MINI REVIEW article
Front. Plant Sci.
Sec. Plant Physiology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1618437
This article is part of the Research TopicChemistry Bolsters Plant Physiology Research and Agricultural TechniquesView all 4 articles
Chemistry and chemical biology tools contributing to the discovery and functional characterization of strigolactones
Provisionally accepted
- 1Hunan University, Changsha, China
- 2Beijing Institutes of Life Science (CAS), Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China
- 3China Tobacco Hunan Industrial, Changsha, China
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Strigolactones are a newly identified group of phytohormones that regulate plant growth and development and also act as communication signals in the rhizosphere. Beyond their well-known activity in stimulating parasitic weed germination, SLs function in regulating plant architecture, promoting symbiosis with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, and modulating responses to various environmental stresses. However, their low abundance, structural diversity, and instability have hindered comprehensive research and their practices. In this review, from the perspective of biological researcher, we summarize the powerful tools and strategies related to chemistry and chemical biology used in strigolactone area, covering analytical chemistry tools for isolation and structural elucidation, synthetic chemistry for structural elucidation and agricultural applications, chemical biology and biosynthetic strategies for functional characterization. Biosensors and probes used in monitoring SL activity and signaling were also highlighted. Finally, we address current challenges and discuss future research perspectives, aiming to provoke more investigations on SL biology and further boost their agricultural practices.
Keywords: strigolactone, Chemistry, Chemical Biology, biosynthesis, root exudate, Synthetic Biology
Received: 26 Apr 2025; Accepted: 29 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhou, Niu, Feng, Dong, Li, Kong and Li. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Xiaoxu Li, Beijing Institutes of Life Science (CAS), Beijing, 100101, Beijing Municipality, China
Bo Kong, Beijing Institutes of Life Science (CAS), Beijing, 100101, Beijing Municipality, China
Changsheng Li, Hunan University, Changsha, China
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