Abstract
Brassinosteroids (BRs) are steroidal plant hormones with potent plant growth promoting activity. Because BR-deficient mutants of rice exhibit altered plant architecture and important agronomic traits, we conducted a systemic search for specific inhibitors of BR biosynthesis to manipulate the BR levels in plant tissues. Although previous studies have been conducted with BR biosynthesis inhibitors in dicots, little is known regarding the effects of BR biosynthesis inhibition in monocot plants. In this work, we used potent inhibitors of BR biosynthesis in Arabidopsis, and we performed a hydroponic culture of rice seedlings to evaluate the effects of BR biosynthesis inhibition. Among the test compounds, we found that 1-[[2-(4-Chlorophenyl)-4-(phenoxymethyl)-1,3-dioxolan-2-yl]methyl]-1H-1,2,4-triazole (1) is a potent inhibitor that could induce phenotypes in rice seedlings that were similar to those observed in brassinosteroid deficient plants. The IC50 value for the retardation of plant growth in rice seedlings was approximately 1.27 ± 0.43 μM. The IC50 value for reducing the bending angle of the lamina joint was approximately 0.55 ± 0.15 μM.
Highlights
IntroductionPlant growth and development are regulated by a complex signal transduction mechanism
Plant growth and development are regulated by a complex signal transduction mechanism.Brassinosteroids (BRs) serve as important signal mediators with well-defined functions, including extreme dwarfism, delayed senescence, male sterility, and constitutive photomorphogenesis in the dark [1,2,3]
We reported the discovery of a series of triazole derivatives that exhibit highly selective and potent inhibitory activities on BR biosynthesis in Arabidopsis [10,11]
Summary
Plant growth and development are regulated by a complex signal transduction mechanism. It is believed that the use of specific inhibitors has advantages over genetic mutation because inhibitors can be used at different stages of plant growth and development [9] They can be applied to different plant species with great ease. In this context, searching for selective and potent inhibitors of BR biosynthesis represents a useful approach for dissecting the functions of BRs as well as for regulating plant growth and development. This observation indicates that the potency of the YCZ-series as inhibitors of BR biosynthesis in Arabidopsis is stronger than that of brassinazole and/or Brz-2001 Based on these observations, it is worth investigating the ability of the YCZ-series to inhibit BR biosynthesis in monocot plants, such as rice. We report the discovery of new compounds with the ability to induce a phenotype similar to BR deficiency in rice plants
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