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Brassinosteroid (BR) Signal Transduction in Plants

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A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Plant Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 July 2024 | Viewed by 3983

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Barbara Sawicka

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Guest Editor

Department of Plant Production Technology and Commodities Sciences, Faculty of Agrobioengineering, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, 20-950 Lublin, Poland
Interests: agrobioengineering; alternative plants and plant products; bioactive compounds; commodity science; food safety; oxidative stress; plant resistance mechanisms
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Dear Colleagues,

Brassinosteroids (BRs) are a class of plant hormones that play an important role in plant growth, development, and stress responses. The BR signal transduction pathway begins with its binding to the cell membrane receptor enzyme, which leads to the activation of downstream signaling elements and results in changes in gene expression and physiological responses. The BR–enzyme complex activates a cascade of phosphorylation events. Together, they form a complex that transmits the BR signal downstream. Enzyme phosphorylation leads to the activation of transcription factors that bind to specific DNA sequences in the region of target genes and regulate their expression. Recent studies have also revealed the existence of alternative BR signaling pathways. These alternative pathways may play an important role in BR response and integration of signaling with other signaling pathways in plants. Therefore, we invite you to submit your papers for a Special Issue devoted to “Brassinosteroid (BR) Signal Transduction in Plants” and solutions to this problem.

Prof. Dr. Barbara Sawicka
Guest Editor

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Keywords

brassinosteroids
stress responses
phosphorylation
signaling pathways

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 2114 KiB

Open AccessArticle

SlSERK3B Promotes Tomato Seedling Growth and Development by Regulating Photosynthetic Capacity

by Zhiqi Ding, Yandong Yao, Kangding Yao, Xuemei Hou, Zhuohui Zhang, Yi Huang, Chunlei Wang and Weibiao Liao

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(2), 1336; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25021336 - 22 Jan 2024

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Abstract

Brassinosteroids (BRs) are a group of polyhydroxylated steroids for plant growth and development, regulating numerous physiological and biochemical processes and participating in multi-pathway signaling in plants. 24-Epibrassinolide (EBR) is the most commonly used BR for the investigation of the effects of exogenous steroidal phytohormones on plant physiology. Although SlSERK3B is considered a gene involved in the brassinosteroid (BR) signaling pathway, its specific role in plant growth and development has not been reported in detail. In this study, tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) seedlings treated with 0.05 μmol L⁻¹ EBR showed a significant increase in plant height, stem diameter, and fresh weight, demonstrating that BR promotes the growth of tomato seedlings. EBR treatment increased the expression of the BR receptor gene SlBRI1, the co-receptor gene SlSERK3A and its homologs SlSERK3B, and SlBZR1. The SlSERK3B gene was silenced by TRV-mediated virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) technology. The results showed that both brassinolide (BL) content and BR synthesis genes were significantly up-regulated in TRV-SlSERK3B-infected seedlings compared to the control seedlings. In contrast, plant height, stem diameter, fresh weight, leaf area and total root length were significantly reduced in silenced plants. These results suggest that silencing SlSERK3B may affect BR synthesis and signaling, thereby affecting the growth of tomato seedlings. Furthermore, the photosynthetic capacity of TRV-SlSERK3B-infected tomato seedlings was reduced, accompanied by decreased photosynthetic pigment content chlorophyll fluorescence, and photosynthesis parameters. The expression levels of chlorophyll-degrading genes were significantly up-regulated, and carotenoid-synthesising genes were significantly down-regulated in TRV-SlSERK3B-infected seedlings. In conclusion, silencing of SlSERK3B inhibited BR signaling and reduced photosynthesis in tomato seedlings, and this correlation suggests that SlSERK3B may be related to BR signaling and photosynthesis enhancement. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Brassinosteroid (BR) Signal Transduction in Plants)

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16 pages, 100708 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Identification of Functional Brassinosteroid Receptor Genes in Oaks and Functional Analysis of QmBRI1

by Wanfeng Ai, Hanzhang Liu, Yutao Wang, Yu Wang, Jun Wei, Xiaolin Zhang and Xiujun Lu

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(22), 16405; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms242216405 - 16 Nov 2023

Viewed by 869

Abstract

Brassinosteroids (BRs) play important regulatory roles in plant growth and development, with functional BR receptors being crucial for BR recognition or signaling. Although functional BR receptors have been extensively studied in herbaceous plants, they remain largely under-studied in forest tree species. In this study, nine BR receptors were identified in three representative oak species, of which BRI1s and BRL1s were functional BR receptors. Dispersed duplications were a driving force for oak BR receptor expansion, among which the Brassinosteroid-Insensitive-1 (BRI1)-type genes diverged evolutionarily from most rosids. In oak BRI1s, we identified that methionine in the conserved Asn-Gly-Ser-Met (NGSM) motif was replaced by isoleucine and that the amino acid mutation occurred after the divergence of Quercus and Fagus. Compared with QmBRL1, QmBRI1 was relatively highly expressed during BR-induced xylem differentiation and in young leaves, shoots, and the phloem and xylem of young stems of Quercus mongolica. Based on Arabidopsis complementation experiments, we proved the important role of QmBRI1 in oak growth and development, especially in vascular patterning and xylem differentiation. These findings serve as an important supplement to the findings of the structural, functional and evolutionary studies on functional BR receptors in woody plants and provide the first example of natural mutation occurring in the conserved BR-binding region (NGSM motif) of angiosperm BRI1s. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Brassinosteroid (BR) Signal Transduction in Plants)

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Review

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17 pages, 1806 KiB

Open AccessReview

Brassinosteroid Signaling Pathways: Insights into Plant Responses under Abiotic Stress

by Tanveer Alam Khan, Sajeesh Kappachery, Sameera Karumannil, Mohamed AlHosani, Nemah Almansoori, Hamda Almansoori, Mohammad Yusuf, Lam-Son Phan Tran and Mayank Anand Gururani

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(24), 17246; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms242417246 - 8 Dec 2023

Viewed by 1605

Abstract

With the growing global population, abiotic factors have emerged as a formidable threat to agricultural food production. If left unaddressed, these stress factors might reduce food yields by up to 25% by 2050. Plants utilize natural mechanisms, such as reactive oxygen species scavenging, to mitigate the adverse impacts of abiotic stressors. Diverse plants exhibit unique adaptations to abiotic stresses, which are regulated by phytohormones at various levels. Brassinosteroids (BRs) play a crucial role in controlling essential physiological processes in plants, including seed germination, xylem differentiation, and reproduction. The BR cascade serves as the mechanism through which plants respond to environmental stimuli, including drought and extreme temperatures. Despite two decades of research, the complex signaling of BRs under different stress conditions is still being elucidated. Manipulating BR signaling, biosynthesis, or perception holds promise for enhancing crop resilience. This review explores the role of BRs in signaling cascades and summarizes their substantial contribution to plants’ ability to withstand abiotic stresses. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Brassinosteroid (BR) Signal Transduction in Plants)

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