pathways offers exciting potentials for enhancing crop yield. In this review, we focus on how alterations in components of sterol and BR metabolism and signaling or application of exogenous steroids and steroid inhibitors affect traits of agronomic importance. We also discuss areas for future research and identify the fine-tuning modulation of endogenous BR content as a promising strategy for crop improvement.
authors.affiliation: CropDesign NV, BASF Plant Science Company, 9052 Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Cécile
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vriet
authors.forename: Eugenia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Russinova
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Reuzeau
mesh_terms: D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D060406:Brassinosteroids / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D018556:Crops, Agricultural / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D057445:Plant Dormancy; D012098:Reproduction; D013312:Stress, Physiological
chemical_list: D060406:Brassinosteroids