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Dear Colleagues,

Steroids are key regulators of growth and physiology in both plants and animals. In general, these organic compounds contain a characteristic arrangement of four cycloalkane rings joined to each other. Three of these are cyclohexanes (A, B, and C) and one is the cyclopentane system (D ring).

Plant steroids are well known to modulate a plethora of physiological responses in plants, leading to an improvement in quality as well as yield of food crops. The treatment of plants with steroids or their precursors influence plant development: cell divisions, root and shoot growth, embryo growth, and flowering.

Rapid progress in steroid research may lead to the clarification of many details concerning their action and to their wider use in agriculture.

This Special Issue invites researchers to publish their results, including original research and methodological or review papers, focusing on plant steroids, EUR their chemistry and bioactivity. Studies focused on their mechanisms of action are also welcome.

Dr. Jana Oklestkova
Guest Editor

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Keywords

brassinosteroids
phytoecdysteroids
withanolides
cardenolides
bufadienolides
biological activitiy
analysis
molecular mechanism

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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Open AccessArticle

Inhibition of the Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 Family by the Bikinin Alleviates the Long-Term Effects of Salinity in Barley

Jolanta Groszyk

and

Mateusz Przyborowski

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(19), 11644; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms231911644 - 01 Oct 2022

Viewed by 938

Abstract

Crops grown under stress conditions show restricted growth and, eventually, reduced yield. Among others, brassinosteroids (BRs) mitigate the effects of stress and improve plant growth. We used two barley cultivars with differing sensitivities to BRs, as determined by the lamina joint inclination test. Barley plants with the 2nd unfolded leaf were sprayed with a diluted series of bikinin, an inhibitor of the Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 (GSK3) family, which controls the BR signaling pathway. Barley was grown under salt stress conditions up to the start of the 5th leaf growth stage. The phenotypical, molecular, and physiological changes were determined. Our results indicate that the salt tolerance of barley depends on its sensitivity to BRs. We confirmed that barley treatment with bikinin reduced the level of the phosphorylated form of HvBZR1, the activity of which is regulated by GSK3. The use of two barley varieties with different responses to salinity led to the identification of the role of BR signaling in photosynthesis activity. These results suggest that salinity reduces the expression of the genes controlling the BR signaling pathway. Moreover, the results also suggest that the functional analysis of the GSK3 family in stress responses can be a tool for plant breeding in order to improve crops’ resistance to salinity or to other stresses. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Latest Research on Plant Steroids)

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Open AccessReview

Advances in the Biosynthesis and Molecular Evolution of Steroidal Saponins in Plants

and

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(3), 2620; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24032620 - 30 Jan 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1427

Abstract

Steroidal saponins are an important type of plant-specific metabolite that are essential for plants’ responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. Because of their extensive pharmacological activities, steroidal saponins are also important industrial raw materials for the production of steroidal drugs. In recent years, more and more studies have explored the biosynthesis of steroidal saponins in plants, but most of them only focused on the biosynthesis of their molecular skeleton, diosgenin, and their subsequent glycosylation modification mechanism needs to be further studied. In addition, the biosynthetic regulation mechanism of steroidal saponins, their distribution pattern, and their molecular evolution in plants remain unclear. In this review, we summarized and discussed recent studies on the biosynthesis, molecular regulation, and function of steroidal saponins. Finally, we also reviewed the distribution and molecular evolution of steroidal saponins in plants. The elucidation of the biosynthesis, regulation, and molecular evolutionary mechanisms of steroidal saponins is crucial to provide new insights and references for studying their distribution, diversity, and evolutionary history in plants. Furthermore, a deeper understanding of steroidal saponin biosynthesis will contribute to their industrial production and pharmacological applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Latest Research on Plant Steroids)

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