Biotech Updates

Brassinosteroids' Role in Stomatal Dev'elopment

April 4, 2012

Brassinosteroids is a class of plant hormones that are involved in determining the number of leaf stomata. However, the mechanism behind this relationship is still not clear. Thus, Jenny Reussinova of Ghent University and colleagues investigated the action mechanisms of brassinosteroids and confirmed that the plant hormone affect the number of stomata. Plants without the hormone develop many fewer stomata and excess hormones could increase the number of stomata.

Results of their analyses further revealed that brassinosteroids exert direct action on SPEECHLESS (SPCH), the transcription factor that signals stomatal development. SPCH was also found to be sensitive to environmental changes as well as to internal plant signals. The findings of the study would be helpful in environmental research and in the improvement of crop productivity by  increasing their resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses.

For more details about the study, read the articles at http://www.vib.be/en/news/Pages/Stomata-development-in-plants-unraveled-%E2%80%93-a-valuable-discovery-for-environmental-research.aspx and http://www.nature.com/ncb/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/ncb2471.html#/contrib-auth.