title: Structure-function analysis identifies highly sensitive strigolactone receptors in Striga.
abstract: Strigolactones are naturally occurring signaling molecules that affect plant development, fungi-plant interactions, and parasitic plant infestations. We characterized the function of 11 strigolactone receptors from the parasitic plant Striga hermonthica using chemical and structural biology. We found a clade of polyspecific receptors, including one that is sensitive to picomolar concentrations of strigolactone. A crystal structure of a highly sensitive strigolactone receptor from Striga revealed a larger binding pocket than that of the Arabidopsis receptor, which could explain the increased range of strigolactone sensitivity. Thus, the sensitivity of Striga to strigolactones from host plants is driven by receptor sensitivity. By expressing strigolactone receptors in Arabidopsis, we developed a bioassay that can be used to identify chemicals and crops with altered strigolactone levels.
authors.affiliation: Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks Street, Toronto M5S 3B2, Canada.
authors.forename: Shigeo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Toh
authors.affiliation: Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks Street, Toronto M5S 3B2, Canada.
authors.forename: Duncan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Holbrook-Smith
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, Banting and Best Department of Medical Research, University of Toronto, 200 College Street, Toronto M5S 3E5, Canada. Center for Structural Genomics of Infectious Diseases, contracted by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Stogios
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, Banting and Best Department of Medical Research, University of Toronto, 200 College Street, Toronto M5S 3E5, Canada.
authors.forename: Olena
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Onopriyenko
authors.affiliation: Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks Street, Toronto M5S 3B2, Canada.
authors.forename: Shelley
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lumba
authors.affiliation: Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules, Nagoya University, Japan, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8602, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuichiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tsuchiya
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, Banting and Best Department of Medical Research, University of Toronto, 200 College Street, Toronto M5S 3E5, Canada.
authors.forename: Alexei
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Savchenko
authors.affiliation: Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks Street, Toronto M5S 3B2, Canada. peter.mccourt@utoronto.ca.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: McCourt
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020134:Catalytic Domain; D018525:Germination / Q000187:drug effects; D006575:Heterocyclic Compounds, 3-Ring / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D007783:Lactones / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D012639:Seeds / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D034362:Striga / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship
chemical_list: D006575:Heterocyclic Compounds, 3-Ring; D007783:Lactones; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators; D010940:Plant Proteins; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface