title: Small-molecule antagonists of germination of the parasitic plant Striga hermonthica.
abstract: Striga spp. (witchweed) is an obligate parasitic plant that attaches to host roots to deplete them of nutrients. In Sub-Saharan Africa, the most destructive Striga species, Striga hermonthica, parasitizes major food crops affecting two-thirds of the arable land and over 100 million people. One potential weakness in the Striga infection process is the way it senses the presence of a host crop. Striga only germinates in the presence of the plant hormone strigolactone, which exudes from a host root. Hence small molecules that perturb strigolactone signaling may be useful tools for disrupting the Striga lifecycle. Here we developed a chemical screen to suppress strigolactone signaling in the model plant Arabidopsis. One compound, soporidine, specifically inhibited a S. hermonthica strigolactone receptor and inhibited the parasite's germination. This indicates that strigolactone-based screens using Arabidopsis are useful in identifying lead compounds to combat Striga infestations.
authors.affiliation: Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.|Centre for the Analysis of Genome Evolution and Function, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Duncan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Holbrook-Smith
authors.affiliation: Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.|Centre for the Analysis of Genome Evolution and Function, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Shigeo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Toh
authors.affiliation: Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuichiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tsuchiya
authors.affiliation: Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.|Centre for the Analysis of Genome Evolution and Function, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: McCourt
mesh_terms: D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D018525:Germination / Q000187:drug effects*; D007783:Lactones / Q000494:pharmacology; D015394:Molecular Structure; D010880:Piperidines / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators / Q000494:pharmacology; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism; D054852:Small Molecule Libraries / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D034362:Striga / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development
chemical_list: D007783:Lactones; D010880:Piperidines; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D054852:Small Molecule Libraries; C000618755:soporidine