Plants use stress molecules as switches to control branching
Dewi JR, Foyer CH, Considine MJ
Plant Signaling
The next time you pinch back a leggy tomato or wonder why one branch on your rosebush suddenly took off while others stayed dormant, you're watching this exact chemical signaling system at work.
Plants have tiny side buds along their stems that often stay dormant while the main shoot keeps growing, a phenomenon called apical dominance. This review explains how reactive molecules, the same kind linked to stress and aging, actually work alongside classic growth hormones like auxin and cytokinin as messengers that tell those buds when to wake up and branch. Antioxidant compounds in the plant help fine-tune this signal, meaning the very system that mops up cell damage also shapes how bushy or upright a plant grows.
Key Findings
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) act as downstream effectors of cytokinin signaling and can inhibit cytokinin-mediated bud outgrowth pathways.
Redox-driven multimerization of the auxin-signaling protein IAA3 alters its interactions with other signaling components, repressing genes involved in bud growth.
Antioxidants ascorbate and glutathione go beyond scavenging ROS, acting through glutaredoxins as active participants in a redox signaling network that regulates dormancy.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists are uncovering how plants use molecules once thought of as harmful byproducts to control branching, deciding when a side shoot stays dormant or bursts into growth. This chemical signaling could help breeders design crops with better shapes for higher yields.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Reactive oxygen species, antioxidants and the regulation of plant development.
The plasticity of plant growth and development is intricately regulated by endogenous factors, particularly phytohormones such as auxin and cytokinin, and exogenous signals that regulate processes ...
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
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